Middleweight

Trailer: District 44

Listen to the trailer for Middleweight: District 44.

“Welcome to the state of Colorado. Welcome to your home.”

Alyssa Nilemo is a fourth-generation Coloradan running for Colorado House of Representatives on a platform based on kindness. To understand why kindness is important to her, you need to know about the history of Colorado and the lives of Asian Americans who made this state their home. At a time when I felt disaffected with US politics, the opportunity to tell Alyssa’s story inspired me. Follow along as she competes to become the only Asian elected official in the Colorado state government.

“There’s always this kind of fight for the soul of Douglas County.”

House District 44 where Alyssa Nilemo is running is in Douglas County on the southern edge of the Denver metro area. The county has historically been conservative, but elections in the past two years indicate a shift in local politics. Political experts and Douglas County elected officials help me contextualize these changes within Colorado’s recent “Purple State Era,” and I introduce Nadia, a voter in Parker, who shares her experiences living in the rapidly developing town.

“You can just feel that she is meant for greater things.”

The fire that sparked Alyssa Nilemo’s interest in politics happened when she started working in local government. Her involvement in a congressional campaign fueled her passion of addressing a crisis in Colorado, where there are no Asian American elected officials in state government. Learning from mentors who represent the wide spectrum of political views in the state, Alyssa now channels that energy into building her own team in Douglas County as an Asian American candidate.

“We breathe the same air.”

I tell a history of Japanese Coloradans by presenting the stories of five Japanese Americans who grew up in Colorado. Their family experiences represent the diversity of the multigenerational community in which Alyssa Nilemo was raised and that shaped her worldview. My visit to the American concentration camp in southeastern Colorado known as Amache and my conversations with community members help me appreciate the importance of having our voices heard.

“Basically, over the years, this has become Grandpa’s story.”

Alyssa Nilemo’s mother Donna Inouye steps me through their family tree. Alyssa has ancestors from Japan who settled in Colorado over a century ago, and tracing the threads that weave through California, rural Colorado, and Downtown Denver, I learn about the multiplicity of the Japanese American experience within Alyssa’s family history. Herb Inouye, who experienced the caravan journey in 1942, became a cornerstone of the Jodo Shinshu Buddhist community and a force that shaped Alyssa’s kindness worldview.

“I looked a little more minority, and she looked a little more white.”

For Alyssa Nilemo, growing up mixed race in Colorado was akin to what Unaffiliated voters experience. She was connected to two opposing worlds but fully at home in neither. Her brother Chris reflects on how their upbringing forced them to mediate conflicting feelings about their identities, ultimately shaping their distinct paths. While Chris leaned into Japanese culture, Alyssa chose a life dedicated to caring for others.

“Have thick skin and a short memory.”

Alyssa and her campaign staff give me a behind-the-scenes look into all the ways they’re reaching out to voters. I go canvassing for the first time, connect with young people who dedicate their weekends volunteering for Alyssa’s campaign, and reflect on what I’ve learned participating in local politics. I also become enthralled by the mail-in ballot system in Colorado.

“People are going to look at you and think you’re an immigrant.”

It’s Election Day. As Alyssa Nilemo makes a final push to reach out to voters, I uncover how practicing a Japanese martial art, participating in an Asian American nonprofit organization, and now running for office fit into her story. Colorado welcomes everyone. In the final hours before we find out whether she wins her race, I check in with Alyssa.