PHILANTHROPY FOR AN INCLUSIVE DEMOCRACY:
A Racial Equity History Centering Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and South Asian Communities
RESOURCE GUIDE
Scot Nakagawa SCOT CO-DIRECTOR, THE NAKAGAWA 22ND CENTURY INITIATIVE
Scot Nakagawa is a 42-year veteran of social and economic justice advocacy and has served as an organizer, political strategist and social movement analyst in the struggle against authoritarianism and for equitable and inclusive democracy since 1988.
He is a past Open Society Foundations fellow and Senior Fellow on Nationalism, Authoritarianism and Race of Race Forward: The Center for Racial Justice Innovation. He is also a writer whose essays on authoritarianism and resistance can be found online in The Anti-Authoritarian Playbook.
Scot serves as co-director of the 22nd Century Initiative, a national strategy and action center that is preserving and expanding the potential for inclusive, people-centered democracy in the U.S. by building the field of resistance to authoritarian ideas and movements. 1
Celebrating the life of Urvashi Vaid
We join Scot Nakagawa in mourning the loss of Urvashi Vaid, co-director and co-founder of their organization, the 22nd Century Initiative. Vaid, a leading activist for LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, anti-war efforts, immigration justice and many other social causes passed away on May 14, 2022 at the age of 63. Her many years of work as an attorney, strategist, advocate, author and researcher made an indelible impact on the progressive, intersectional causes that she championed.
Urvashi Vaid is survived by her wife, Kate Clinton, and sisters Rachna Vaid and Jyotsna Vaid. Learn more about her story and the ways her legacy lives on: New York Times NPR National LGBTQ Task Force Los Angeles Times
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This guide is designed for attendees of Philanthropy for an Inclusive Democracy: A Racial Equity History Centering Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and South Asian Communities. It is our hope that the resources in this guide help attendees discover how to engage meaningfully in cultural experiences, solidarity and racial justice efforts related to these identities.
Western Michigan University On-Campus Resources Registered Student Organizations APASA (Asian Pacific American Student Association) ΣΨΖ (Sigma Psi Zeta) Asian-interest/multicultural sorority AFAS (Alliance of Filipino American Students)
International Student Groups Bangladesh Student Association Chinese Students & Scholars Association Indian Student Association Indonesian Students Association Japan Club Korean Club Nepalese Students Association MaSA (Malaysian Student Association) Pakistani Student Association Taiwanese Student Association
Kalamazoo County Area Resources Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership CAGK (Chinese Association of Greater Kalamazoo) Kalamazoo Chinese Academy ONEplace at Kalamazoo Public Library TRHT (Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation) Asian Affinity Group
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Michigan Resources MAPAAC (Michigan Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission) - The Michigan Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission's vision is to be an exemplary commission by adding public value to the State of Michigan and the APA community, by fully engaging APAs across the state. Rising Voices - Rising Voices is a nonprofit organization that seeks to organize and develop the leadership of Asian American women (cis, trans, Gender Non-Conforming and femme-identifying) and young people for power around progressive values and policy in the state of Michigan. APIAVote-Michigan - Through candidate forums and voter registration efforts, such as phone banking, registration tabling, canvassing and more, APIAVote-Michigan strives to increase civic participation by working with constituents to make sure they have equal access and opportunity to their vote.
National Resources NQAPIA (National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance) - NQAPIA empowers LGBTQ+ Asians and Pacific Islanders through movement capacity building, policy advocacy and research. AAPIP (Asian American/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy) - AAPIP is a justiceminded national philanthropy serving organization that provides unique community spaces for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islanders and allies in philanthropy. NAPAWF (National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum) - NAPAWF is the only organization focused on building power with APPI women and girls to influence critical decisions that affect our lives, our families and our communities. AAJC (Asian Americans Advancing Justice) - AAJC mission is to advance the civil and human rights for Asian Americans and to build and promote a fair and equitable society for all. 4
National Resources (continued) Stop AAPI Hate - In response to the alarming escalation in xenophobia and bigotry resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, AAPI Equity Alliance (AAPI Equity), Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) and the Asian American Studies Department of San Francisco State University launched the Stop AAPI Hate coalition on March 19, 2020. The coalition tracks and responds to incidents of hate, violence, harassment, discrimination, shunning and child bullying against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the US. AAPI Equity Alliance - AAPI Equity is dedicated to improving the lives of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders through civic engagement, capacity building and policy advocacy.
