NAPAWF-DC

The Washington, DC chapter of the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum strives to create a community of APA women leaders who work to educate and advocate for social and economic justice through emphasizing a local angle on national issues.

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How will becoming a NAPAWF - DC member benefit me?

SIGN UP TO BECOME A MEMBER TODAY.  CHOOSE “WASHINGTON, DC”

Individual memberships: $40 and hardship/student membership: $20

By becoming a member of the District of Columbia Chapter of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, you will have access to and receive the following:

Listservs: as a member, you will be included in:

a NATIONAL listserv for updates/communication from National office

a MEMBERS ONLY listserv for special announcements and updates from DC Board

a GENERAL COMMUNITY MEMBERS listserv for updates from community members

Monthly newsletter: learn about job opportunities, upcoming events, and what the DC chapter has been up to

SWAG: receive merchandise with NAPAWF-DC’s brand

One free T-Shirt

Board Meetings: have an impactful say in the structure and future of NAPAWF’s DC chapter 

Attend and participate in monthly Board Meetings

Workgroups: become more involved by taking on a leadership role

Join any of the three workgroups (Membership, Leadership Development, Local Engagement) and assist in planning events for the NAPAWF-DC community

Afternoon Teas: discuss pertinent yet intimate issues affecting AAPI women and girls in a safe space with sisters and allies

Free to members

Quiz Bowl: take part in NAPAWF DC’s most popular and successful fundraising event of the year

Discount to join/create a team

Leadership Development Trainings: continue your professional development by attending exclusive webinars and trainings

Free or discount to members

Membership Dues

Individual memberships: $40

Hardship/student membership: $20 

Become a member by choosing "Washington, DC" under "I am a member of the following chapter"

For all membership inquiries, please contact Mai Nhia Vang at [email protected].

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2015 - 2016 Board Application Is Now Available!

As a board, we have had great delight in serving this chapter, putting on sisterhood events, and playing a role in the social justice movement for AAPI women and girls. Now it’s time to pass the torch.

You can find a link to the application here

The deadline to submit board applications is Tuesday, November 25, 2014

You can send all inquiries to [email protected]

We will host an information session and happy hour to discuss the application process in the coming weeks, so please be on the lookout for additional information.

We hope you will consider playing an active role in coordinating efforts to advance reproductive justice, immigrant rights, and economic justice as well as creating a much needed space for sisters living in our nation's capital.

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May Happenings

To celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and to highlight our May Membership Drive: 

Attend our Afternoon Tea.

On Sunday, May 18 at 1pm, come chill with sisters and friends to discuss self-care and self-reflection in an intimate setting. Good food, deep-dive discussions, and sisterhood are more than enough to celebrate May's many mementos. RSVP here.

Save the date. On Thursday, May 29 at 7pm, join us for our Asian Pacific American Women in Leadership Panel and Networking Reception. Learn from the stories of APA women working towards social justice in the public, non-profit, and private sector; connect with current and former NAPAWF-DC leaders.   

Renew your membership or become a member today. Learn about membership benefits, mark Washington, DC as your chapter, then join the thousands of fierce Asian Pacific American women leaders making a difference every day. Enter the NAPAWF-DC space here.

For more information, please email [email protected].

We hope you'll join us!

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Afternoon Tea: #NotYourAsianSidekick

With treats spread across the table and sisters and allies gathered in the living room, we hosted our first Afternoon Tea of the year!

Afternoon Tea is an opportunity to discuss a current social issue that is relevant to the AAPI community in an intimate setting. Our theme this time around was the infamous hashtag, #NotYourAsianSidekick, which was conceptualized by Chicago-based activist and writer, Suey Park.

The premise of the hashtag was to create “a space for Asian-American, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian women.., build community, and be heard” (@Salon). With more than 50,000 tweets in two days, it acutely became a Twitter Trending Topic, but its viral success left many dubious about its contribution to an actual “revolution.” It became so widespread that even activists had their qualms about it, leaving the hashtag’s limelight questionable. Because of this, we thought it would be interesting to create our own (physical) space and ask ourselves, "What does feminism mean to us and how do we practice it in the AAPI community?"

There was no better way to share our reactions, insights, and experiences than with scrumptious scones, sweets, and tea by our side.

Here are some photos from that afternoon:

NAPAWF-DC sisters and allies

Before our discussion began, Minhchau Dinh, NAPAWF-DC Chapter Leader, guided us through an icebreaker, where we highlighted snippets of our past and future selves.

The decade marked here is the 1980s: a time in which our parents immigrated to the United States from the Philippines and other motherlands. 

When the conversation got going, it was a refreshing reminder that we are all ready advocating for ourselves and other women of color in our respective careers or communities.

Feminism exists and it lives strongly in the AAPI community. Can't you see the fierceness that extends from our shining eyes to our winning smiles? A nice caption to this photo should be--can you guess? #NotYourAsianSidekick. 

