Many Cultures, One Voice
WELCOME
Paid For By The Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Caucus Of The North Carolina Democratic Party
Contact us today to learn more about how to get involved with the AAPI in North Carolina!
Get to Know Us
Empowering North Carolina Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Democrats
NC-AAPI is the Asian American Pacific Islander Caucus of the North Carolina Democratic Party (NCDP). We advocate and share information on issues pertinent to Asian Americans and are devoted to representing, advancing, and promoting the interests of the diverse AAPI communities across the great state of North Carolina. Our mission is to increase AAPI participation, representation, and leadership in government, political, education, and civic processes.
The Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Caucus of the Democratic Party of North Carolina represents and advocates for the interests of the diverse AAPI communities throughout our state. It seeks to increase AAPI participation in all levels of government.
Our Goals:
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Represent and build common interests and communications among various AAPI communities
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Ensure the AAPI community has equal access to education, social services, health, and other government programs and services
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Increase AAPI participation and representation in all levels of government, including statewide appointments and statewide elected officials
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Ensure legislation before the North Carolina Legislature and US congress and regulatory agencies reflect the needs and concerns of the AAPI community
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Promote greater civic participation and empowerment of AAPIs at various levels of government
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Strengthen protection against hate crimes and defend the civil rights and liberties of AAPIs
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Fight racial stereotypes and negative portrayals of AAPIs in the media
Why Donate and become a Member?
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Help build stronger AAPI communities throughout North Carolina.
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Create buzz to help increase AAPI representation in the local and national platforms through voter education and volunteering.
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Become part of a bigger and stronger AAPI Network across North Carolina to be able to connect and learn from one another through collaboration, mentoring, and professional opportunities
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Get to know Democratic Candidates and become an ambassador to educate voters as to why they should vote for our candidate.
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Volunteer time to assist in organizing and attending campaigns for various candidates
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Meet individuals with similar interests, communicate and share knowledge with one another
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Advertise your business on the NCDP - AAPI Community public page
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Membership Dues
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Student $5/year
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In-Kind/on an application case-by-case basis
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Annual Individual $25.00/year
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Annual family $30.00/year
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Lifetime $200.00
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Meet Your NCDP AAPI Caucus Executive Board For 2022-2024
Contact us today to learn more about how to get involved with the NCDP AAPI caucus in our State!
Edward Mira Binanay
Chair
edwardb@ncdpaapicaucus.org
Edward “Ed” Mira Binanay immigrated to the United States from the Philippines 45 years ago when he married his wife Cynthia whom he met in the Philippines. Ed worked for several transnational companies and was an accomplished sales executive. He also worked as a Director of Development and Fundraising for University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill. He is the current president of the Asian Pacific Islander Outreach (APIO), a nonprofit which has a mission to promote the issues affecting the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, including healthcare, affordable housing, jobs in the community and to elect more AAPI’s in local, statewide, and federal level offices. Ed has served on many boards and nonprofit organizations. He was the Chairman of the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC) Oversight Committee. He is currently a board member of the town of Swansboro’s Historic Preservation and Town Planning Boards.
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Kanwal Naiyar
First Vice Chair
kanwaln@ncdpaapicaucus.org
Kanwal Naiyar is based in Cary, North Carolina. Originally from Pakistan, Kanwal moved to the United States with her husband over 28 years ago. Kanwal spent many years as a volunteer in the AAPI community. She is an activist, a great supporter of women empowerment, raising her voice against gun violence, and helping train South Asian people in the community. She believes our new generation and women play an important role in US politics. She has served as a distributed field organizer with NCDP and currently serves at the First Vice Chair with the NCDP AAPI caucus. She has a bachelor’s degree in Social Work and education and has worked as a substitute teacher in Wake County. She is a great advocate to empower the South Asian community in US Politics.
Manisha Dass
Second Vice Chair
manishad@ncdpaapicaucus.org
Manisha is a licensed Occupational Therapist and has a second master’s degree in Public Administration. She currently works for a global nonprofit organization as a project manager. Born to first generation immigrants, Manisha has strong ties to her Indian heritage and culture, and although she was born in Miami, FL, she considers herself a “global citizen” and speaks four foreign languages. Manisha loves supporting and engaging with her local community and is passionate about volunteering, organizing, and mobilizing with the Asian Americans of our state. During the 2020 Presidential elections, Manisha served as the state co-director for South Asians for Biden, managing a team of over 200 volunteers. She serves a board member with APIO, a Guardian ad Litem for the 10th Judicial District of North Carolina, tutors Spanish at the Emily K Center in Durham, and is a mentor with WomenNC for their Global to Local Scholars program.
Najalynn Caraway
Secretary
najalynn@ncdpaapicaucus.org
Najalynn Caraway is an IT professional with cross-industry experience, including Human Resources. She is currently an IT SharePoint Developer for an NGO based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and prior to that, she worked for a private corporation focused on diversified technology for over 12 years. She is originally from the Philippines and migrated to the United States 25 years ago. Throughout her career, Najalynn have contributed to many causes and currently serves as a Board of Director and is also one of the founders and the Vice President of Love Acts Foundation, another NGO based in the Philippines geared towards humanitarian work. Her organization is focused on helping marginalized communities both in the Philippines and the United States, which includes providing relief assistance to various communities, livelihood assistance for farmers in the Philippines, partnering with schools to provide supplies and college tuition education assistance, medical assistance and more. Najalynn is vocal with her beliefs, has a passion for volunteerism, and a strong advocate for women’s empowerment.
Minu Lee
Third Vice minul@ncdpaapicaucus.org
Minu Lee is a first-generation Korean American college student studying Political Science at North Carolina State University. When he was a month old, Minu, his parents, and two older sisters immigrated to the United States in search of better opportunities. Since then, Minu has sought experiences that aim to assist and lift up his community. He has previously served as the 2nd Vice-President of the Wake County Democratic Party’s AAPI Caucus, where he worked with his fellow officers and local elected leaders to increase AAPI voter turnout in Wake County. Today, Minu currently serves as a Commissioner on the Raleigh Civil Service Commission, Guardian ad Litem for the 10th Judicial District of North Carolina, and a substitute teacher for the Wake County Public Schools System.
Dr. Gracie Galloway
Treasurer
gracieg@ncdpaapicaucus.org
Dr. Gracie Galloway is a practicing Nurse Practitioner with a PhD in Public Health. She has spent over 40 years dedicated to the care and welfare of the underprivileged, veterans, homeless, and children with food insecurities. She has been a member of the Democratic Party for over 50 years. She is the founder of the North Carolina Democratic Party (NCDP) Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Caucus. In 2020, she founded APIO and shares the vision of a future where all Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) and others in the North Carolina community, regardless of background, are actively engaged in shaping solutions to relevant issues through political engagement, protecting voting rights, recruitment of qualified candidates to run for political office resulting in prosperity and change in our society. She is the founder and CEO of The Joseph and Gracie Galloway Foundation.
