Thriving Together: Queer apis Building Community, Solidarity, & Movement
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- Nicky Cao
- Reid Uratani
- Royce Lin, MD
- Dr. Shail Maingi
- Sita Benjamin
Molly Kiran Girton was adopted in 1983 from India by two incredible, white, feminist, lesbian, non-profit activist lawyers. Molly has been involved in Boston’s LGBTQ scene her entire life after coming out at age 3. Molly began her professional career first working full-time as a bookkeeper and then as an accountant while attending Northeastern University full-time at night. After college, Molly went to work at Ernst & Young. Molly is the founder of the Financial Literacy for Youth aka FLY Project, the first financial empowerment initiative for LGBTQ youth, primarily queer & transgender people of color (QTPOC). Molly is also a member of MASALA. Monica Elise Davis currently serves as the Chairwoman for Trikone, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer people of South Asian descent based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Monica also works with the City of Hayward in the Library and Community Services Department, administering Community Development Block Grants to organizations that serve low-income individuals. Prior to Hayward, Monica worked at Santa Clara University School of Law, where she managed the international program offerings. Monica earned her J.D. from Santa Clara University School of Law, her M.B.A. from Santa Clara University Leavey School of Business, and her B.A. in Political Science from University of California, Los Angeles. Monna Wong. Originally from Queens, NY, Monna started doing social justice work in Manhattan’s Chinatown over 10 years ago. Since then, she has organized in six states and on three electoral campaigns, fighting for LGBTQ non-discrimination and same-sex marriage while also working to build and transform QTPOC community. Currently, she serves on the Board of Directors of the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA), is a founding member of the MOONROOT collective, and is the Executive Director of API Equality - Northern California. Naomi Goldberg is a Policy Specialist at the Movement Advancement Project. Her work includes strategic policy analysis on topics including LGBTQ economic security, criminal justice, and LGBTQ families. She regularly presents at national conferences. Naomi Leilani Salcedo (she/they), a junior at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), identifies as a queer, gender non-conforming, 2nd-generation Filipina-Mexicana American. Salcedo is pursuing a BA in Sociology with a minor in Asian American Studies at UIC, where she is also Co-Chair for the Asian American Studies advisory board. She is a research assistant for UIC’s first-ever Queer Asian American Archives and is a research intern for Amigas Latinas and Chicago Public Schools. Nayoung Ha is Organizing Director with Korean American Resource and Cultural Center (KRCC). She has worked as a faith leader for several Korean American Christian churches in the Chicago area for 11 years to educate, organize, and nurture immigrant families and their children around social justice issues. Nayoung is a provocative speaker and writer on the intersectional issues of race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, and religion. She is a Ph.D. candidate in Womanist and Postcolonial Feminist Theology at Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and is also an ordained pastor of Presbyterian Church of USA. Nebula Li is a Staff Attorney for the Community Activism Law Alliance. They are also a Board Member for the National Lawyers Guild Chicago; member of Invisible to Invincible: Asian Pacific Islander Pride of Chicago; and a member of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum. Li has extensive experience presenting on LGBTQ Immigrant issues to lawyers, law students, college students, and the LGBTQ community at large and has previously volunteered with several Asian American organizations sharing their immigration story. Li is an immigration attorney and former community organizer for the Asian American community. Nick Kor is on the Leadership Circle for Shades of Yellow in Minnesota. Nick has over 5 years of community, electoral, and legislative organizing experience and has presented workshops and trainings at numerous conferences and events. Nick Sakurai is the Director of Leadership Initiatives at the LGBTQ Equity Center at the University of Maryland. Nick has presented on international LGBTQ issues before numerous audiences, including conceiving and organizing the Somewhere Over the Rainbow: Conference on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) in International Education. Nick has studied sexuality, gender, and identity with a focus on queer immigrant and Islamic diaspora youth in the Netherlands, an International M.B.A. in