Skip to main content

Building Leadership

The coffee cup at my work desk spells out C.O.A.L.I.T.I.O.N., as defined by members of the first cohort of leaders for the Asian Pacific Islander Community Leadership Institute (API-CLI)
C- Compassion
O- Organizing
A- Advocacy
L- Leadership
I- Inclusive
T- Trust
I- Interdependence
O- Outstanding
N- Network
Being part of the pilot group of fellows for the year-long API-CLI was a truly enriching experience. Throughout the program, I got to know leaders from different ethnic and professional backgrounds who share the common goal of Asian Pacific Islander community empowerment in Oregon. APIs in our state comprise the second largest community of color, and the fastest-growing among minority groups. Yet, we have a ways to go in improving our collective presence in civic leadership. The API-CLI fellowship seeks to grow API leaders within our ranks -- leaders with a particular lens on racial equity and justice advocacy.

Here's a link to the article that I wrote in The Asian Reporter about recruitment for the next group of cohorts.

"The initial group of fellows represented various ethnic backgrounds and identities, including Kachin, Lao, Mien, Filipino, Vietnamese, Chuukese, Cambodian, Tongan, Taiwanese, and others. They represented naturalized Americans, native Oregonians, transplants from the Pacific Islands, and the newly arrived.
What the fellows had in common was a passion for creating change and lending a unified and stronger voice for challenges facing the Asian Pacific Islander community.

"Together, we have learned from each other about communication and conflict management; community organizing; race, ethnicity, and nationality; coalition building; social determinants of health; advocacy; and collaboration and coordination," said Connie Nguyen-Truong, primary investigator for the Vietnamese Women’s Health Research Project on behalf of her alma mater, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). "The API-CLI created a supportive environment for networking and produces unlikely collaborations. These raw connections are invaluable."

The fellows came together over several months for workshops and team-building activities. API-CLI is one of six community-specific leadership programs that were launched in 2011 as a response to the pervasive racial and ethnic inequities faced by communities of color in Oregon, said Nga-My Vuong, a program coordinator for the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization’s (IRCO) Asian Family Center.
Funded by the Meyer Memorial Trust through the Coalition of Communities of Color, the goal of API-CLI is to build the leadership capacity of Asian and Pacific Islander community leaders to create alliances and partnerships in an effort to address racial and ethnic disparities. The institute is a partnership project between the IRCO Asian Family Center and the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO).

Popular posts from this blog

Medicine Wheel for the Planet

Jennifer Grenz, PhD       Working toward ecological healing requires awareness of how Indigenous ancestral knowledge and living ways can complement Western scientific approaches to environmental restoration and protection practices. Dr. Jennifer Grenz (Nlaxa’pamux mixed ancestry) worked for more than two decades as a field researcher and practitioner for environmental nonprofit organizations, where she worked with different levels of government, including First Nations in Canada. "Medicine Wheel for the Planet" compiles Grenz’s most potent realizations about the lack of forward movement in addressing an impending ecological catastrophe.  A warming climate impacts not only human lives but also the natural balance that relies on reciprocal relationships rooted in deep connections to the land. She uses the metaphor of the four directions of the Indigenous “medicine wheel” to invite openness to Indigenous teachings, letting go of colonial narratives, merging lessons f...

Memento - Embracing the Darkness

Dennis "Dizzy" Doan Stories about overcoming and persevering through family dysfunction, poverty, and mental health challenges offer hope and the promise of better days. Dennis “Dizzy” Doan’s memoir Memento: Embracing the Darkness is one such story, with the added complexity of being raised in an immigrant Vietnamese family. Doan’s parents dealt with the mental and emotional aftermath of war, which forcibly uprooted them from their homeland. In the United States, they struggled to create a safe and stable life for their two sons. Doan shares his journey of finding himself, his craft, and eventually a successful tattoo business in Southern California despite personal strife and run-ins with the law. Doan is best known for developing the aesthetic language to combat anti-Asian hate that erupted during the COVID-19 pandemic. His art series titled “Model Minority” went viral, sparking conversation about Asian American identities and harmful stereotypes. In Memento, Doan showcase...

Enlighten Me

Editor's Note: This review was originally published in Los Angeles Book Review . Author Minh Lê Standing up for oneself seems like doing the right thing. Binh did just that in the face of a racist school bully who was poking fun at his Asian heritage. But physically assaulting another student goes against school policy, and it was Binh who got in trouble. Binh shares a silent retreat with his family and younger siblings. Along with other children, he learns about stories from the previous lives of the Buddha. The stories are interesting, but for Binh, it is difficult to sit still and clear his mind when he misses his Gameboy. While he struggles with silence, he learns important lessons about friendship, community, and being present. In the graphic novel "Enlighten Me," award-winning author Minh Lê and bestselling illustrator Chan Chau tell the story of a boy who gains a better understanding of himself as he works on quieting the mind and reflecting on dharma. Lê and Ch...