Media Resources, Workshops & Stories AAPIP Resources - Frequently updated tools and resources from Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy. Refused to be Silenced (Facebook recording) - WMU facilitated a virtual workshop in the aftermath of the Atlanta shooting on March 16, 2021 that targeted Asian women in a spa. This workshop was co-facilitated by Nathan Nguyen, WMU Director LBGT Student Services and Blossom Interest Group (now known as Sigma Psi Zeta). We Are Our Stories: Being Asian and Asian American in Kalamazoo Members of TRHT Kalamazoo's AAPI Affinity Group share their histories, stories and experiences about their families and their cultural identities. Women leaders of Asian background connect with their heritage in Kalamazoo A 2021 Second Wave Southwest Michigan article contains profiles on influential women of Asian heritage in our area.
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Terms Discussed During The Presentation Race Racism White Supremacy White Supremacy Culture Structural Racism Nationalism Civic Nationalism Ethnic Nationalism Racial Formation Theory Mutual Interdependence Theory Definitions for many of the terms listed above are available in the sources below, please check them out at your leisure: Racial Equity Tools Glossary (online website) Mylonas, Harris; Tudor, Maya (2021). "Nationalism: What We Know and What We Still Need to Know". Annual Review of Political Science. 24 (1): 109–132. doi:10.1146/annurev-polisci-041719101841. Auer, Stefan (2004). Liberal Nationalism in Central Europe. Routledge. p. 5. Tamir, Yael. 1993. Liberal Nationalism. Princeton University Press. Will Kymlicka. 1995. Multicultural Citizenship. Oxford University Press. David Miller. 1995. On Nationality. Archived 1 June 2000 at the Wayback Machine Oxford University Press. Leoussi, Athena, ed. (2001). Encyclopedia of Nationalism. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers. Omi, Michael; Winant, Howard (1986), Racial Formation in the United States (1st ed.), New York: Routledge. Omi, Michael; Winant, Howard (2015), Racial Formation in the United States (3rd ed.), New York: Routledge.
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Michigan Facts From Presentation Asian Americans are 3.4% of the Michigan population in 2020 Michigan population overall increased by 2% between 2010 and 2020 White population dropped 4% (72.4% in this period) Asian American population grew by 1.2% Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial group in Michigan The margin of victory between Clinton and Trump in Michigan in 2016 was smaller than the eligible Asian American voting population of the state The eligible AAPI voting population for MI grew by 41% between 2021 and 2018 compared with 3% growth in eligible voters of all groups
South Asian Facts From Presentation South Asian Americans are the 2nd largest immigrant group in the U.S. The majority of South Asian Americans are immigrants One 4 in 10 South Asians in the U.S. identify as “Indian American” South Asians reflect the general trend toward extreme social identity polarization by party of Americans generally, both by U.S. political party and according to identification with the Congress Party and the Bharatya Janata Party in India Home country politics not reflected in political attitudes of South Asians in the U.S. according to available statistics South Asians are registered in the majority as Democrats and report feeling excluded from the Republican Party 50% reported being discriminated against in 2017, prior to the surge in anti-Asian violence in the pandemic Those who report being discriminated against are more likely to be American-born Asian immigrants tend to be less likely to report than U.S. born counterparts Very little research has been conducted on South Asians in the U.S. even while South Asians represent a large enough percentage of eligible voters to determine presidential election outcomes in some critical swing states
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AAPI Data & Research Sources For Facts From Presentation AAPI Civic Engagement Fund - The AAPI Civic Engagement Fund partnered with twenty-one ally organizations to convene pollsters and conduct the 2020 American Election Eve Poll. This national multi-racial poll offers reliable information about 2020 vote choices and motivations of Native American, Black, Asian American, Latinx, and White voters. AAPI Data APIA Vote Change Lab's A Different Asian American Timeline - This timeline covers nearly 600 years of history starting with the early Atlantic slave trade in the 15th Century, tracing the rise of modern nation-states, and covering events that have affected people across racial boundaries. About Change Lab Pew Research Center Key Facts about Asian Americans, a diverse and growing population U.S. Census Asian American Data Links
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Notes