Orange County Grantmakers

Who Are We: Understanding the AAPI Communities in Orange County

OC Grantmakers

AANHPI PSA

Did you miss a workshop?
Be sure to check out the recordings below

OC Grantmakers

4 Part Video Series

1. AAPI History
2. AAPI Civic Engagement
3. AAPI Task Force
4. AAPI Futures
September 15:

The OC API Taskforce and the Ecosystem of the AANHPI Nonprofit Sector

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a unique and first of its kind collaboration developed – the OC API Taskforce, 9 separate agencies representing Asian American and Pacific Islander community members working together and in alignment with one another to ensure equitable access to testing and resources. Now, almost a year and a half in to the pandemic, we invite funders to join for a deep dive conversation into the strategies and lessons that made this taskforce so successful. Please join Ellen Ahn, Korean Community Services; Ualani Ho’opai, Pacific Islander Health Partnership; Becky Nguyen, Vietnamese American Cancer Foundation; and Vattana Peong, The Cambodian Family; for a candid discussion around why such a collaborative was needed, what type of infrastructure supporting our AANHPI nonprofit sector was built, and what it means for these community serving agencies moving forward.

All funders (you do not need to be an OCG member) as well as government representatives welcome as we discuss next steps and how government and philanthropy can continue to support the important work started by the taskforce.

OC Grantmakers

SESSION Dates & Details

May 5

Who Are We: Understanding the Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Communities in Orange County

Attendees will hear from Dr. Linda Trinh Vo, Professor and former chair of the Department of Asian American Studies at the University of California, Irvine, and Charlene Kazner, Board Secretary for Pacific Islander Health Partnership, on an overview of the AANHPI communities, the historical legacy of how and why the communities established themselves in Orange County, and how these historical legacies connect to the needs and experiences of the population today. This is the first of a series of workshops focused on the AANHPI community. Future sessions will dive into individual needs, gaps, and the role these communities are playing in moving racial justice and systems change forward in Orange County.

July 21

Civic Engagement and Power Building: Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Communities Creating Systems Change and Racial Justice

Attendees will hear from Mary Anne Foo, Founder and Executive Director of Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance (OCAPICA) on the history of civic engagement in Orange County’s AANHPI communities. This session will include a moderated panel discussion on the role these communities are playing in moving systems change and racial justice forward in Orange County, and the importance of supporting emerging leaders. Panelists are: Jonathan Paik, Executive Director, Orange County Civic Engagement Table (OCCET); Priscilla Huang, Executive Director, Asian Americans in Action; Tracy La, Executive Director, VietRISE; and Ualani Ho’opai, Executive Director, Pacific Islander Health Partnership.

This is the second of a series of workshops focused on the AANHPI community. Future sessions will dive into individual needs, gaps, and opportunities in these communities in Orange County.

These sessions are open to funders only. Attendees do not need to be a member of OCG to attend.

September 15:

The OC API Taskforce and the Ecosystem of the AANHPI Nonprofit Sector

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a unique and first of its kind collaboration developed – the OC API Taskforce, 9 separate agencies representing Asian American and Pacific Islander community members working together and in alignment with one another to ensure equitable access to testing and resources. Now, almost a year and a half in to the pandemic, we invite funders to join for a deep dive conversation into the strategies and lessons that made this taskforce so successful. Please join Ellen Ahn, Korean Community Services; Ualani Ho’opai, Pacific Islander Health Partnership; Becky Nguyen, Vietnamese American Cancer Foundation; and Vattana Peong, The Cambodian Family; for a candid discussion around why such a collaborative was needed, what type of infrastructure supporting our AANHPI nonprofit sector was built, and what it means for these community serving agencies moving forward.

All funders (you do not need to be an OCG member) as well as government representatives welcome as we discuss next steps and how government and philanthropy can continue to support the important work started by the taskforce.

November 2021

To be announced (TBA)

September 15:
The OC API Taskforce and the Ecosystem of the AANHPI Nonprofit Sector

Event Details Coming Soon!

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a unique and first of its kind collaboration developed – the OC API Taskforce, 9 separate agencies representing Asian American and Pacific Islander community members working together and in alignment with one another to ensure equitable access to testing and resources. Now, almost a year and a half in to the pandemic, we invite funders to join for a deep dive conversation into the strategies and lessons that made this taskforce so successful. Please join Ellen Ahn, Korean Community Services; Ualani Ho’opai, Pacific Islander Health Partnership; Becky Nguyen, Vietnamese American Cancer Foundation; and Vattana Peong, The Cambodian Family; for a candid discussion around why such a collaborative was needed, what type of infrastructure supporting our AANHPI nonprofit sector was built, and what it means for these community serving agencies moving forward. All funders (you do not need to be an OCG member) as well as government representatives welcome as we discuss next steps and how government and philanthropy can continue to support the important work started by the taskforce.