Spain, and an M.A. in International Training and Education with a focus on LGBTQ+ issues. Nick is creating a 3-week study abroad course in Thailand focusing on leadership for SOGI social justice and has taken student delegations to Mexico City to learn about LGBTQ+ movements and issues. Nicky Cao is part of VAYLA-New Orleans. Nico Amador is a community organizer, writer, and Co-Director of Training for Change. Nico’s involvement in social justice work stems from a deep passion for racial justice and a motivation to support transformation and empowerment in People of Color, queer, and trans communities. He has led trainings for a variety of grassroots movements and organizations in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Latin America. Nikki Calma is the Program Supervisor of Trans Thrive and has been with the agency for 18 years. Calma has presented workshops and roundtables at USCA, TG Health Summit, and the Philadelphia Transgender Conference around HIV prevention, community mobilization and transgender issues. Patrick Lin is currently on the steering committee of GAPIMNY (Gay Asian Pacific Islander Men of New York). His most recent projects include organizing the LGBTQ contingent for the Lunar New Year parades in New York, co-hosting bi-weekly socials, co-planning Gay Pride 2015 festivities, and presenting workshops at various conferences. Along with LGBTQ activism, he has also been active in Asian communities doing activist work through Pi Delta Psi Fraternity, Incorporated. He is always interested in talking to people about anything and everything, so ask for specifics if interested in knowing more. Peterson Pham is an alumni from the University of California Santa Barbara, where they worked with many LGBTQ and API organizations. Peterson currently serves as the Public Relations Chair of Viet Rainbow of Orange County. They have applied culturally competent and LGBTQ-affirming services into the behavioral health field where they currently serve as a Mental Health Specialist for the Orange County Health Care Agency. They also serve as an appointed Commissioner for the Neighborhood Improvement and Conservation Commission for the City of Garden Grove. Peterson will be working towards a Master of Social Work at Cal State Fullerton in Fall 2015. Phillip Ozaki is a National Major Gifts Officer at Lambda Legal and serves as a Fundraising Committee Co-Chair on the board of NQAPIA. He has worked in development for over 6 years, training various non-profit board members, staffs, and volunteers all over the country. A native Chicagoan, Phillip is proud that the 2015 NQAPIA Conference is hosted at his alma mater, the University of Illinois at Chicago. Pi Fong (pronouns: they/them) is an Organizing Fellow at the National LGBTQ Task Force. They graduated from Clark University with a double major in English and Women’s & Gender Studies with a specialization in the creation of gender and sexuality, and also spent their last semester as the Community and Policy Intern with the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition. Their identities include non-binary trans person, genderqueer, queer, biracial Asian American of Chinese descent, and academic-activist. Pia Rivera is a queer pinay that lives and organizes in Washington, DC. Rivera is a founding member of GABRIELA DC and is currently their secretary general. She has facilitated many political educations and workshops with their members and other community folks. Poonam Kapoor believes LGBTQ rights are human rights and volunteers to serve the queer API community. She is a proud member of the Red Envelope Giving Circle, a queer API focused philanthropic group committed to improving the lives of API LGBTQ people and communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is also a strong member of Funding377nogoingback, a campaign that fundraises to support Indian organizations working to repeal IPC Sec 377, which criminalizes homosexual acts. Prerna Lal is a staff attorney at Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC. Prior to joining Advancing Justice, Prerna helped to create a robust network of highly-organized and diverse, undocumented youth with digital engagement capacity to fight deportations. She is a graduate of The George Washington University Law School and licensed in the District of Columbia. Priya Arora is a queer-identified community activist, writer, and student. Currently pursuing a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University, Priya focuses her research on capturing and fostering the needs and experiences of South Asian American LGBTQ people. Priya previously attended New York University where she completed a Master's thesis on the stress of coming out to family for LGB youth. Most recently, Priya served as Coordinator for SALGA-NYC. She also worked on suicide prevention psychoeducation for LGBTQ youth with