Earlier this year on the 55th commemoration of Bloody Sunday, we walked through Selma remembering — and celebrating — those who marched.
Standing on the bridge, I thought about the camera footage of the violence. How John Lewis and others stood, peacefully, as police officers attacked them with clubs and tear gas.
The commemoration was a celebration of life and democracy, and importantly, of reflection. Months later, I also believe I was witnessing how far we all still must go to fight for racial justice.
Congressman John Lewis led an incredible life of leadership and dedicated activism. He taught me…
Belonging & Allyship
By: Maya Kageyama
Growing up in a small town in Northern California, I didn’t learn about Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) leaders, activists or artists in school. I didn’t even know that May was Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM) until I started working for APIAHF (6 years ago now!). This was around the same time that I moved to the Bay Area, and began living near AA and NHPI communities and other mixed race people who look like me.
I still remember the feelings of belonging and being connected to a larger Asian American…
We’re still growing.
By: Lauren Pongan
Normally, I love spontaneity and adventure. But in this pandemic I’ve watched myself take new comfort in building rituals like daily walks to my neighborhood rose garden and ceremonies like lighting candles every night at dinner. I’ve been keeping a visual journal with my housemates to record highlights of each day in our mini-community. I’ve embraced ritual in a way I didn’t think possible in my pre-COVID life.
And I’m far from the only one adapting. I’ve been incredibly awed by the creative ways that our communities are continuing to take care of one another. Friends at…
Sometimes change can be good.
By: AJ Titong
For most of you, I imagine that shelter-in-place has felt new and strange. For me, it’s felt uncomfortably familiar. Shuffling through cycles of feeling isolated, helpless, and uncertain of the future took me back to my days of going through cancer treatments.
What I’ve learned is that these types of experiences are journeys where we’re not always moving forward. They’re cycles, but they don’t last forever. One thing that got me through my journey was knowing that after all of the ups and downs, life would eventually move on.
And while life does move on, it’s also…
Staying Rooted
By: Marianne Chung
Depending where you are in the country, this may be week 3 or 4 or 5 of our new normal. It’s easy to be anxious and feel uncertain at this moment, so it is important to make time and space to be rooted. I do this by remembering my core values: relationships, respect, beauty, learning, creativity and balance.
This week, I am practicing gratitude for the simple things that connect me to these values and to my sense of purpose. Like finding my new favorite recipe for vegetarian Tom Kha soup. Or connecting with my family and…
The New Normal
By: Bonnie Kwon
Growing up, my mom would wake up early to carefully prepare and pack handmade treats, extra clothes and, if I was lucky, fruit snacks for me on school picnic days. She would use a large square cloth to wrap up the goodies and finish it with a large bow. Looking back, I can feel her tenderness for me by the intention that she put with each fold of the bundle.
Offering Hope and Inspiration During a Time of Crisis
By: Kathy Ko Chin
I hope you and your loved ones are healthy and well, as we wish that for all people around the world at this moment in time. Unfortunately, the pandemic is hitting us hard, even if we or our loved ones aren’t sick, this pandemic is affecting all of us. The world is adjusting to a completely new normal. It won’t be the same as what was before.
As I think of you, our leaders and supporters, I know that we’ve weathered many storms together. As we are fond of saying here at the Health Forum, we…
By: Bonnie Kwon and Marianne Chung
We’ve all been inundated with news, concerns and questions as we navigate unprecedented levels of uncertainty around the coronavirus pandemic. Here at APIAHF we’re trying to slow down, and remind each other to breathe. We’re also taking breaks and celebrating things that we’re thankful for.
In short, we’re cultivating our resilience and finding ways to keep doing the work that feels most important, even when things feel dire. In this spirit, we’ve pulled together some resources that we hope helps you all to continue your work in the community. …
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) program, one of the only racially and ethnically focused public health programs at the federal level.
Throughout its history, REACH has created a network of public and private partnerships with local government, universities and community based organizations, including a growing legacy of nearly twenty Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) serving organizations, to remove barriers to health caused by race or ethnicity, education, income, location, and among other social factors.
REACH and its grantees have…
Kathy Ko Chin
President & CEO, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
In 1966, Martin Luther King, Jr. declared, “of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhuman.” Yet, over fifty years later, inequities in health and health care are still pervasive among America’s racial and ethnic minority populations, and others who remain medically underserved. In response, Senator Mazie K. Hirono and Congresswoman Barbara Lee have re-introduced the Health Equity and Accountability Act (HEAA) (S.3660, H.R.5942), …
Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
We work to influence policy, mobilize communities, and strengthen programs and organizations to improve the health of AAs and NHPIs.
