Tag Archives: Pacific Islander

Voices

OPINION | Addressing Disparities in Health Care Careers Affecting Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders

by Minal Gowda and Belen Sime

In light of Minority Health Month in April, it is important to reflect on some of the major challenges for underrepresented communities in the health care field. Not only is there a lack of proper support for minority groups to access health care, but there is also a lack of representation for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color) among providers and leaders in health care careers. The discrimination that causes this doesn’t just start with the health care employment process; it begins well before. Disparities in the education system limit opportunities for minority groups, such as Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NH/PI), to succeed in the health care field.

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News

Mapu Maia Clinic Opens in Kent to Serve QTPI and QTBIPOC in Need of Health Care Service

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by Ronnie Estoque

On May 3, UTOPIA Washington held the grand opening of their new Mapu Maia Clinic in Kent. The clinic provides free services for the QTPI (Queer and Transgender Pacific Islanders) and QTBIPOC (Queer and Transgender Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) community and does not require health insurance. Currently, the Mapu Maia Clinic provides wellness care, gender-affirming care, harm reduction, vaccine access, and COVID-19 PPE and test kits.

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Community

Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2023

Arts and Events Throughout Seattle and the South End

by Amanda Ong

This month commemorates the history, contributions, and talents of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AA&NH/PI), who have shaped American identities and culture for centuries. Seattle has a long history of Asian American and Pacific Islander artists, leaders, and activists, from “Uncle Bob” Santos to Bruce Lee, among many others today. As AA&NH/PI communities continue to fight for the rights and liberties of their people, here and abroad under U.S. power, we continue to recognize their stories and struggles. 

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News

White House Economic Summit Dedicated to Aiding Local AA & NHPI Business Owners

by Marian Mohamed and Antonio Nevarez, GZR Newsroom

(This article is jointly published between Ground Zero Radio, an initiative of the Vera Project, and the South Seattle Emerald.)

Community leaders, local small-business owners, and White House staff members gathered at Seattle City Hall on March 30, 2023, for the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI) Economic Summit for communities within Seattle and Washington State. 

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Community

Talking Community Health With New ICHS CEO Kelli Nomura

International Community Health Services celebrates 50th anniversary, and new leadership

by Amanda Ong

Last November, Kelli Nomura stepped into the role of CEO of International Community Health Services (ICHS) following Teresita Batayola’s appointment to President Biden’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiʻians, and Pacific Islanders, after 17 years in the position. Nomura comes into the position having worked with Batayola and ICHS staff as a member of the ICHS board, and already knowing the ins and outs of ICHS as well as the work it does, the challenges it faces, and the services it offers. Nomura’s appointment to the role comes as ICHS celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

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Arts & Culture

Seattle Asian American Film Festival Celebrates 10th Anniversary

by Amanda Ong

This year, Seattle Asian American Film Festival (SAAFF) celebrates its 10th anniversary with virtual features as well as select in-person screenings at the Stonehouse Café and Northwest Film Forum. As their second year online, SAAFF will feature over 100 short- and feature-length films, documentaries, animated films, drive-through, and in-person movie screenings. The festival is running March 3–13.

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Community

Intentionalist: Celebrate Pacific Islander-Owned Businesses

by Kristina Rivera

Intentionalist is built on one simple idea: where we spend our money matters. We make it easy to find, learn about, and support small businesses and the diverse people behind them through everyday decisions about where we eat, drink, and shop. #SpendLikeItMatters

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month can often be an invisibilizing time for Native Hawai‘ian and Pacific Islander communities in the United States. The focus tends to shift toward East Asian countries, which pushes Native Hawai‘ian and Pacific Islander experiences by the wayside.

Putting Native Hawai‘ians and Pacific Islanders under the umbrella term AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) erases the dozens of diverse cultures and countries that make up the Pacific Islands. Washington is home to the third highest Native Hawai‘ian and Pacific Islander population in the United States, so it’s crucial we actively support and center the voices of the people who too often go ignored — especially during a month that’s supposed to be about the celebration of their culture, too.

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Community

Intentionalist: Celebrate ASIAN AMERICAN-Owned Businesses

by Kristina Rivera

Intentionalist is built on one simple idea: where we spend our money matters. We make it easy to find, learn about, and support small businesses and the diverse people behind them through everyday decisions about where we eat, drink, and shop. #SpendLikeItMatters

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and it’s time to celebrate.

During the pandemic, we’ve seen local businesses scramble and adapt to the ever-changing conditions around them, with recent research showing Asian-owned small businesses have been disproportionately affected. But, despite this, we’ve also seen countless local businesses step up in so many ways to help the communities around them.

And we at Intentionalist think that’s a cause for celebration.

We believe AAPI Heritage Month isn’t just about supporting the AAPI-owned businesses in our neighborhoods — it’s about celebrating them and all the character, culture, and vitality they bring to our communities.

To kick off AAPI Heritage Month, here are three businesses you can support:

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Arts & Culture

Sensing Out of Numbness: A Conversation With Shin Yu Pai

by Jasmine J. Mahmoud

How do we sense at this time? With the onslaught of violence against Asian American and Asian Diasporic people, the horrifyingly regular state-sanctioned murders of Black and Brown people (including CHILDREN), and general harm towards those who our society minoritizes, I’ve been feeling numb and guilty in my inability to sense, as well as to post, donate, fight, and make sense of what’s going on. How do we sense well at this time?

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Arts & Culture

‘Our Voices, Our Histories’ Is a Critical Read to Understanding the Future of Asian American and Pacific Islander Women in the U.S.

by Juanita Tamayo Lott

(This article was originally published by the International Examiner and has been reprinted with permission.)

This anthology, edited by Shirley Hune and Gail M. Nomura, is a timely contribution to acknowledge, understand, and document the rich complexities of Asian American and Pacific Islander women in the 21st century. It is a fitting sequel to the pioneering 1971 Asian Women, (Asian Women, U.C. Berkeley) and the 1989 Making Waves: An Anthology of Writings by and about Asian American Women (Asian Women United of California). While the former gave voice to pioneering Asian American women — Chinese, Filipino, Japanese and Korean — the latter included South Asian, Southeast Asian, and mixed-race women. Our Voices, Our Histories is even more expansive with the formal inclusion of Pacific Islander women. 

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