AAPIs for Civic Empowerment Education Fund

Voting and holding our elected officials accountable are important steps in exercising our power. These past 3 weeks, tens of thousands of Californians have taken to the streets calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Instead of funding Israel’s weapons, $609,845,124 of California’s annual tax dollars could:
🪴Provide public housing to 72,497 households for a year
🩺Provide free or low-cost healthcare to 212,193 children
🎒Fund 6,658 elementary school teachers
☀️Power 1,736,213 households with solar electricity for a year
🧑🏽‍🎓Cancel student loan debt for 16,139 students
(h/t US Campaign for Palestinian Rights)

Last Thursday, the US House of Representatives approved H.R. 6126, a federal bill that seeks to give $14 billion to aid Israel without humanitarian aid to Gaza. 13 California Representatives voted Yes on H.R. 6126.🤮

Next, the bill will move through the US Senate for approval. Our two California US Senators Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler have not rejected this bill. 🤔 As constituents and voters, we tell our elected officials what they should prioritize. Take action today!

Our team met up with Million Voters Project partners in Los Angeles to align on narrative and organizing. 💥 Our MVP partners include: ACCE Action CA Black Power Network California Calls Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights OC Action PICO California Power California.

Together, we're working to transform the California electorate to win the bold, structural change that all Californians deserve. This is what democracy looks like. 😍

Congratulations Filipino Advocates for Justice for 50 years of service, love, and justice. It was a joy to see generations of movement builders together, celebrating each other, and reaffirming commitment to empowering the Filipino community in the East Bay. And we were moved to witness the naming of the Victor Uno Zero Net Energy Center as his family was honored. Pamana!

📸 our field director Mike and digital manager Ashley. Pictures with FAJ staff, founder Lillian Galedo, honoree Amado Uno, and Hayward City Council Member George Syrop

👻 Boo! As Halloween approaches, we're shedding light on the truly terrifying - the California housing crisis.
😵 Authored by Phil Hawkins and Jim Costa and signed into law by Pete Wilson, the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act killed local rent control measures. Corrupt politicians have made it easier for greedy real estate corporations to drive up housing costs and unfairly evict tenants.
🗣 Swipe to learn more about the haunting impacts of the Costa-Hawkins act and the homewrecking politicians behind it.

AAPIs for Civic Empowerment Education Fund grieves the loss of civilian lives in the horrifying attacks in Israel and Palestine. We join the call to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, end to US funding of Israel’s military, and end to the Israeli government’s genocide of Palestinian people.

As a statewide coalition of community-based organizations building the political power and self-determination of our immigrant and refugee communities, we are in solidarity with Palestinian people’s struggle for liberation. We understand none of us are free until all of us are free.

Many of our own Asian American and Pacific Islander families know intimately the effects of war, colonization, and forced removal. Let’s be clear, as Californians, we do not support Israel’s apartheid state even though our governor offers unwavering support to Israel with a one day visit to the region, while ignoring the loss of Palestinian lives. As constituents and voters, we tell our elected officials what they should prioritize. Newsom’s words and actions do not represent all his constituents.

Read our full statement and statements from our network: https://aapiforce-ef.org/statement-palestine

We're excited to share the news that we are creating a comic book with Audrey Chan, who is an 18th Street Arts Center California Creative Corps Fellow.

Audrey is an artist whose works challenge dominant historical narratives through community-based allegories of power, place, and identity. We are working with her through next May on a much needed intervention, that big corporations have and will keep putting profits over everyday Californians and that AAPI-led grassroots organizations build people power in our multiracial democracy!

Our comms team (Erica, Ashley, and Shania) met with Audrey in Los Angeles to storyboard the comic book. They are pictured at Pilipino Workers Center (PWC)'s office with inspirations by Thi Buoy, Zeke Peña, Fernando Argosino, and JP/Jason Pereira, and a mural of Larry Itliong. More to come!

Our field director Mike (with Kobe 🐶) and digital manager Ashley knocked on doors in Richmond and Carson with Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN). They're talking to Asian voters about environmental health and what they envision for their communities! Across the state of California, APEN is building the power of Asian immigrant and refugee communities on the frontlines of fighting big oil corporations. Join the fight! https://apen4ej.org/volunteer/

We’ve released a report with our partners!

