National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum

National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum
Name	National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum
Formation	1994
Type	Nonprofit
Headquarters	United States
Area served	United States
Focus	Advocacy, civic engagement, reproductive justice, economic justice

National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum is a United States-based advocacy organization founded in 1994 to advance the rights of Asian American and Pacific Islander women and gender nonconforming people. The organization operates nationally with programs addressing reproductive justice, civic engagement, economic security, and immigrant rights while engaging with legislative processes such as the Affordable Care Act, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and federal agencies including the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Labor. It builds coalitions with groups like Planned Parenthood, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, and the National Women's Law Center and has participated in national events such as the White House convenings and the United States Congress hearings.

History

The group emerged in a period marked by mobilizations around the Los Angeles riots of 1992, the passage debates of the Immigration Act of 1990, and organizing linked to the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995, with founding activists who previously worked with organizations like Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, Asian Law Caucus, and South Asian Americans Leading Together. Early campaigns addressed issues raised by incidents such as the Oakland Chinatown protests and were informed by policy shifts following the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. Throughout the 2000s the organization engaged with advocacy around the No Child Left Behind Act, participated in coalitions responding to the September 11 attacks' aftermath, and worked on immigration enforcement debates involving agencies like U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Mission and Advocacy Priorities

The organization's mission centers on advancing reproductive justice, economic security, and political power for Asian American and Pacific Islander women and gender nonconforming people, aligning with frameworks promoted by leaders such as Loretta Ross, SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective, and policy groups including Center for Reproductive Rights. Advocacy priorities have intersected with federal statutes and agendas like the Affordable Care Act, the Violence Against Women Act, and implementation rules from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, while addressing community-specific concerns tied to locations such as San Francisco, New York City, and Honolulu.

Programs and Initiatives

Programs include civic engagement drives modeled after voter mobilization efforts by organizations like Rock the Vote, leadership development similar to Emerge America, and reproductive health initiatives drawing on research from the Guttmacher Institute. The group has developed trainings influenced by curricula from Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies and community health projects paralleling work by The Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum in neighborhoods across Los Angeles County, Cook County, Illinois, and the Washington metropolitan area. It has also produced policy briefs and toolkits used in advocacy around the Family and Medical Leave Act and local campaigns confronting anti-Asian violence following incidents like the 2021 Atlanta spa shootings.

Organizational Structure and Leadership

The organization is governed by a national board and staffed through regional chapters, with leadership roles comparable to governance models at NAACP, League of Women Voters, and American Civil Liberties Union. Executive directors and board chairs have included activists who have worked with institutions such as Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, and academic centers like Columbia University and University of California, Berkeley. The staff collaborates with legal partners including Asian Law Alliance and policy teams that interact with the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives on testimony and briefing memos.

Partnerships and Coalitions

The organization partners with national and community groups such as Planned Parenthood Federation of America, National Council of La Raza (now UnidosUS), Service Employees International Union, and faith-based groups like Interfaith Worker Justice. It is active in coalitions that include Women of Color Policy Network, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, and civic alliances during election cycles that coordinate with Common Cause and state-level groups including California Calls and New York Communities for Change.

Impact and Notable Campaigns

Notable campaigns have influenced policy debates on reproductive rights alongside SisterSong, contributed to voter registration efforts in partnership with Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, and supported litigation strategies coordinated with the National Women's Law Center during challenges related to the Affordable Care Act contraception provisions. The group's public education work has been cited in reporting by outlets covering events such as the Stop AAPI Hate initiative, and it has testified before legislative bodies during hearings connected to the Violence Against Women Act reauthorization and immigration reform proposals associated with lawmakers from California and Hawaii.

Category:Non-profit organizations based in the United States Category:Asian American Pacific Islander organizations