Wednesday, September 15, 2021, 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM PDT

Register Here
SESSION Dates & Details
Attendees will hear from Dr. Linda Trinh Vo, Professor and former chair of the Department of Asian American Studies at the University of California, Irvine, and Charlene Kazner, Board Secretary for Pacific Islander Health Partnership, on an overview of the AANHPI communities, the historical legacy of how and why the communities established themselves in Orange County, and how these historical legacies connect to the needs and experiences of the population today. This is the first of a series of workshops focused on the AANHPI community. Future sessions will dive into individual needs, gaps, and the role these communities are playing in moving racial justice and systems change forward in Orange County.

Attendees will hear from Mary Anne Foo, Founder and Executive Director of Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance (OCAPICA) on the history of civic engagement in Orange County’s AANHPI communities. This session will include a moderated panel discussion on the role these communities are playing in moving systems change and racial justice forward in Orange County, and the importance of supporting emerging leaders. Panelists are: Jonathan Paik, Executive Director, Orange County Civic Engagement Table (OCCET); Priscilla Huang, Executive Director, Asian Americans in Action; Tracy La, Executive Director, VietRISE; and Ualani Ho’opai, Executive Director, Pacific Islander Health Partnership.

This is the second of a series of workshops focused on the AANHPI community. Future sessions will dive into individual needs, gaps, and opportunities in these communities in Orange County.

These sessions are open to funders only. Attendees do not need to be a member of OCG to attend.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a unique and first of its kind collaboration developed – the OC API Taskforce, 9 separate agencies representing Asian American and Pacific Islander community members working together and in alignment with one another to ensure equitable access to testing and resources. Now, almost a year and a half in to the pandemic, we invite funders to join for a deep dive conversation into the strategies and lessons that made this taskforce so successful. Please join Ellen Ahn, Korean Community Services; Ualani Ho’opai, Pacific Islander Health Partnership; Becky Nguyen, Vietnamese American Cancer Foundation; and Vattana Peong, The Cambodian Family; for a candid discussion around why such a collaborative was needed, what type of infrastructure supporting our AANHPI nonprofit sector was built, and what it means for these community serving agencies moving forward. All funders (you do not need to be an OCG member) as well as government representatives welcome as we discuss next steps and how government and philanthropy can continue to support the important work started by the taskforce.

More Info Coming Soon

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How do we build a compassionate and inclusive America in an age of distrust? WAJAHAT ALI knows from personal experience that when we come together to be the superheroes of our own stories, we can create honest social change. The beloved TED speaker has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, and The Atlantic about our urgent issues—immigration, politics, parenthood—with boldness, hope, and humor. His memoir Go Back to Where You Came From, one of Amazon’s Best Books of the Year, follows his life as a Muslim Pakistani-American on a surprising, emotional, and challenging quest for the good life. Iconic journalist Katie Couric says that “we are all so fortunate to be on the receiving end of his intellect, his humanity, and his heart.”

Wajahat Ali

“With wit and charm, Ali delivers a masterful meditation on growing up brown in America...he gives us a clear-eyed affirmation of the country America could be.” — Mara Gay, New York Times

Mara Gay, New York Times

Wajahat Ali uses his platform to fight tirelessly for the social change we need in our country—and he isn’t afraid to get personal while doing it. The Daily Beast columnist and former New York Times writer, TED speaker, award-winning playwright, and Peabody-nominated producer of the documentary series The Secret Life of Muslims offers us his experiences of triumph over hardship as a beacon of hope and resilience in the face of life’s impossible situations. From his experiences of Islamophobia growing up as a Muslim Pakistani-American to his two-year-old daughter’s liver cancer diagnosis, Wajahat is living proof that when we share our authentic stories, we build the America we wish to live in.”

In his memoir Go Back to Where You Came From: And Other Helpful Recommendations on How to Become American, Wajahat teaches us how to create our own superhero origin story, invest in hope for the future of America, and enact real social change. The book was called “biting and funny and full of heart” by NPR. Representative Ilhan Omar called Wajahat’s work “hilarious” and “deeply moving”, and legendary writer Dave Eggers said it was the book he’d “been hoping Wajahat Ali would write for ten years—hilarious, stylistically fearless, deeply humane.”

Wajahat is also the author of The Domestic Crusaders—the first major play about Muslim-Americans in a post-9/11 world. He was the lead researcher and author for the Center for American Progress’s seminal report “Fear Inc., Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America,” and served as a national correspondent for Al Jazeera America, where he told stories about communities and individuals often marginalized or under-reported in mainstream media.

As Creative Director of Affinis Wajahat Labs, he worked to create social entrepreneurship initiatives to support and uplift marginalized communities. He also worked with the US State Department to design and implement the “Generation Change” leadership program to empower young social entrepreneurs. Wajahat initiated chapters in eight countries, including Pakistan and Singapore. For his work, he was honored as a “Generation Change Leader” by Sec. of State Clinton and recognized as an “Emerging Muslim American Artist” by the Muslim Public Affairs Council. 

He has given keynote speeches around the world such as TED, The Aspen Ideas Festival, Google, the United Nations, and The New Yorker Festival. His writing appears regularly in the New York Times, The Atlantic, the Washington Post, and The Guardian. He’s a Senior Fellow at The Western States Center and Auburn Seminary and co-host of Al Jazeera’s The Stream.