A zine on AAPI activism & politics

Katie Peterson interviews eight political activists in the Asian American Pacific Islander community. Judy Lei, Voting Rights Organizer at the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), comments on the civic engagement challenges in the AAPI community. Sruti Suryanarayanan from South Asian American Leading Together (SALLT) details the day-to-day initiatives for their education and research programming. State Senator Jay Chaudhuri opens up about being the first Indian-American state legislator and his focus on immigrant rights. Welcome to Chinatown’s Angela Liu speaks on the organization’s grant program, allyship opportunities, and prioritization of working on the ground. Sue Ann Hong, President and CEO of the Center for Asian Pacific American Women (CAPAW) discusses the lack of AAPI women in leadership roles and disproportionate pandemic unemployment rates. Dr. Jennifer Kim-Anh Tran, Professor of Ethnic Studies at California State University East Bay and Executive Director of Oakland Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce argues for bilingual activism outreach and an intersectional approach to solving violence. Abolitionist community organizer and youth educator, Alexis Takahashi states the importance of transformative justice and defunding police surveillance. Lastly, Delegate Kathy Tran talks about her role in AAPI immigrant rights advocacy as the only Vietnamese-American in Virginia State government.