Last night’s primary election in Illinois marked a political milestone for the state’s Asian-American population. With no other candidates to face in the November general election, Theresa Mah becomes the first Asian-American lawmaker to go to Illinois’ General Assembly.

Mah, who is Chinese-American, will represent Illinois’s 2nd state house district. The district includes all of greater Chinatown in Chicago.

“There are specific needs of the Asian-American community that need to be addressed,” she said. “And that’s something that I am looking forward to doing.”

Mah says she hopes to tackle issues like language access for Asian-Americans who aren’t fluent in English.

Asian-Americans are the fastest-growing group in Illinois. There’s been a pick-up in recent years of Asian-Americans winning public office in the state and in the City of Chicago.

Odette Yousef is a WBEZ reporter. Follow her at @oyousef and @WBEZoutloud.