FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 1, 2022
Press contact:
Stephanie Ong, [email protected]
AAPI Civic Engagement Fund Launches New Look and Resources on its Movement Hub
(LOS ANGELES) – The Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Civic Engagement Fund announced new tools on its Movement Hub website to support communities and fight racism. Among the resources are tools and efforts that elevate the work of the Shared Liberation Network, the Fund’s network of grassroot groups working to increase AAPI community participation ahead of the midterm elections and beyond. Users who visit the digital hub can access data, policy, and narrative tools to advance their advocacy and community power building strategies.
“So many AAPI grassroots groups are doing important work that need to be shared, and organizers are looking for ways to do more together during this time,” said Bo Thao-Urabe, senior program strategist at the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund. “We believe the Movement Hub is an important tool to support AAPIs in building civic power and advancing intersectional justice collectively.”
A key feature of the Movement Hub is a census data tool that allows users to toggle data in Asian Americans or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander populations to show demographic profiles at the state and county levels and socio-demographic indicators, such as poverty, English proficiency rates, age, health insurance coverage, housing tenure and voting-age citizens. Other expanded data tools include a Policy Tool and a Narrative Map. These exciting additions enable users to compare federal and state civil rights laws and deepen understanding of the AAPI population.
“Our AAPI communities are diverse with distinct ethnic identities and histories, but all have experienced the impacts of systemic racism and discrimination in the United States,” said Tavae Samuelu, executive director of Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC). “Our stories are nuanced, complex and often misunderstood. The Movement Hub will help to dispel misperceptions and provide organizers like me with the tools we need to own our narratives and advance our work toward shared liberation.”
The AAPI Narrative Map uniquely features AAPI stories collected from published news articles and facilitates the community to tell its own stories across five themes: Together, We Have the Power; We All Belong, Our Narrative Stories; Our Beloved Community is Abundant, Caring and Joyful; Curiosity is the Path to Our Best Future; and, Anti-Asian Incidents of Violence. New stories will be added by groups working on the ground.
The Movement Hub is a centralized digital platform created to amplify the on-the-ground activism and organizing within Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities across the country. It offers resources for and by AAPI community organizations to promote cross racial unity and civic participation necessary for realizing systemic and structural change. The hub was built by the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund with support from the UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge.