From: Asian American Alliance
Date: October 16, 2025
Subject: Asian American Alliance Newsletter (Week of Oct 12)


A Major Supreme Court Case on Race-Based Redistricting

October 15 is the Supreme Court hearing of Louisiana v. Callais—a case challenging race-based redistricting.

Louisiana initially redrew its congressional districts after a lawsuit in 2022 over the Voting Rights Act, which outlawed racial discrimination in redistricting. The map was redrawn such that two districts provide a chance for African American voters (constituting ~30% of voters in LA) to be heard.

However, Phillip Callais argues that this type of race-based redistricting is unconstitutional. Just like with DEI programs in higher education, he sees it as a form of racial discrimination.

Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act has a potential to be overturned in this case. If it is, this will cause major impacts on congressional district maps across America and potentially allow for states to dilute minority voices—certainly including that of Asian Americans.

For more information, check out the NPR article, here.

Louisiana Congressional District Maps (2022 v. 2024)

The Impact of the New H-1B Visa Program on Immigration from India

On September 19, a one-time $100,000 fee was announced for H-1B visas. These visas bring in thousands of highly-skilled workers to America, with 70% of recipients being Indian nationals.

This policy certainly may bolster India’s tech industry by encouraging its citizens to stay. But regardless of those potential opportunities, there are still many Indian nationals caught between the U.S. and India who are endangered by the new policy. Whether in search of higher-paying jobs and a less hierarchical workplace, or exiting from an American doctoral program, many counted on applying for a H-1B visa. However, the program no longer promises the success and security it once did.

Even for those who currently hold H-1B visas, the new program exposes how vulnerable their job positions are to the U.S. government. Just the announcement itself caused many H-1B holders to rush back to the U.S. out of uncertainty.

Read more about the potential impact for Indians here.

A Lifetime of Performance Art Dedicated to Absence

The Taiwanese-born performance artist Tehching Hsieh opened his retrospective on October 4 in Hudson Valley, New York.

Despite how influential his work has been in the genre of performance art as a whole, Hsieh remains largely unknown. This is in part because of his status as an undocumented Asian immigrant in a largely white-dominated industry.

But obscurity is also part of Hsieh’s performance art. Referring to them as “lifeworks,” Hsieh performed 5 “One Year Performances,” where he would dedicate one year to absence-related practices. The works ranged from living in a cage to abstaining from everything art-related. Through them, Hsieh explores what is essential to life, and how people can find psychological freedom within extreme circumstances.

Check out a recent New York Times article on Hsieh, here.

Tehching Hsieh

Read Arthur Sze, the First Asian American U.S. Poet Laureate

Arthur Sze was recently announced the 25th Poet Laureate of the United States, and began his laureateship on October 9. Sze is a second-generation Chinese American and dropped out of MIT to pursue poetry. He began in the work of translation, studying Chinese poets, which largely informs the calm and nature-heavy imagery of his work.

Sze has made it clear that his laureateship will focus on the humanity of poetry, saying that before he accepted the position, he “wanted to make sure it was not a political appointment in any way.” He emphasized that his poetry is not intended to teach readers about identity, but to offer them simply the experience of poetry.

This week, he published a poem titled “Library of Congress” in The New Yorker. Check it out online, here.

Arthur Sze

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