Equity at AAWAA
WHO WE ARE
At AAWAA, we recognize Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islanders as inclusive of anyone of East Asian, South Asian, Southeast Asian, Middle Eastern, Polynesian or Hawaiian descent and also view “descent” as an expansive term that can describe the experiences of mixed, transnational, adopted and other forms of lineage and diaspora.
As a women-led organization, we work to be inclusive of cisgender, transgender and nonbinary individuals, whose histories and experiences intersect in the struggles against racism, patriarchy, sexism and misogyny.
We acknowledge that the ways in which these identities are defined and perceived can also be limited to our current understanding of gender and geopolitical borders that have been built through means of colonization, exploitation and imperialism across generations. The way we identify ourselves via race, gender, ethnicity and nationality is always in process. With this in mind, we come together at AAWAA, recognizing our collective agency and shared historical struggles to highlight and reclaim our stories and experiences through our culture and our art.
ART & COMMUNITY BUILDING
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) make up 6% of the US population (2010 US Census). Although a fast growing community, AAPI representation in the arts and media for Asian American women is lacking. According to a study on the "Diversity of Artists in All Major US Museums," one of the largest groups represented aside from 85% white men and women, were 7.5% Asian men, with less than 1% Asian women (PLoS One 2019). We commit to building equity for our AAPI women artists in conjunction with our fellow under-represented artists communities.
We commit to visibility and recognition as we work to decenter whiteness, patriarchy, and other hierarchical assignments of value that have historically served as justifications for barriers to access, resources and representation. Art has the power to sustain, uplift and inspire, and artists are essential to the vibrant strength of cultural and historical movements. Our communities encompass and intersect with people of many ethnicities, genders, ages, sexual orientations, abilities, financial resources, and educational backgrounds. Diversity and representation among our staff, board, volunteers and participants are integral to the success of our organization and programs.
We honor our ancestors and elders and cherish our intergenerational community. Striving to uplift as many AAPI narratives as possible, we seek to remove barriers to access, including language, cost, and access to technology, approaching every decision and action with equity, justice, and accountability in mind. We commit to building meaningful relationships and avenues for positive, healing collaboration between AAPI women artists and communities we intersect with, including AAPI, LGBTQ+, and women-of-color led organizations.
As immigrant settlers on unceded Ohlone land, we are intertwined and indebted to the social justice work of Black, Indigenous, and Latinx/Latine Americans, past and present. As AAPI peoples, we also move in solidarity against the erasure of our own indigenous and cultural histories.
As an AAPI women led organization, we allow ourselves grace, recognizing that working towards diversity, equity, inclusion, and access is ongoing, evolving and imperfect.
If you have and questions or feedback, please feel free to email us at info@aawaa.net.