NORCROSS, GA – On Thursday September 24
th between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m. Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta (Advancing Justice -Atlanta) is organizing a Special Chuseok Celebration and voter empowerment session for approximately 300 Korean seniors living at the Ashford Landing Senior Residences in Brookhaven. The event will take place in the Blair Room, 3521 Blair Cir NE, Atlanta, GA 30319, and will feature special guest, Korean Brookhaven City Councilman John Park.
Korean media are encouraged to attend the event.
This event is part of Advancing Justice – Atlanta’s
10,000 Korean Votes Campaign, a multi-year campaign with the goal of getting 10,000 Korean Americans in Georgia to get out and vote by no later than the 2020 Presidential election. Advancing Justice – Atlanta estimates that there are currently 12,000 Korean Americans in Georgia registered to vote. However, we estimate that only 2,400 Korean Americans in Georgia went and voted during the 2014 Midterm elections.
“According to research conducted by Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Atlanta, we estimate that less than half of all Koreans in Georgia who are eligible to vote in US elections have actually registered to vote, and out of those that are registered only 20% actually go out and vote,” said
Helen Ho, Advancing Justice – Atlanta’s Executive Director. “This 20% Korean American voter turnout is far worse than the 38% overall average voter turnout for the rest of Georgia. If we could simply get more registered Korean American voters to actually vote – especially in Gwinnett County where Koreans are concentrated – Koreans could easily control the outcome of many elections,” continued Ho.
“In municipal or city elections, an election can be won by merely a 100 extra votes,” said
Brookhaven City Councilman John Park. Councilman John Park is the first Korean-American City Councilman in Brookhaven and was elected in 2014. “I am excited to partner with Advancing Justice – Atlanta to encourage our respected Korean seniors to exercise their voting power in 2015 not only in Brookhaven but also in other parts of metro-Atlanta,” said Park.
Two city council seats and the Mayoral seat will be up for election in Brookhaven on November 3, 2015. In addition, there will be municipal elections in the Cities of Duluth, Johns Creek, Norcross, Berkeley Lake, Lawrenceville, and other cities with high Korean American concentration. The date of all municipal elections is November 3, 2015.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta plans to continue the partnership with Councilman John Park to reach additional Korean senior groups in metro-Atlanta to discuss the importance of voting and educate on voter empowerment.
WHAT: Special Chuseok Celebration and Empowerment Session for seniors
WHO: Special speaker Brookhaven City Councilman John Park; Helen Kim Ho and James Chan Woo, Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Atlanta
WHEN: Thursday, September 24
th, 4:00pm to 6:00pm
WHERE: Ashford Senior Home, Blair Room 3521 Blair Cir NE, Atlanta, GA 30319. Korean refreshments and entertainment will be provided.
MEDIA RSVP PLEASE CONTACT: James Woo, 404-585-8446 or at
jwoo@advancingjustice-atlanta.org
