Our Values
Our values are a living document that will adapt, change, and evolve as we ourselves and our communities do.
Roots
We move from the roots of our histories and cultures. In all that we do, we actively center decolonization. We form intergenerational movements that recognize the wisdom and struggles of our elders, peers, and youth. We achieve this by giving folks, regardless of age, ability, and education, opportunities to grow and organize with us.
Joy
In our conversations and interactions, we hold grace in spaces for people to be their authentic selves, and pushing back on the white supremacist notions of professionalism. We cultivate joy and humor because we care about our communities. We want the revolution to be irresistible.
Shared Knowledge
We reclaim the agency to tell our own stories. We challenge the prioritization of written history and formal education from western perspectives. Instead, we uplift the knowledge that comes from lived experiences, striving to amplify diverse narratives rooted in our ancestors, our communities, and ourselves.
Radical
We unapologetically organize around the dismantling of systems of oppression, including but not limited to white supremacy, colonialism, imperialism, anti-Blackness, ableism, and the heteropatriarchy, at their root. We organize for a fundamentally different world not by judgment and individualism, but by our collection action.
Healing
We affirm that systemic and interpersonal traumas are interconnected due to capitalism, colonialism, and imperialism, therefore our healing must happen at the individual, communal, and institutional levels. We embody the healed world that we seek to create by holding healing circles and checking in meaningfully with our community members.
Wholeness
We are whole beings capable of complex emotions and experiences, mirrored by the diversity in Asian American communities. Our communities are shaped not only by marginalization, but by the way we celebrate everyday life.
Abolition
We believe in the abolition of all prisons and all policing systems that only punish and incarcerate. Instead we imagine communities that emphasize the restoration of relationships, value difference over conformity and assimilation, knowing that growth and learning is a lifelong journey.
Collective Liberation
We recognize that until the most marginalized among us are uplifted, we are not truly free. Because we recognize that intersecting systems of oppression exist in ourselves and our communities, we are committed to dismantling these structures in our organizing and in our everyday lives.
Collaborative Culture
We are committed to a culture of participation from all of our staff, board members, and volunteers, where we value input and discussion as core to our mission and workplace. Decision-making must be committed to include everyone’s input, ensuring that alienation of group members can be ameliorated. Magic happens when we allow for slow, intentional, and sustainable development.