The Trevor Project in NYC and is a former member of Satrang Youth Group in LA. Radha Modi is an activist, writer, and scholar. She has a background in of color and queer social movements. Currently, Radha is a board member and political chair for SALGA, a queer South Asian support and political organization in NYC. She is also an organizing member of QSANN, Queer South Asian National Network. In addition to her political and organizing work, Radha is a doctoral student studying race, racism, and immigration in the U.S. Her dissertation focuses on the role of skin color in racial identity of South Asian Americans. Reid Uratani is a graduate student in the Department of American Studies at the University of Minnesota. Rej Joo has been involved with the Dari Project in NYC since 2011. He has spent the last 12 years doing work in LGBTQ and Korean communities, homeless youth advocacy, public health HIV research, trans organizing, and LGBTQ cultural humility trainings. However recently, life has led him to a very white small town Oregon working in a convenient store. He misses his 2 tortoises, friends, and hapkido training in NYC and hopes to return to NYC. Rosetta Lai. Working around the country and in the Asia Pacific Region, Rosetta Lai spent 20 years in the corporate sector, holding senior positions with companies such as Motorola, IBM, and NCS/Pearson and helping business units improve their organizational effectiveness. She has applied the results-oriented techniques of corporate management to non-profit organizations, previously serving as the President of the OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates Chicago Chapter (1980s) and as the National President of the Organization of Chinese American Women (2003-2008). Lai is affiliated with PFLAG and was the immediate past Executive Director of Asian American LEAD (AALEAD). Rothana Oun is a former NQAPIA summer intern, proud recent college drop-out, and SE Azn Brownboi noise-maker, art-healer, and cultural organizer. A chylde of refuGEEZ yo! disordered bai da American mental health system (among other thangs), Aye’s Khmerican Cambo moves often engage in oral story arts, RAD spaces of Queer’Trans’Neurodiv’Kripp experience, and healin unhomed stories of Tricklin Trauma passed down ta us thru generations of feelin and sound---Re-VERB. Note: *Ey is a non-binary gender pronoun (ey, em, eir, eirs, & emself) created by Feminist Theorist, Gayatri Chakravorti Spivak. “Aye” is a queering of Spivak’s gender series derived from da onomatopoeic “Aye...Aye....Aye!” often expressed in contexts of affirmation and excitement. Royce Lin, MD, is the head physician of TRANS ACCESS program of the API Wellness Center in San Francisco. Lin is also with Tom Waddell Clinic. Ryan Dolan is a Data Dissemination Specialist serving MN, IA, and WI. Dolan began working for the Census Bureau prior to the 2010 Census. Currently, Dolan works with and trains members of the media, government, nonprofit and business professionals, educators, etc. on how to use and access Census Data. His specialty areas include the LGBTQ, Asian, Sub-Saharan African, and American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) populations. Previously, Dolan worked for the Minnesota State Demographic Center; as a Field Director for 2020 Vision in Washington, DC; as a consultant for Astro Data Services in Corvallis, OR; and on numerous political campaigns throughout the country. Ryan Shen is the Co-Chair of Gay Asian Pacific Islander Men of New York (GAPIMNY). He is a trans-identified Taiwanese Chinese American. He has been involved in leading Q-Wave, GAPIMNY, and NQAPIA. As a community organizer at the intersections, he feels that it's necessary to collaborate with others. He also has a background in tech. Ryan Viloria (he/him/his) is a core member of Invisible to Invincible: Asian Pacific Islander Pride of Chicago (i2i), and has served in this role since 2011; first as Social Chair, and currently as Co-Point Person. He also currently works at the Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Ryan's interests include the summertime activities and activism of Chicago, media representation of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and several attempts to get back into writing for himself. S. Casper Wong is an award-winning New-York-based writer, director, and producer of both narrative and documentary films. Most recently, she is the recipient of the Humanitarian Award from the SASS Foundation for Medical Research, along with Governor Cuomo of New York, for the social impact of her work in The LuLu Session - which explores breast cancer and its emotional complexities. Sal Salam (they, their) is primarily of Bangladeshi and Indian heritage. They are a member of Trikone Chicago's board, and generally handle media-related responsibilities. Sal is about to begin working at the Indo-American