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  • 2022 Summer Organizer Program – Apply by March 1st!2022 Summer Organizer Program – Apply by March 1st!
    Do you want to work with trans, non-binary, and queer Asian and Pasifika communities?Do you have a commitment to social justice, liberation, and collective transformation?Are you ready to learn concrete organizing skills and build movements for change? The APPLICATION for APIENC’s ...
  • What time is it on the clock of APIENC?What time is it on the clock of APIENC?
    Dear APIENC Community, “What time is it on the clock of the world?What time is it on the clock of APIENC?” When Michael—APIENC’s end-of-year Core Retreat facilitator—asked these questions inspired by Grace Lee and James Boggs, my breath softened. After a year ...
  • Welcome APIENC’s New Leadership Development Coordinator!Welcome APIENC’s New Leadership Development Coordinator!
    Dear APIENC Community, We are thrilled to announce Shivani Chanillo (they/them) has joined APIENC as our new Leadership Development Coordinator! Shivani is an incredible educator and organizer who brings years of leadership development experience. They demonstrate a passion for building relationships, ...
  • Cultivating Growth and Leadership: Reflections on Sammie’s Time at APIENCCultivating Growth and Leadership: Reflections on Sammie's Time at APIENC
    I first met Sammie in 2015 when I chaired the Asian Pacific Islander Queer Women & Transgender Community (APIQWTC) scholarship committee, and we awarded Sammie one of the scholarships. On paper, Sammie already had an impressive track record of social ...
  • Shivani ChanilloShivani Chanillo
    NOV 2021 | Shivani Chanillo Image description: Shivani smiles with a big smirk at the camera. They are outdoors with a white door and wall behind them. Shivani Chanillo (they/them) has been involved with APIENC for about a year and is part ...
  • A message from Yuan, APIENC’s Incoming DirectorA message from Yuan, APIENC’s Incoming Director
    On a hot summer day in 2018, Sammie first welcomed me into APIENC. It was the first day of my Summer Organizer Program, and I didn’t know what to expect. As folks filtered in, Sammie sat our group down and ...
  • Living at the Intersection of Queer and South Asian IdentitiesLiving at the Intersection of Queer and South Asian Identities
    For a huge portion of my life, I’ve been in denial that South Asian society is ready to fully support my sexuality and attraction to the same gender. I’d replay the thoughts in my head: “If they didn’t support me ...
  • I am reminded I am enoughI am reminded I am enough
    Image description: A black & white photo of Sajneel’s right forearm. There is an abstract tattoo of a person’s head exploding and three bold eyes flying in different directions. When my time as an APIENC Summer Organizer came to a close, ...
  • We need to extend humanity to ourselves.We need to extend humanity to ourselves.
    I sat in a Zoom room with 30 other people—most, I didn’t know, and all, I had never actually met in-person. It was our first weekend of LEX—APIENC’s API Queer Justice Leadership Exchange—and I felt a mix of anxiety and ...
  • Jeff RamosJeff Ramos
    JUL 2021 | JEFF RAMOS Image description: Jeff is sitting behind a desk indoors, smiling with hands folded in front of them. There are reusable name tags in front of them. Jeff (they/he) joined APIENC in 2019 and is a member of ...
  • Trans and non-binary APIs: we have what it takes.Trans and non-binary APIs: we have what it takes.
    My name is Leo Shanti Hegde, I use he and they pronouns, and I am excited to share that I’m APIENC’s newest community organizer! I’m a second-generation Indian American who grew up in Edison, New Jersey. I attended college on the ...
  • Who’s that new staff person?! – 24 hours to #PowerUpGiveOUTWho’s that new staff person?! - 24 hours to #PowerUpGiveOUT
    Dear APIENC community, This year, our community has faced crisis after crisis. We’ve been targeted by white supremacist attacks, denied access to gender-affirming healthcare, isolated through the COVID-19 pandemic and so much more. So many trans and queer APIs have been ...
  • What would you do in a world without hope?What would you do in a world without hope?
    “What would you do in a world where compassion, hope, or liberation doesn’t exist?How would you teach someone about it?” This prompt was etched into my memories from a creative writing opportunity in 2018. Looking back, I would have explained the ...
  • Dorothy TangDorothy Tang
    MAY 2021 | DOROTHY TANG Image description: Dorothy is outdoors slightly smiling at the camera. There is a tree behind them. Dorothy Tang (they/them) joined APIENC last year and is on the Dragon Fruit Podcast production and dissemination teams and is a ...
  • It took me 8 years to write this 😱It took me 8 years to write this 😱
    Dear Community,  At one of my first supervisions as a Summer Intern in 2013, Monna turned to me and asked, “why does it feel so difficult for you to ask for help?” I stared at her blankly, the grey partitions of ...
  • Sangeeta SarkarSangeeta Sarkar
    MAR 2021 | SANGEETA SARKAR Image description: Sangeeta is outdoors smiling while holding up a basket of plants. There is a fence and vegetation behind them. Sangeeta (they/them) identifies as a queer non binary South Asian femme. They were part of the ...
  • What will it take to build communities rooted in healing and safety? – APIENC’s Theory of ChangeWhat will it take to build communities rooted in healing and safety? - APIENC's Theory of Change
    Dear APIENC Community, Since 2017, APIENC has been guided by a set of priorities and directions crafted by APIENC staff in order to help the organization make decisions about where to focus our power and grow our work. In the time ...
  • What do we have to offer our movements?What do we have to offer our movements?
    It’s December 2019, and I’m in a cabin in Guerneville at my first Core Retreat as one of the newest members of APIENC Core. I’m super excited to be spending a weekend with such cool people, but I’m also a ...
  • Boundless Possibilities & Imperfect ExperimentsBoundless Possibilities & Imperfect Experiments
    There I was—sitting on my chair at home, hundreds of miles away from the seven other people on my Zoom screen, feeling vulnerable and nervous, and yet, so warm at the same time. I was asking my fellow APIENC Summer ...
  • 2021 Summer Organizer Program – Apply by March 1st!2021 Summer Organizer Program – Apply by March 1st!
    Do you want to work with trans, non-binary, and queer Asian and Pasifika people and communities? Do you have a commitment to social justice? Are you ready to transform, learn concrete community organizing skills, and work to build movements for ...