amplify.
“Who is doing the work?”
My journey coincided with both the COVID-19 pandemic and the increase in violence against Asians in America. These crises had me wondering who had been speaking out against racism and oppression and what organizations had been doing the work in our community (or were starting to because of what was happening).
In short, there are many, many organizations and people who have been raising their voices—and those voices need to be shared with all who within reach (which, together, should be limitless!).
Below some of the different leaders and organizations that have helped learn about what it means to be an advocate, whether it’s for my people, my brothers and sisters from other communities, or myself. This is by no means a comprehensive list:
Asian Pacific Americans
AAPI Women Lead
AAPI Women Lead and #ImReady Movement aims to strengthen the progressive political and social platforms of Asian and Pacific Islander communities in the US through the leadership of self-identified AAPI women and girls. Our goal is to challenge and help end the intersections of violence against and within our communities. We do this work in solidarity with other communities of color.
Liz Kleinrock
Liz Kleinrock is an anti-bias anti-racist educator and consultant based in Washington, DC. Her work has gained national recognition through a documentary short produced by Fluid Film, and media outlets such as CNN, The Washington Post, NPR, and BBC. In 2018, Liz received Teaching Tolerance's 2018 Award for Excellence in Teaching, and currently serves on the Teaching Tolerance Advisory Board.
Tony DelaRosa
Tony is an aspiring Anti-Bias & Anti-Racist Educator, Motivational Speaker, DEI Consultant, Poet, and overall Cultural Broker. He's currently working on an education series called "#ISANGBAGSAKasVERB" which focuses on cross-racial & cross-ethnic coalition building to help communities practice solidarity in action.
Further Amplification:
Adoptees
The Janchi Show
We’re three Korean adoptees spread out around the US, and each of us are at different stages in life. We talk about the Korean Adoptee experience in America and learn more about our shared culture, usually with food. Each week we’ll have other Korean adoptees from all over the world joining us to talk about what makes us similar and what makes us unique.
Stephanie Drenka, Korean Adoptee
Stephanie is the Communications Director for Dallas, Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation. Her photography and writing have been featured in Washington Post, Huffington Post, USA Today, and ABC News. In April 2019, she launched VISIBLE Magazine, an online publication amplifying stories from underrepresented communities.
Christian Hall, Chinese Adoptee
Christian Hall, a 19-year old Chinese adoptee, experienced a mental health emergency on December 30, 2020. Pennsylvania State Police were called and requested to help de-escalate the crisis. Rather than providing aid or assistance, the troopers shot and killed him. They are still fighting to get the unedited body-cam footage released.
Further Amplification:
Social Advocacy
Haymarket Books
Our mission is to publish books that contribute to struggles for social and economic justice. We strive to make our books a vibrant and organic part of social movements and the education and development of a critical, engaged, international left.
Yassmin Abdel-Magied
Yassmin Abdel-Magied is a Sudanese-Australian writer, engineer and award-winning social advocate.
Schuyler Bailar
Schuyler Bailar is the first openly transgender athlete to compete in any sport on an NCAA Division 1 men’s team.