Description

One goal of the Asia Program’s AAPI portfolio grantmaking is to help AAPIs share their stories to increase awareness and shift public narratives. The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) shares our belief in the power of storytelling to convey the diversity and complexity of Asian American experiences to broader audiences, amplify nuanced narratives, and promote equity though creative expression.  
 
HLF funding would enable CAAM to plan and implement a convening in Spring 2023 in Washington, DC, to bring together national thought leaders (including from other BIPOC communities) and local Asian American organizations for strategic conversations on the use of storytelling to catalyze positive change in civic engagement and public policy, for Asian American communities and beyond. Envisioned as a series of working panels with 20 to 30 participants to discuss key issues, followed by viewing of illustrative short stories and/or documentary films, this convening will explore effective pathways, strengthen existing relationships, forge new networks, and inform a future strategy and engagement plan for collective advancement of Asian American narratives. A few potential participating individuals and organizations as well as a list of central questions are included in CAAM’s proposal. This event will be part of a series of convenings on narrative change that HLF, through the AAPI portfolio and DEPT, plans to support in coming years in collaboration with external partners. 
 
The Asia Program and the DEPT Initiative are pleased to jointly recommend this special grant to CAAM. As discussed internally, this grant, if approved, will come out of C&I funds and be administered by the Asia Program.
 
The grant would advance Asia’s Goals 3(a) (increase our understanding of the AAPI landscape) and 3(b) (disseminate Asian and AAPI stories widely and reach new audiences), and DEPT initiative’s efforts to empower AAPIs as full participants in American democracy and important contributors to the nation’s narrative fabric.