Center. Fun fact: Sal is passionate about Virginia Woolf, Bollywood, and macarons. Sam Hsieh is "pretty much a medium person" (who likes snacks), according to his short autobiography "The Story of My Life" written at age 9. Other important things: Sam's paid work involves supporting a clinic for trans and gender nonconforming young people and helping facilitate a monthly teen and parent group for trans and gender nonconforming teens. Sam values care work, relationship building, showing up, reflection and the kind of self work that helps us understand learned behaviors and their impact. Sam looks forward to entering a program at UIC fall semester to gain skills to become a history teacher. Dr. Samir Narang was born and raised in New York. He graduated from American University of Antigua in 2014, where he had been Student Body President and led a coalition for the University to become integrated into the community of the island. After completing his clinical rotations all over the USA, Dr. Narang is now living in Brooklyn. He recently finished a project with EngageNYC working as their Project Director and Marketing Manager, [Narang, S, Patel, V, Beil, R, Machicote, E. ENGAGE-NYC: A Social Media Based Linkage-to-Care Intervention for Men Who Have Sex with Men and Transgender Populations in New York City (manuscript in preparation)]. He is now focusing his time to the betterment of LGBTQ Medical Community, while also working for Scribe America at Mount Sinai Beth Israel. Sammie Ablaza Wills is an enthusiastic, queer mixed race Pilipina currently working as Program Assistant at API Equality - Northern California. Sammie's time is split between living in Oakland and Stanford University, where she is studying Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity and Education. Sammie has a vivid love for her chosen family, social justice, and grassroots organizing. Sammie is passionate about serving the people and crushing the patriarchy. She strives to share ways for people to reflect on their identities and tell their stories. When she’s not planning events or making spreadsheets, Sammie enjoys roasting coffee, playing the guitar, and spending quality time with pals. Sangeeta Swamy is a licensed psychotherapist and Board-Certified Music Therapist and teaches at Duke University. She identifies as bisexual, was the co-founder of Asian Queers and Allies in North Carolina and involved with Masala Boston for several years. She has spoken internationally and published research and peer reviewed articles on the intersection of ethnicity, multiple identities, and music. Also an award-winning musician, Sangeeta has performed across Europe, Canada, the U.S. and India. Sasha W. is the Organizing Director at the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA), and is excited to continue building power with queer API people across the country. Sasha is a founding member of the Queer South Asian National Network (QSANN), a network of QSA organizations across the country; part of the core committee of DeQH, the Desi lgbtQ Helpline for South Asians; and part of the Queer South Asian Anthology Project. Previously, Sasha was also involved with East Coast Solidarity Summer, a political education project for South Asian youth; hotpot!, a queer API organization in Philadelphia; POWER, a Philly youth of color media program; and as a social justice educator & consultant at UW-Madison’s Multicultural Student Center. Most recently, Sasha has been organizing with Asians for Black Lives (Madison), as part of the larger APIs4BlackLives movement. Asians for Black Lives (Madison) has testified at countless Dane County board meetings, written op-eds and articles for local media in support of #BlackLivesMatter, worked with Young Gifted & Black to support organizing on the ground, and participated in direct actions against state violence. Sasha has written about the need for South Asians to support #BlackLivesMatter, and has been featured on the Aerogram. You can follow Sasha’s writing at www.tospeakasong.com. Saurabh Bajaj has worked in development in the LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS sectors for over 13 years. He began volunteering during his time at UC Berkeley with people living with HIV and, at the time, more often dying of AIDS in San Francisco. Witnessing their experience of poverty and stigma led him to want to work in a profession that would help bring systemic, progressive change, and at the very least, comfort to those in need. He deeply believes that fundraising is a path to social justice! Sean O’Mahony, MB is an academic palliative medicine physician. He works at Rush University Medical Center as the Director for the Section of Palliative and Supportive Medicine. He has a Master of Science in Clinical Research and Biostatistics from Columbia University. He has implemented demonstration projects in palliative medicine