🗳️“Breaking Barriers to the Ballot Box” explores language access in California elections and provides a roadmap to ensure that all voters, proficiency, can vote fairly and equally.

Read: bit.ly/CALA2023

We deserve a government that prioritizes our communities' health and safety OVER greedy corporations! That's what our volunteers emphasized throughout the summer as they learned about how corporations are spending million$$ to deny our working-class communities affordable housing. ⁠
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Thank you to our volunteers for showing up, learning together, and imagining a better world with us! ⁠

Art by JJTypography.

To wrap up the summer, our steering committee gathered in Oakland to learn from each other and plan for 2024.

AAPI FORCE-EF is a statewide network of grassroots orgs building the power of the people to lead and transform our government into one that values communities over corporations.

We're also a hella fun group. Our team builders involve dance competitions, our executive coordinator Kelly makes sure we are fed well, and we share laughter.

🦈Why the sharks? We celebrated Cha our Director of Politics and Partnerships (she's a shark when she wants). Instead of singing happy birthday, we sang and danced along to Baby Shark. 😂

“Policies impact our material conditions, so we want more people to be involved in the process instead of just allowing a subset of people, who may be more privileged, to be engaged.” 💯💯
- Chinese Progressive Association Civic Engagement Director Tiffany Ng.

Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) Chinatown Community Visioning Workshop! 🥹

Seeding Change is very dear to us. When we started in 2017, Seeding Change was in its fourth year of their National Fellowship Program for Asian American Organizing and Civic Engagement.

Every summer, our directors lead workshops on electoral change and basebuilding before Seeding Change Fellows do ground work with their host organizations--many CA host sites build political power with us. We've been fortunate to have staff go thru the fellowship and coaching circle.

We've felt the impact of Seeding Change's programs. Our network of grassroots orgs develop the skills, leadership, and commitment of Seeding Change fellows. And these empowered young organizers continue growing the organizing power of our progressive movement in California. We grow together.

Thank you Seeding Change for a decade of nurturing a beautiful and powerful dandelion field of leaders.

That's a wrap on our 2023 summer internship! Thank you Isaiah, Tran, and Vivian for diving into our political campaign work for housing justice, corporate accountability, and voting rights.

Each sharpened their practice in civic engagement organizing.
🌻Field intern Isaiah led a GOTV pledge campaign and developed a future canvass list with 100+ pledges!
🌻 Policy intern Tran participated in a local lobby visit, voting rights rally in Sacramento, and did research on 2024 ballot propositions.
🌻Communications intern Vivian developed a spicy political education series on California's corporate villains and housing policy.

The 8 weeks went by fast. We learned so much from you three, and hope you continue working within our movement to build long-term governing power in working-class and immigrant AAPI communities throughout and across California. 🌻🌻🌻

"On top of rising rents and limited access to high-paying jobs and healthy food, pollution from the refinery is making people sick. Chevron continues to put their profits over people and health through dangerous flaring, oil spills and pollution."

Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) Richmond Youth Organizer Kat joins Central Valley Defenders for Clean Air and Water member María Arévalo to explain how one of California's biggest climate programs is actually making the air unbreathable.

Popular California climate program lets polluters keep harming vulnerable communities A California program aiming to reduce pollution has enabled projects at oil refineries and dairies. Nearby residents suffer the consequences.

We wrapped our housing justice field campaign! Our patient and determined team of phone bankers spoke with 1,887 Asian American and Pacific Islander voters in Orange County. 1,032 of them agree that our elected leaders need to do more to stop corporate interests from driving up the cost of housing and pushing people into homelessness.

Thank you Alessandra, Ang, Jacqueline, Leilani, Nhi, Ronvel, and Victoria!

"Our democracy in California and nationwide is richer and stronger when everyone has an equal voice. As we consider the past and present harms that Black people have endured, let’s also consider our path to truly and comprehensively repair those harms"

CA Black Power Network ED James Woodson writes how California bills ACA 8, ACA 4, SB 299 are steps forward toward a true democracy. Read on.

Beginning reparations by restoring black Californians’ basic civil rights - Capitol Weekly Cash payouts alone will not restore fundamental civil rights to California’s 2.25 million Black residents.

This is what democracy looks like. When our representatives' proposals do not reflect voters' interests, the people have the power to make demands. Because we decide.

