House of Mirrors: How Mis- and Disinformation Amplify Imperialist Histories to Shape Asian American Political Participation in California’s 45th District

In many Asian American spaces, we are witnessing narrative trends that contribute to tensions within, across, and about our communities. This research project seeks to more deeply understand these tensions through a case study of the California 45th congressional district (CA-45) where two Asian American candidates ran in 2024 in a race set against the backdrop of imperialism, war, trauma, displacement, grief, healing, identity-building, identity politics, electoral power, and most of all, our shared desire to be seen as who we are.

In 2024, CA-45 was the most expensive House race in the country. In the recent special election in November 2025, Californians passed proposition 50 that authorized the temporary redrawing of district boundaries, including CA-45. It will be one of the most watched House races in 2026.

About the Instructor: Shengxiao Yu, known by her nickname Sole, is a speaker, facilitator, writer, and social justice educator. She is the creator of Nectar, a space where she provides political education for the community through giving keynote speeches, facilitating workshops, and providing thought leadership. In 2024, Sole served as the activist-in-residence at the Asian American Studies Center at the University of California, Los Angeles. In this capacity, Sole conducted research to more deeply understand the AAPI electoral landscape and the role of mis- and disinformation. Sole is a writer for the Xin Sheng Project, a platform combating misinformation in the Chinese diaspora community by publishing in-language, progressive articles that shift perspectives and build intergenerational power. As a generation 1.5 Asian American, Sole is also working to build community among her fellow Asian Americans in order to build socio-political power and to lift up her lineage. Sole is inspired by BIPOC activists, grassroots community leaders, and all the intersectional movement ancestors who have paved the way.