in the Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit, video-conference projects, and is co-demonstrating a three-year Chicagoland educational demonstration program. He is co-chair for the newly established LGBTQ special interest group in the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and member of the Diversity Task Force for the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Serena Worthington is the Director of National Field Initiatives of SAGE, the pre-eminent national organization serving LGBTQ elders. In this capacity, she manages SAGE's Affiliate network and has a wealth of experience working directly with local organizations providing services and programming to LGBTQ elders. Shaan Dasani serves on the board of Satrang. Dasani is a consultant with digital strategy company Brian Rodda Consulting, empowering businesses and personal brands to merge their digital presence with their personal brand. He is also an actor, producer, and host based in Los Angeles. As a volunteer for Satrang, his focus has been to build visibility and allyship with other organizations in order to broaden what we can call safe spaces. Dr. Shail Maingi works for the Montefiore Medical Center and has given over 30 oral presentations at juried conferences as a medical educator and advocate. Sharmin Hossain (she/her) is a Queens-bred, Bangladeshi, henna tattoo artist, writer, and political educator. She currently works as the Communications Coordinator and Youth Program Facilitator at the YA-YA Network, a youth-driven, anti-racist, political education organization. She is organizing with the Jackson Heights Cop Watch team, building a femme of color bike ride gang in Queens, and organizing with East Coast Solidarity Summer, a political education program for South Asian youth. Sharon Kidd-Fryer’s credo is “live to give,” and she believes the receiving will take care of itself. Sharon is a wife, mother, and grandmother. Sharon has been married for 27 years and has two children: Brandon and Brit. Sharon’s family structure is diverse with extending and blending, and one of Sharon’s children is transgender. Sharon has worked for AT&T for 18 years. In addition to tenure, Sharon is very active with various AT&T Employee resource organizations and has been recognized for several awards for volunteer efforts. Shijie (Eric) Zhan studies Natural Resource and Environmental Science at Purdue University. Zhang is a student member of the Asian American Pacific Caucus and is a Student Advisory Committee member at the Asian American and Asian Resource and Cultural Center. Zhang regularly speaks for the Purdue LGBTQ Center and has facilitated advocacy meetings for the establishment of the Asian American and Asian Resource and Cultural Center. Shivana Jorawar is part of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum and is a Board Member of the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance. Shivana coordinates the organization’s reproductive justice policy priorities. She is passionate about uplifting the status of women in communities she identifies with, and has a background in legal advocacy and community education around issues of gender-based inequity and violence. She co-chaired a chapter of Law Students for Reproductive Justice, and co-founded the Indo-Caribbean women’s organization Jahajee Sisters. Shivana holds a B.A. in Political Science from Fordham University and a J.D. from Emory University School of Law. Shreya Shah is a multi-format artist, activist, healer, and educator based in Oakland, CA with roots in the Midwest! Shreya felt sparked and amped leading a number of sessions at the 2014 regional summits for NQAPIA. She regularly leads liberatory, transformative, anti-oppression workshops for organizations across the states, especially centering the work of building up the resilience and resistance of LGBTQ and people of color communities. Her art and facilitation can be found through WILDFLOWER. <3 Sita Benjamin is a mother of a lesbian daughter and is from Wisconsin. Soya Jung is a Senior Partner at ChangeLab, a political lab that explores how U.S. demographic change affects racial politics, with a strategic focus on Asian American identity. She lives in Seattle and has been active in the progressive movement for the last 25 years. She has consulted for various progressive organizations locally and nationally, providing a variety of services. In 2010, she formed ChangeLab with Scot Nakagawa to create opportunities for analysis and strategizing in racial justice movements. She serves as the board chair of Grassroots International, which funds social movements for resource rights in the Global South. Directory: wpp wpp -> Abarro, George III c. Abear, Roger F wpp -> Name diplomate fpcr wpp -> Ubiquitous tango Download 483.88 Kb. Share with your friends:
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