Further Resources

#NotYourAsianSidekick Discussion Guide – Resource by Devan Shea, NAPAWF-DC Chapter Leader

Anatomy of a hashtag – Via Al Jazeera 

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A Day of Storytelling

The second day of the PowerUp summit was all about telling our stories. Everyone has one, but as Lisa Chen of the Seattle chapter so nicely put it, “Marginalized folks can’t imagine another world,” so when the opportunity to share our stories arises, it's a responsibility to easily assume. Zeenat Hasan of Arizona amplified this message by encouraging others to share their stories through finding “[t]hat space within yourself. It’s a brave space--that’s who we are.” So thank you to everyone who had the courage to share a significant part of yourself. Your name is sanctified and we continue the movement of social justice for women and girls because of you.

#NotYourAsianSidekick

With over 17.K followers on Twitter, it was a real treat to have Suey Park, creator of the infamous #NotYourAsianSidekick, speak to us about harnessing digital spaces as an effective platform for organizing since they are still rightfully so, spaces. When AAPIs oftentimes feel invisible despite our apparent visibility, leveraging social media can grasp issues at their roots.

Suey Park, writer, activist, and digital organizer from Chicago, IL. You can follow all her cleverly crafted #s @Suey_Park.

Advocacy Training 101

When we highlight issues, we can present figures and facts, but the greatest impact we can have is when we share our lived experiences, in a structured manner, that is. Joy Messinger from the Chicago chapter, led an Advocacy Training 101, where breakout groups got to practice their stories intended for a legislative audience. There was also an activity in which groups had to organize the steps it took for a bill to become a law in sequential order. In true DC fashion, we thought it was a competition to see which group could complete the set the fastest--it wasn’t of course.

Your story is my story

A powerful weekend of skill sharing and sisterhood was concluded with a meditation exercise, which included envisioning a better world filled with all women and girls knowing what justice feels like. Upon opening our eyes, Adam, the son of a NAPAWF sister from Orange County, CA, and whose adorable innocence graced us with love the entire weekend, was found in the center of our circle. Call it what you will--a sign or a child crawling to an unknown place--the work we do now will resonate for generations to come.

Baby Adam, who was seen floating from the many arms of sisters this past weekend. It takes a village to raise a child, a community to uplift their spirits, and the sight of just one to be reminded that the movement taking place today will echo the sounds of social justice tomorrow.

To reiterate the words of Heather Booth from the Midwest Organizing Institute,“The worst legacy you can leave behind is a diminished view that you cannot change the world.” NAPAWF is making it happen and the DC chapter is honored to support its mission by organizing at the grassroots level for AAPI women and girls.

We look forward to implementing the frameworks and skills we learned during the PowerUp summit with our chapter living in the nation’s capital!

Devan Shea and Rizalyn Vargas, NAPAWF-DC chapter leaders

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PowerUp Summit: Recap of Day 1

Gathering of NAPAWF Leaders

During NAPAWF’s PowerUp summit, 80 chapter leaders from across the country gathered in Washington, DC for a weekend-long leadership and advocacy training. Our newest chapters, Denver, Colorado and Atlanta, Georgia, were warmly welcomed into the space. Day 1 of the summit involved learning about key issues facing the AAPI community and how NAPAWF leaders and members are equipped to address them.

Chapter leaders and National Governing Board members from across the country during NAPAWF’s annual PowerUp leadership summit.

Organizing and Change

From combating anti-abortion bills, delighting in new legislation that finally includes immigrant women’s health, to the economic injustice that is being overlooked in the AAPI community--our issues are laden with deep challenges. We know the concept of the Model Minority to be a myth, which makes the terrain ahead arduous but grassroots organizing of the utmost importance.

Heather Booth of the Midwest Academy led a session on how to organize strategically. Leaders had an opportunity to examine current legislation regarding anti-abortion bans in South Dakota and brainstorm a plan of action to achieve victory. There is a fine art to organizing and changing the structure of power is filled with tactics that ensure justice prevails. As we continue to push the social justice movement for AAPI women and girls, let’s remember, “If we organize, we can change the world but only if we organize can we do that.”

Layered Fun

It was then on to fundraising and who knew that putting on an event could be so nuanced? Priscilla Hung from NAPAWF’s National Governing Board, shared her professional expertise on non-profit fundraising. Leaders learned that it is a necessary evil with work to be done throughout all stages of the event planning process, especially afterwards. Following-up with your guests after an event is where the biggest missed opportunity in fundraising exists!

Leaders gather around to discuss their most memorable learning moment from the day. 

The jet-lagged day for most (the DC chapter was fortunate to begin the weekend normally!) ended with a social gathering at Mad Momos, an AAPI owned small business, which we were glad to support. Sisters got to chat, eat a huge NAPAWF cake, and take part in an open-mic. We say this with no bias, of course, that our sisters are a talented bunch. Their stories moved us, but to be able to perform them in front of a live audience is special. However, this comes as no surprise since each womyn that passes through the NAPAWF space has something powerful to give to others.

So stay tuned as we further recap our weekend!

NAPAWF-Twin Cities Sister, Chay Douangphouxay, performing a spoken word piece at Mad Momos