The 2018 Cohort includes graduating college students and teachers, new and experienced, from across the U.S. and locally.
Last month, AAOP welcomed a cohort of eight Organizing Fellows. Organizing Fellows spend 6-12 months connecting with local nonprofits around the Twin Cities and nationally to develop their skills as community organizers and leaders.
A recent Macalester grad, Clara stumbled upon AAOP’s Organizing fellowship through luck and an expert use of Google search terms. Though she has no experience in organizing, Clara is interested in learning more about the role of organizing in advocacy and politics.
“I also wanted to get more involved with the Asian American community in the Twin Cities,” Clara, a Minnesota transplant from Seattle, states.
“I also wanted to get more involved with the Asian American community in the Twin Cities,” Clara, a Minnesota transplant from Seattle, states.
This Fellowship was also a good way for Clara to get more hands-on experience.
“I’ve studied this in college, theoretically, but I didn’t have the opportunity to put this knowledge in use,” Clara says.
Like Clara, Pa wanted to learn more about the experience of grassroots organizing. While they have no formal organizing in the past, they have worked with a cohort of students organizing around the inclusion of ethnic studies in their campus disciplines.
“There are elders who can tell us about the current politics,” Pa says. “The elders might not have vocab but they have experiences that can tell us what we need to work on.”
Pa also wanted to learn more about how to actively engage and delve deeper into issues like antiblackness, poverty, and how undocumented Asian Americans are routinely deported.
Pa looks forward to building a connectedness with the community in the Twin Cities.
“There are elders who can tell us about the current politics,” Pa says. “The elders might not have vocab but they have experiences that can tell us what we need to work on.”
Henry, a rising senior at Macalester, was also involved in the student organizing on campus as well. His past experience has been around engaging students through a political lens and has included hosting a workshop discussion inviting AAOP’s grantees, MN8.
One of the issues Henry really cares about and hopes to become more involved in is accessibility in healthcare. This passion is personal as well; his brother has a rare disability condition that causes to use a wheelchair in his daily life.
“I’m really glad that this healthcare includes mental health work as well,” Henry says. “I’m definitely running into my own limitations of knowing it so this is a good opportunity to learn and know more.”
“I’m really glad that this healthcare includes mental health work as well,” Henry says. “I’m definitely running into my own limitations of knowing it so this is a good opportunity to learn and know more.”
Justin, a rising sophomore at Macalester, became interested in engaging with politics after a civics teacher guided him into interning at a Non-Governmental Organization focused on environmentalism. He noticed right away that there were not many Asian Americans present or advocating for civic engagement.
“I saw that AAOP was actively engaging with Asian Americans,” he says, “and I thought that this could be a solution. “
“I saw that AAOP was actively engaging with Asian Americans,” he says, “and I thought that this could be a solution.”
One thing Clara is looking forward is to building relationships with the Asian American community and with AAOP staff.
“It’s been really awe-inspiring to see socially engaged Asian Americans who are really interested in activism,” she says. “Being in this environment has been really amazing so far.”