A few weeks ago, Keith had the pleasure of welcoming to Southern Fried Asian human rights lawyer, policy advocate, and candidate for State Senate in the 28th district of Virginia, Qasim Rashid. With less than two weeks to go until voters go to the polls in Virginia, Keith and Qasim talk about why he's running and why it's important to get involved in politics at every level of society.

Qasim reflects on being a candidate running for public office while also being an immigrant during the Trump era (1:30) and how politicians exploit racism to distract from economic warfare between the haves and have nots (5:15). They also discuss how hard it is to get voters motivated for off-year and local elections but why it's absolutely crucial to get out the vote for these kinds of elections (11:00) and why organizing is the answer (13:00). He also reflects on the experience running for office in a part of Virginia that is traditionally very rural and conservative (16:00) before looking back at his own immigration story (18:15). Finally, Qasim shares his idea for bringing a food festival to Stafford County to celebrate the local cuisine of the area (29:00).

Even though the election is right around the corner, you can still donate to Qasim's people-powered campaign here. You can also go here to learn how to be a volunteer.

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Our official theme music is the song "Top Down" by Chops, Timothy Flu, and Mic Barz. Podcast logo by Jef Castro.

Southern Fried Asian is produced by Keith Chow and Jes Vu.