Asian Wave Alliance

Asian American Nonpartisan Political Club. New York. Safety, Education, Community. Voting for Common Sense to Safeguard Our Future. Likes/RT ≠ endorsement.

[Asian Wave Alliance @Asianwave_org]

AWA is proud to endorse Saritha Komitareddy for New York State Attorney General. Saritha brings exceptional qualifications, extensive legal experience, and a commitment to restoring integrity and accountability to the Office of Attorney General.

“We really appreciate that Saritha has made combating crime and fraud central to her campaign,” said Yiatin Chu, President of AWA. “Tackling disorder and lawlessness on our streets and in our subways shouldn’t be partisan”, Chu added. @sarithaforny

[Asian Wave Alliance @Asianwave_org]

AWA is proud to endorse Steve Chan for his re-election to Senate District 17. Steve is a bold voice for constituents, together with established relationships in Albany, are valuable assets in advocating for all New Yorkers. @SteveChanForNY

[Asian Wave Alliance @Asianwave_org]

AWA is proud to endorse William Colton in his re-election to Assembly District 47. His experience in Albany, established relationships, and deep understanding of his district are valuable assets in advocating for constituents and delivering results. @AMWilliamColton

[Asian Wave Alliance @Asianwave_org]

AWA is proud to endorse Lester Chang for his re-election to Assembly District 49. His experience in Albany and deep understanding of district are valuable assets in advocating for constituents in his district and all New Yorkers. @AMLesterChangNY

[Asian Wave Alliance @Asianwave_org]

Asian Wave Alliance is proud to endorse Brandon Castro for Assembly District 30. We believe our communities need a fresh voice in Albany who will champion safer neighborhoods and defend educational opportunities that help working and immigrant families achieve the American Dream. The open seat presents an opportunity to elect a representative committed to these priorities. @BrandonCastroNY

[Asian Wave Alliance @Asianwave_org]

Attorney General candidate Saritha Komitareddy (R)
https://t.co/UqR0odtqoI

[Asian Wave Alliance @Asianwave_org]

AWA will host our Candidates' Forum today. We look forward to hearing from participants on the important issues that matter to NYC's Asian community. @sarithaforny @SteveChanForNY @AMWilliamColton @JohnRicoForNY @LesterforNY

[Asian Wave Alliance @Asianwave_org]

Senator Stephen Chan (R)
Assemblyman Lester Chang (R)
https://t.co/U6SLERlvky

[Asian Wave Alliance @Asianwave_org]

Assemblymember William Colton (D) and John Ricottone (R)
https://t.co/PikboqYyeW

[Asian Wave Alliance @Asianwave_org]

“Asian Exclusion Disguised as Integration”
AWA Condemns City Councilmembers’ Plan to Change Specialized High School Admissions and Restrict Discovery Eligibility

September 13, 2026 (New York, NY) Asian Wave Alliance (AWA), a nonpartisan political club representing Asian American New Yorkers, strongly condemns Council Members Nantasha Williams and Lincoln Restler’s proposals, the “Specialized High Schools: Excellence and Integration Plan” as well as City Council Resolution 167. These proposed changes are an attack against merit and are blatantly racist and engineered to reduce the number of Asian students at Specialized High Schools by:

Replacing the transparent, objective Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) with a subjective “holistic” admissions process for the five Specialized High Schools that were established during the Bloomberg administration;

Limiting eligibility for the Discovery program to low-income students from only 15 high-poverty school districts when in reality low-income students exist in all schools and districts citywide; and

Urging Albany to repeal the Hecht-Calandra Act, which established the SHSAT as the sole admissions criterion for Stuyvesant High School, Bronx High School of Science, and Brooklyn Technical High School.

Eliminating SHSAT-based admissions at the Queens High School for the Sciences and Staten Island Technical High School would remove the only test-based Specialized High School option in their home borough.* For many families, these schools provide an important geographic alternative to lengthy cross-borough commutes.

Mayor Deblasio’s Discovery changes, which limited eligibility to low-income students attending only high ENI schools, still yielded a majority Asian Discovery pool (62%). Council Members Williams and Restler now want to restrict Discovery eligibility even further to only students in the 15 highest-poverty districts.

“Asian exclusion is disguised as integration. The top 15 districts were chosen purposely and nefariously to exclude Asians. Based on 2025 NYC Public Schools demographic data, the 15th-ranked low-income district is less than 5% Asian, while the 16th-ranked district jumps to 22% Asian. With 32 overall districts, it’s hard to not see this as an Asian-exclusion agenda,” said Yiatin Chu, president of Asian Wave Alliance. (see demographic data table)

AWA demands to know why the co-sponsors would cut Discovery eligibility by more than half based on geographically zoned districts when the key difference between them is their racial composition—not the needs of low-income students.

