When the Harvard Asian American Association (AAA) tabled in front of Widener Library against Proposition 187, it seemed to many that Harvard's Asian-American community was speaking out on a controversial issue with a strong, singular voice.

But that strong political voice, it seems, did not speak for everyone.

The California ballot initiative, which passed last week, requires doctors and teachers to inform authorities of suspected illegal immigrants and denies public education and non-emergency health care to illegal immigrants.

To AAA education and political chair Veronica S. Jung '97, the legislation is "a sign of the wider tide of anti-immigrant sentiment." It is an issue that Asian-Americans at Harvard should be concerned with, she says.

But to some of Harvard's Asian-Americans, the real controversy is not about the legislation. The real controversy, say some like Daniel Lee '95, is about who claims to speak for whom.

"They don't know what all Asians think," Lee says, responding to the AAA's recent political efforts. "It's pretty irresponsible."

With events like last week's tabling and a recent forum on violence against Asian-Americans, AAA's leaders say they are trying to give Asian-Americans at Harvard a political voice.

AAA's growing political activism is an attempt to reverse the organization's decline as a social and cultural force, leaders say.

In recent years, other Asian-American student groups, like the Chinese Students Association (CSA) and the Korean Student Association (KSA), have increasingly taken over these roles, some say.

But like Lee, other students counter that no single group can represent such a diverse community. They say AAA cannot resolve the tension between uniting all Asian-Americans and taking partisan political stances.

By virtue of its name, AAA has a responsibility to try to encompass almost 20 percent of the student body, says Paul K. Kim '96, who ran unsuccessfully for AAA's presidency last year.

"If AAA truly represents Asian-Americans, they can't come out on positions in that way," he says.

Kim and others say that if AAA is to be political, it must offer an open forum and serve as an unbiased educator. AAA can also provide an organizational base for its sister groups, some students say.

"It's great if they foster dialogue and dissent without imposing an agenda," says Daniel H. Choi '94, who is now a graduate student in the government department.

Roots in Activism

The organization had its foundations in political activism 16 years ago when Asian-American students were not allowed to participate in minority events during Freshman Week, says AAA Co-president Alex H. Cho '96.