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* Article rank 

* 20 Jan 2013

* The Washington Post Sunday

* constablep@washpost.com lazol@washpost.com

At inaugural festivities, Latinos, Asians celebrate political clout

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“We need to celebrate because we think the president is going to listen to us now. We can’t be ignored. We are at the table.”

Shekar Narasimhan,

Indian American entrepreneur and Democratic activist

Dave Kumar, a District lawyer whose parents immigrated from India before he was born, and Mauricio Martinez, a Salvadoran refugee who cooks for a catering service in Virginia, have one important thing in common. Both are part of the historic surge in electoral participation and activism by immigrant groups, who turned out for President Obama in record numbers last year and put the country on notice that their votes and voices count.

MICHAEL S. WILLIAMSON/THE WASHINGTON POSTAndy Correa, left, Ricardo Escobar and Sonia Montes de Oca attended a pre-inauguration happy hour for Hispanic professionals at Lillies Restaurant in Woodley Park on Friday. Below right, Dave Kumar, national director of South Asians for Opportunity, at another party.

This weekend, Kumar and Martinez are among thousands of Hispanic and Asian American immigrants gathering in Washington to celebrate Obama’s reelection — and their own growing political impact. Among the flurry of inaugural events are glittering Latino- and Asianthemed galas, immigration policy workshops and citizenship fairs.

Several caravans of Latino voters and activists are crossing the country to join the festivities and promote legalization for the country’s 11 million illegal immigrants, most of whom are from Latin America. Obama has already granted deportation relief to some young undocumented immigrants, and he has promised to seek sweeping immigration reform in his second term.

“People have woken up and realized the power they have through their...