Finally, the plan urges Albany to repeal the Hecht-Calandra Act for Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, and Brooklyn Tech through City Council Resolution 167. AWA strongly opposes any changes to Hecht-Calandra and instead supports expanding opportunities for all underserved students through earlier academic preparation, broader SHSAT access, free test preparation, more rigorous middle-school instruction, and expansion of high-quality Specialized High School seats.

“We reject the premise that racial diversity requires reducing opportunities for one minority group in order to increase opportunities for another,” said Yi Fang Chen, First Vice President of AWA.

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[Asian Wave Alliance @Asianwave_org]

"Of Chinese-led households on Staten Island, 95% own their homes, the highest rate of any borough and far above Manhattan’s 22.9% rate for the same demographic."

https://t.co/CC0qpGDSII

[Asian Wave Alliance @Asianwave_org]

“Six people fought in the primary election of the House of Representatives in Chinatown, New York. Chinese organization endorsed Mariama James.”

https://t.co/Z6BfBmPBqM

[Asian Wave Alliance @Asianwave_org]

Asian Wave Alliance Endorses Mariama James in Manhattan Chinatown Assembly Race
June 14, 2026 (New York, NY) Asian Wave Alliance (AWA), a nonpartisan political club, proudly endorses Mariama James for New York State Assembly District 65 to represent residents of Chinatown, FiDi, and the Lower East Side. We believe she is the candidate best aligned with our club’s priorities of public safety, excellent public schools, and economic prosperity for New York City’s fast-growing Asian community.

Mariama is a lifelong New Yorker and public school mom who has delivered for 9/11 survivors and responders, and served in PTA leadership to make lower Manhattan public schools better. We recognize Mariama’s strong support on public safety and concerns of Chinatown residents. She stands firmly opposed to the Chinatown jail, recognizing the serious concerns of residents about its impact on the neighborhood. If elected, she will champion Priscilla’s Law, bringing accountability to our streets by requiring e-bikes and scooters to be registered, insured, and licensed. On education, Mariama is deeply committed to strengthening our public schools and advancing merit-based, high-quality education that gives every child the opportunity to succeed. Mariama vowed to keep the SHSAT for NYC’s Specialized High Schools while expanding support for students who can thrive at these schools. Mariama has an intimate understanding of the challenges facing neighborhood businesses in Lower Manhattan, and commits to bringing all parties to the table for a fair and balanced representation of local small businesses and property owners. Mariama’s foremost priority is ensuring that long-time residents—especially seniors—are not displaced from Lower Manhattan.

“Mariama impressed us with her sincerity in hearing and addressing the concerns of the Asian community. We believe she will be an ally for us in Albany, and will effectively advance legislation that will make our city safer and more prosperous,” said Yiatin Chu, president of Asian Wave Alliance.

Early voting is already underway from June 13–21, with Primary Election Day on June 23, 2026. You must be a registered Democrat to vote in the Democratic primaries. Check your registration: https://t.co/AgRgiOH4tR; Find your poll site: https://t.co/Cr0yewBBMa
@MariamaJames13

[Asian Wave Alliance @Asianwave_org]

“The fact that Chen is the third most frequent surname in the voter file is indicative of the impact” of the Chinese community on New York City politics, he said. He expected this to only grow.

“It takes a while for an immigrant group to become citizens, and even after becoming citizens, it takes a while for them to learn about politics and get registered and get politically active and so forth,” Mollenkopf said. “But it's definitely going to be an increasing influence on city elections in years to come.”

https://t.co/5ODOpjxFyk

[Asian Wave Alliance @Asianwave_org]

Please join us on Friday, June 5 at 8:30pm to meet with two candidates, Mariama James and Jay Jacky Wong, running for Assembly District 65.

Register for the Zoom link:
https://t.co/eLgySJYTD2

[Asian Wave Alliance @Asianwave_org]

RT @ycinnewyork: I’m proud to support the amended School Safe-Access Bill that will make NYC schools safer for students and educators. @Sp…

[Asian Wave Alliance @Asianwave_org]

Our comment: https://t.co/dDm7aTsRys

[Asian Wave Alliance @Asianwave_org]

We thank @GovKathyHochul for opting into the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit for New York families.

AWA submitted comments to the IRS in support and urged Governor Hochul to opt in. We were prepared to activate our community this year but very glad that won’t be needed.

https://t.co/6dJqaT4Uos