By uniting with other community organizations across San Francisco, Chinese Progressive Association helped restore 80 million $$ of critical services.

Last month, we launched our housing justice field campaign, as a member of the Million Voters Project. Our mighty team of phone bankers have been calling Asian American and Pacific Islander voters in Orange County. With over 1,000 conversations so far, we asked Ang, Jacqueline, Leilani, Nhi, Ronvel, and Victoria what they are learning.

🪸"Field canvassing has shown me that certain issues can build consensus across party lines. I've learned how important it is to listen, even during moments of disagreement. " - Ang

🪸"with the right political education and support systems, we can become an unignorable, powerful political bloc in the future."- Jacqueline

🪸"Phone banking has taught me the importance of being optimistic and persistent when it comes to reaching out to people and wanting to learn their stories/opinions." - Leilani

🪸"People will surprise you! Just because they identify with a particular group doesn't mean they all think the same way. Be PATIENT with people. People are willing to hear you out, so be patient." - Nhi

🪸"We should value those who are open minded enough to give us phone bankers the time of day." - Ronvel

🪸"there are current issues like social housing that we, as collective Americans, see eye-to-eye on regardless of the political party." - Victoria

Our staff joined Seeding Change CA crew on a toxic tour of Oakland Chinatown and Richmond led by Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) Basebuilding Director Alvina.
We learned about APEN’s previous and ongoing locally-rooted campaigns which include fighting big corporations that poison the health and safety of working-class communities of color which include Asian immigrants and refugees.
We also learned that California is home to the country’s 2 largest ports, the largest refinery on the west coast, and almost 100 abandoned toxic pollution sites. 🚩Extractive economy 🚩
Where and how people live is a housing issue which is an environmental issue. 🤯Thank you APEN and Seeding Change for this field trip!

Last week we welcomed our Summer Interns☀️: Tran (Policy), Isaiah (Field), and Vivian (Communications)!! They had a deep dive orientation into our work. We led workshops on our civic engagement campaigns, media literacy, California’s political history, and what it means to build governing power. OG organizer Kimi Lee came to talk about her student activism for affirmative action in the 1990s and how that shaped her three decades of organizing.
Phew! We had some fun too with *mandatory* boba breaks, a visit to Aypal: Building API Community Power’s office, and a talent show (our group is hella talented).
We’re excited to have our interns on board with us during their summer break. Add some shine for Isaiah, Tran, and Vivian! ✨✨✨

Did you know our staff has grown to 12 people?? We spent a few days to rest, recharge, and have fun with each other at the beautiful Occidental Arts & Ecology Center in Sonoma County. Thank you Geordee Mae Corpuz of Education Fund for facilitating our organizational culture workshop.⁠
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Just as nature changes all the time, culture does too -- especially when it comes to building people power! 🍃⁠
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Here are some photos of our team members (Ashley, Cha, Erica, Jen, Kelly, Mike, Nina, Roz, Shania) during our staff retreat

We condemn the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn race-conscious admissions in both the Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard and SFFA v. University of North Carolina affirmative action cases. The court’s decision negatively impacts all students, especially students from working-class communities of color, and overturns decades-long multiracial organizing efforts for racial equity.

Read our full statement: aapiforce-ef.org/press-release-affirmative-action/

When the city of San Francisco cuts critical funding for services and community programs, Chinese Progressive Association members show up to say hell no! The city budget must reflect the needs of working people.

This week, the Supreme Court could end any consideration of race in college admissions. Conservative nonprofit Students for Fair Admission (founded by Edward Blum) used Asians as plaintiffs and as a racial wedge to preserve white supremacy. Although the majority of Asian Americans support affirmative action, our communities are bombarded with false information about the lawsuits.
Since 1996, Affirmative Action has been banned in public education and public jobs in California. 😡⁠ We have seen how an affirmative action ban harms working-class communities of color, including Asian Americans ESPECIALLY Southeast Asians, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.
No matter the outcome, we will never stop fighting systemic barriers so our communities are empowered to fight for the resources & opportunities working people deserve.

