Chicago - A message from the station manager

There Are No Asian-American Aldermen Here

By Kiljoong Kim

With Jesse Jackson Jr. and Luis Gutierrez rattling around the outskirts of the next mayoral race, and a city council packed with women, African Americans, and at least one openly gay man, you might think that diversity has found its place in Chicago’s political arena. Indeed, African Americans and Hispanics in particular have joined the great parade of minority groups before them who have worked their way up, at least to some degree, from outsider status into the halls of power.
But there is a glaring absence from this picture of diverse representation, a missing piece of the puzzle rarely if ever considered among the political practitioners, the political pundits, and the political press. It is this simple fact: There are no Asian-American aldermen here.
Curious, isn’t it? Especially for a growing part of the population which, as a group, is in seemingly good economic shape. Yet, in the case of Chicago’s Asian Americans, money doesn’t equal power.
Why not?
Let’s take a look at the numbers.

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Posted on March 13, 2006