When I teach Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) literature, I try to emphasize to my students that there is power behind representation. Whose stories are worth telling, whose creative voices will be recognized, whose experiences are valid, and whose lives are worth studying — these are the animating questions that inform multicultural education and the development of AAPI literary studies.

The fact that we are able to study AAPI literature at all is the result of a long struggle by activists, students, and educators to bring marginalized voices into the classroom and to diversify and expand our understanding of literary culture. AAPI stories are worth telling, AAPI voices have something unique and important to say, and to understand the range and beauty of human experiences, AAPI lives must also be included.

Despite the rise of multicultural education and the inclusion of AAPI literary representation into curriculums, what has lagged behind has been political representation. It would seem that multicultural education is perceived as "sufficient." It may even be the case that the increase in AAPI literary representation in the classroom has obscured the lack of AAPI representation outside of it. Literary representation cannot substitute for political representation, even if critics of multicultural education and ethnic studies imply that they are interchangeable.

As both political parties gear up for elections in November, there has been a lot of talk about identity politics and voting blocks. Strategists and pundits on both sides talk about how to reach out to Latino, African-American, or women voters. They note how voters are broken down in terms of class and educational background and attempt to explain how both parties are trying to respond to their interests. Rarely, however, do we hear strategists and pundits discuss how Republicans and Democrats are trying to reach out to AAPIs.

For the most part, AAPIs are invisible in the national electoral landscape. We are rarely perceived as an influential voting block. This is why the fact that there is a record number of AAPI congressional candidates this year is not only noteworthy, but potentially transformative. In 2008 and 2010, there were six to eight AAPI congressional candidates. This year, the number jumped to 25.

The unprecedented number of AAPI candidates from both parties has led to the formation of the APAICS Leadership Network, which is made up of state and federal AAPI legislators and is affiliated with the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS). The goal of the network is to increase the political participation of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and to cultivate a new generation of leaders and policymakers.

In an APAICS Leadership Network press release, California congresswoman Judy Chu, a founding board member, notes: "There can no longer be any question about the political clout of the Asian- American community — the time for an AAPI leadership network has come."

The 25 candidates reflect the diversity of the AAPI community. Moreover, they vary in terms of party lines.

Rather than an obstacle, this diversity is vital to increased AAPI political participation. I do not believe we should vote for someone simply because they look like us or share our cultural heritage. That kind of identity-based voting reinforces the racial and ethnic divide that has been responsible for our marginalization in the first place. It manifests itself in examples such as the current assault on ethnic studies, which presumes that ethnic studies or multicultural education are only of interest and relevant to people of color.

A diversity of AAPI candidates would enable a diversity of perspectives, voices, and interests to be acknowledged and represented. Just as we don’t "all look alike," we certainly don’t all think alike. We need to broaden our political options and expand the terms of political engagement. The more diversified our candidate pool, the more opportunities for political discussion, wider inclusion, and new models of civic engagement and leadership. This benefits everyone, and not just AAPI communities.

The issues surrounding whose stories are worth telling, whose voices are recognized, and whose experiences are considered valid do not pertain only to literary study. They are at the heart of political representation and participation.