2021 THEME: COMBATTING ANTI-ASIAN HATE AND ANTI-BLACK RACISM
Empowering Pacific Islander Communities
Black Pacific Alliance
$8,0000
EPIC was established in 2009 by a group of young Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander (NHPI) leaders who recognized the urgency to address the growing needs of NHPI families. With experiences ranging from grassroots organizing to higher education administration, these young leaders sought to build political power for NHPIs; to collect data that spoke to the issues impacting NHPIs; and to develop a pipeline of strong leaders who can be advocates and influencers in, and on behalf of, the community.
Inspired by the work of Dr. Connie Wun and AAPI Women Lead, EPIC believes that the racism that Native Hawaiian Pacific Islanders (NHPIs) face is made possible by anti-Blackness and anti-indigeneity. EPIC strives to be a pro-Black and pro-indigenous organization, which shows up in various aspects of our advocacy, leadership development, and research programs. The most explicit space for combatting anti-Blackness is in the Black Pacific Alliance. The APIs RISE Fund grant will contribute to: 1) organizing an in-person convening; 2) establishing a formal organization focusing on addressing and eliminating anti-Blackness in the Pacific Islander community led by Black and Pacific Islander identified individuals and 3) creating a story collection and sharing project.
Sacramento Asian Pacific Cultural Village
Solidarity and Movement-Building within Black and Asian Communities
$10,000
With the support of APIs Rise Fund and the Sacramento Regional Community Foundation, the Sacramento Asian Pacific Cultural Village (a fiscally sponsored project of ABAS Law Foundation), will produce Solidarity and Movement-Building within Black and Asian Communities – a four-part project of the 2022 Sacramento Asian Pacific Film Festival (Festival).
Solidarity and Movement-Building within Black and Asian Communities will include four components: 1) Short Film Challenge, with winning submissions to be screened at the Festival in May of 2022; 2) high-school poster design competition; 3) film screenings; and 4) panel discussions (post-Festival Feature Presentation, and post award-winning SAPFF Documentary Short Film). Outcomes for this project include: 1) Greater appreciation for the depth of Black and Asian solidarity and community-based social justice activism; 2) Increased level of dialogue around race and racial tension among both festival-goers and project participants; 3) Increased engagement of youth and transitional youth (17-24 years old) who are comfortable using forms of artistic and cultural expression to build bridges and create social change.
Parallel Veins: Conversations on Colorism
$3,000
Sunny Side Theatre Co’s mission is to increase the knowledge of multicultural mental health issues by researching, writing, teaching and producing culturally relevant and accurate theatrical performances to which the public is invited.
"Parallel Veins: Conversations on Colorism" is a project dedicated to shedding light on the existence and affects of anti-Asian hate and anti-Black racism in the Sacramento API community, while constructively engaging viewpoints on how to positively move forward together. The proposed project would be a three- night event that would involve a group of 10 speakers each performing a personal essay, poem, monologue or song (about 3-7 minutes long each) that explores and honors API cultural identities, experiences, and the affects of colorism on individuals in the API community, Black community, and multi-racial members of both. It is also a way of utilizing the unique platform theatre creates as an opportunity to hear, acknowledge and encourage the sharing of experiences and encourage common ground.
The evening event would take place on a Thursday, Friday and Saturday in early 2022 at the William J Geery Theater in Sacramento. Following the event, Sunny Side will upload the filmed segments online through their On The Stage video- on-demand account for further exposure among and beyond the Sacramento community.
Council on American Islamic Relations, Sacramento Valley/Central California
Combatting Anti-Asian Hate and Anti-Blackness
$9,000
Formed in 2002, CAIR-Sacramento Valley/Central CA serves the Sacramento Valley, Central California and far-Northern California regions. CAIR-SV/CC has a long history of providing culturally and linguistically appropriate outreach to the American Muslim community and has developed trusted relationships with the community through years of engagement.
CAIR members’ own experience in confronting Islamophobia informs how they will address anti-Asian hate impacting our Asian American and Pacific Islander siblings. Specifically, CAIR will provide the following resources, while also sharpening the focus on combating anti-Asian hate and violence:
Legal services: provide legal help and support to remedy civil rights violations to 3-4 AAPI clients where legal staff can mediate or litigate a resolution for those targeted by anti-Asian incidents or hate crimes;
Community education: Integrate reporting of anti-Asian incidents and hate crimes to Stop AAPI Hate in our Know Your Rights seminars, civic engagement workshops, forums, and immersive youth leadership program. The focus on community education will have the dual goal of changing norms in the broader community and de-stigmatize the reporting of anti-Asian incidents and hate to Stop AAPI Hate and other resources needed by victims.
To combat anti-Black racism, in addition to incorporating the importance of it in the Bystander Intervention Trainings, efforts will focus on Black History programming in the community and a program called the Muslim Gamechangers Network (MGN)—a four-month social justice training program for Muslim youth who learn identity, history, social responsibility, and organizing tools, all grounded in a social justice worldview.