The Asian American Advocacy Fund and TIRRC Votes have teamed up to host Rising Tide Southeast the first-ever Southeastern regional candidate and campaign staff training in Nashville, Tennessee from Friday, June 23, 2023 to Sunday, June 25, 2023. This comprehensive candidate training program is an effort to train first or second generation immigrant or refugee candidates to run for office and win.

Recognizing that the South continues to further diversify year-after-year, and communities of color grow in almost every single Southern state, it’s on us to ensure that historically-underrepresented communities have a say in the decision-making processes that affect our everyday lives.  The time is now for us to build power for immigrants and refugees in the South. While the next Presidential Election is around the corner in 2024, there are elections happening at the state and local levels in 2023, 2024, 2025, and beyond. It’s critical for our diverse communities to have representation at every level of government, and that includes ensuring that candidates from our communities and the campaign staff who support them have a solid pathway into public office.

Founding organizations

Asian American Advocacy Fund (“AAAF”)

The Asian American Advocacy Fund (“AAAF”) is a grassroots 501(c)(4) social welfare organization dedicated to building a politically-conscious, engaged, and progressive Asian American base in Georgia. The Advocacy Fund’s mission is to advocate for the civil and human rights of Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Native Hawaiians in Georgia. Through a combination of policy advocacy at local, state, and federal levels, and by supporting candidates that believe in our values, we fight to create a better Georgia for all. Our vision is a Georgia where Asian Americans’, Pacific Islanders’, and Native Hawaiians’ voices are represented in elected leadership and progressive policies across the state.

Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition Votes ("TIRRC Votes")

In August 2018, the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (“TIRRC”) launched an affiliated 501(c)(4) social welfare organization – TIRRC Votes – to build political power for immigrant and refugee communities and to create a pro-immigrant majority in the state. After the 2018 elections, TIRRC Votes has emerged as the leading organization in Tennessee capable of building a new electorate, effectively mobilizing the state’s progressive base voters, and creating a model for effective, immigrant-led political organizations in the Southeast. Using a model of electoral campaigning rooted in community organizing and leadership development, TIRRC Votes is building the electoral infrastructure and a political talent pipeline within Tennessee’s most diverse communities.