Yesterday, our Deputy Director of Strategy Jennifer facilitated a Basebuilding & Power-building workshop for Seeding Change 2023 Fellows with Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) Basebuilding Director Alvina. ⚡️⚡️

We are thrilled that so many of our partner orgs are host sites for this year's fellowship! Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN), Chinese Progressive Association, Filipino Advocates for Justice, Hmong Innovating Politics (HIP) Khmer Girls in Action, Pilipino Workers Center (PWC), and CA Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative. 🌱Seeding Change builds a national pipeline for the next generation of Asian American organizers, creates an infrastructure for Asian American grassroots organizing, and experiments with building power and scale for our movements toward a vibrant social and economic justice movement.

Pictured L-R: Jen (AAPI FORCE-EF), Cindy (HIP), Alvina (APEN), Anson (HIP)

Yesterday our volunteer and canvassing team talked to over 100 California AAPI voters about the harmful impacts of ! Over 50 of them agreed that our elected leaders need to do more to stop corporate interests from driving up the cost of housing and pushing people into homelessness. Go team!!

Join our team! AAPI FORCE-EF is a statewide network that builds progressive AAPI governing power through campaign organizing, policy advocacy, and integrated voter engagement.
We are seeking a 📣 Civic Engagement Lead Organizer 📣 who will help implement our voter outreach efforts and lead our volunteer base-building programs. Estimated salary of $70,000 to $78,000 per year with medical and dental benefits, plus paid vacation, sick time and holidays.
Qualified applicants will have extensive experience grassroots base building and electoral organizing, commitment to building statewide governing power, and grounding in intersectionality and solidarity work. We would like applicants to have a deep understanding of the experiences and histories of Asian American and/or Pacific Islander communities.
Application will be open until filled: bit.ly/2023CELead

Monday 6/19 is Juneteenth, the day enslaved peoples were declared "free" under the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation.
In 2020, we hosted an Asian American call with The Movement for Black Lives. Thanks to Asian Solidarity Collective, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), Can't Stop Won't Stop Consulting, NAKASEC, Southeast Asian Freedom Network - SEAFN, 18 Million Rising, PICO California, PrYSM over 5,000 people attended. This is a visual summary by Lizartistry Graphics of ideas that were shared on the call.
California's harmful and enduring systems of free labor, Jim Crow (segregation and disenfranchisement laws), extravagant police budgets, and redlining leave us to wonder if California is truly a free state. Join us in following the important work of CA Black Power Network, a united ecosystem of Black grassroots organizations working together to change the lived conditions of Black Californians by dismantling systemic and anti-Black racism.

We showed our at the Capital this week in support of Secure Automatic Voter Registration and in coalition with over 140 grassroots orgs across the state.

Photo 1: Pilipino Workers Center (PWC) Filipino Advocates for Justice Khmer Girls in Action Hmong Innovating Politics (HIP) and CA Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative alongside AAPI FORCE-EF staff members 💪💪💪

Photo 2: Vu Nguyen from CA Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative who also spoke about the importance of empowering working class communities with pro-democracy reforms

Photo 3: Alliance San Diego and AAPI FORCE-EF staff rallying for change

Photo 4: Our coalition calling on the California Secretary of State to support Secure Automatic Voter Registration

Photo 5: Filipino Advocates for Justice's Lead Community Organizer with AAPI FORCE-EF staff

JJTypography will be sharing her art and skills at our upcoming Art Night on June 22, 6PM! She will lead a picket and protest art workshop to highlight how art can empower us and our communities.

JJ Typography is a Pinay digital artist from San Diego who specializes in illustration & typography. With a B.A. in Asian American Studies from SFSU, JJ Typography has professional experience in both the education and healthcare fields.

It is through JJ’s love of serving her community that she began to see her artwork as necessary, an integral part of her life and professional work. JJ began using her artwork as a tool to heal, tell stories, and teach others the important skill of being self-loving.

Sign up today for our Art Night at bit.ly/2023artnight

Art by Shania Khoo

Hmong Innovating Politics (HIP) models leadership in showing up at city council meetings to demand local governance that serves the people, not the police. Love to see Kao Ye and Kayno exercise their governing power.

Vu Nguyen, Civic Engagement Manager of CA Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative was a speaker at the rally to launch the California Grassroots Democracy Coalition. This coalition promotes policies like SB846 to expand California’s electorate to reflect the state’s majority people of color population.

Learn more: https://cademocracy.org/