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CHICAGO — Jill Tokuda, a congresswoman from Hawaii, attended her first Democratic National Convention in 1996. It happened to be in Chicago, where delegates gathered Monday for the first day of the 2024 DNC.

A lot has changed in that time, including the role of people in the party who look like Tokuda — an Asian American woman — and others from Hawaii, especially Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.

At an AAPI caucus meeting Tuesday at McCormick Place, the convention hall for the DNC, Tokuda addressed an enthusiastic audience that clearly believes this is a historic presidential election, and one that directly involves them.

That’s because, as Tokuda’s California colleague Rep. Judy Chu put it, many in these groups are among the fastest growing in the United States, not just in swing states like Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Georgia but nationally. They tend to be more educated, more prosperous, are more likely to vote.

It’s not gone unnoticed, said Tokuda.

“If you’ve ever wondered if we mattered as a caucus, if you’ve ever wondered if people see us, just take a look at what happened,” she said. “The next vice president of the United States showed up. He showed up. He came here to make it very clear. He spoke Mandarin. Mandarin!

Yes, Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, made a surprise visit to AAPI caucus meeting. The guests and audience members went nuts, standing for a lengthy ovation and snapping tons of photos and videos.

And yes, Walz speaks Mandarin by virtue of time spent in China.

“This is the great American journey towards a more perfect union,” Walz said. “We know there’s more work to be done. We know there’s challenges in front of us. These are hard things to tackle. But hard work can be joyful. Work hard work and be happy when you’re doing it. Hard work can be about making sure we’re inclusive to everyone. That truly means everyone.”

If elected, Harris would be the first Black woman president. But she also has South Asian ancestry, and so her elevation would a remarkable advance for diversity, given the 45 white men and one Black man who preceded her.

AAPI and AANHPI are sometimes used interchangeably, just as different Asian Americans are often grouped under one category. Same goes for Pacific Islanders.

But the 2024 DNC represents an elevated and important role for all people of color. People from Hawaii play a major part in that role, said Hawaii state Rep. Della Au Belatti, who attended the AAPI meeting. Like Tokuda, she is a delegate.

“I think the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander community is a critical population,” she said. “We’re in all states. In some states, we’re the fastest-growing population. We’re used to it in Hawaii being a majority — a super majority, in fact. But really, I think in these other states, they are going to be swing votes. And so people like Congresswoman Jill Tokuda, speaking up, energizing that group of voters, is very important.”

Belatti is a part of , a group of AANHPI Democrats who have spent months reaching out to colleagues in other states to back the national ticket. This was even before it was lead by Joe Biden. But now the momentum of the Harris-Walz team has shifted enthusiasm to a much higher level.

The work of the Hawaii hui includes phone banking, writing postcards, marching, sign-waving, texting and more. Belatti compares it favorably to what’s known as the 1954 Democratic revolution in Hawaii, when territorial Democrats led by Jack Burns, a future governor, World War II veterans like Dan Inouye and labor unions worked together to unseat the Republican governance. Democratic Party dominance has continued to through the present day.

“That’s how energized I think the people of Hawaii are,” she said. “They’re not going to just sit back and vote blue, because we’re going to deliver. Hawaii is going to deliver. And I’m proud to be part of that.”

The DNC continues through Thursday.