ALISON LIN, a queer, mixed-race (Chinese-American and white) woman, has been an active volunteer with APIENC since she moved to the Bay Area three years ago. Alison currently works with social justice nonprofits, where she focuses on collaboration, embodied leadership, and learning through experimentation. Alison has been involved in queer Asian & Pacific Islander communities
Happening now! APIENC’s first Artist Collective Exhibit is up for viewing at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center (OACC), located in Oakland’s Chinatown. This exhibit, which features art from multiple LGBTQ+ API artists, showcases the lives and narratives of our community. Working in different mediums, artists share their hxstories and lessons from existing projects such as
Dear community, This last month has been quite a whirlwind, and we at APIENC have been reeling from the mix of events that have sent us into tailspins of disappointment, fear, sadness, and anger. From the horrific violence against LGBTQ black and brown folks in Orlando, to the attacks in Baghdad, Istanbul, and Dhaka, to
For the first time ever, we are partnering with Folsom Street Events to power our work. In order to receive funds, we need to recruit a TON of volunteers for Up Your Alley (Sunday, July 31) and Folsom Street Fair (Sunday, September 25). These fun leather/fetish street fairs unite adult alternative lifestyle communities with safe
Dear APIENC Community, After a rigorous search and hiring process, I’m proud to announce that starting in July, Sammie Ablaza Wills will be API Equality – Northern California’s next Director! Many of you may know Sammie as our Community Organizer, a summer intern alum, and the lead on APIENC communications and our leadership development work.
SINE HWANG JENSEN is a queer, Asian American, mixed-race woman who began volunteering with APIENC about a year ago. Currently, Sine is a librarian at the UC Berkeley Ethnic Studies Library, focusing on Asian American and Comparative Ethnic Studies. Growing up, Sine had difficulty finding resources about her history and where she came from. She
During the summer of 2015, we piloted a 5-week long series of trainings called the API Queer Justice Leadership Exchange (APIQJLEX). Participants came together for a few hours each week to learn skills, build relationships, and reflect deeply on the queer and trans API community. A core part of our work is leadership development because a
