In the Press
By Melina Debolt | The Connection | March 27, 2024
Cosumnes River College hosted the first Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander-Serving Institute leadership conference in the Sacramento-San Joaquin region on Friday, Extended Opportunity Programs and Services counselor Paolo Soriano said.
AANAPISI is one of eight federally designated Minority-Serving Institution (MSI) programs and was established by Congress in 2007, according to the CRC website.
The conference featured nine workshops for students to choose from between two time slots. Throughout these workshops, students were informed about Hmong people, Asian American studies at Sacramento State University, Asian Americans, the pandemic and more.
“Not hiding your genius, not hiding your culture, not hiding your name to make it easier for someone to pronounce to make them comfortable,” College President Edward Bush said.
Prejudice and adversity towards the AANHPI community were illustrated by welcome speaker Dr. Annie Lam, executive director of The League of California Cities Asian Pacific Islander Caucus in Sacramento, Founder of APIs Mobilize and CRC alumni. She shared her personal experiences growing up in Sacramento.
“In our society and in many workplaces the default image of a leader is based on traits of white men,” Lam said. “Whiteness becomes an invisible standard that racial groups and people are judged against whether it’s beauty or leadership style.”
Many of the students raised their hands when asked if they could relate to an experience regarding language barriers, assumptions from authoritative figures or a general lack of awareness towards AANHPI throughout the community.
Read the full article here.
The Recording Academy's new GRAMMY Week event, presented in collaboration with Gold House and Pacific Bridge Arts Foundation, celebrated Pan-Asian contributions to the music industry and beyond.
In the midst of GRAMMY Week, The Recording Academy, Gold House and Pacific Bridge Arts Foundation came together for the first-ever Gold Music Alliance reception — an intimate, yet powerful celebration of the Pan-Asian community's vast contributions to the music industry.
"This is the first gathering, but it's definitely not going to be the last," promised Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, in opening remarks at the Jan. 31 event, which was held at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Century City, California. "We're going to continue to grow, we're going to continue to evolve. This organization and this group of constituents, music makers — it's going to be a powerful platform to make a difference. The importance of this group is so the Academy can listen and learn and understand."
"We are all about uplifting the next generation in music," agreed Annie Lam, executive director of Pacific Bridge Arts Foundation. The nonprofit was founded by Far East Movement, the first Asian-American group to top the Billboard Hot 100 charts with their 2010 party hit "Like a G6". The group's Kev Nish is integrated in every aspect of the event, serving as PBA's Chair of the Board and founder, a Gold House board member, and the Recording Academy's Los Angeles Chapter Governor; his bandmate DJ Virman provided the musical accompaniment for the reception.
"The work that we do is really shaped by their journey and experiences," Lam continued, highlighting some of their programs, including The Bridging Arts Talk, which features GRAMMY nominees, GRAMMY winners and music executives. "We are so proud that all of these leaders are part of our network to give back, because we know the value of mentorship and how important they are and we are working step by step to knock down those barriers. We're still fighting the good fight and hope that you will continue to work with us to keep up with the movement."
Read the full article here.
The Sacramento Bee presents the Top 25 Asian American Pacific Islander Change Makers as a part of a series to honor individuals who are enriching lives in the Sacramento region. Change makers are people who are committed to leading positive transformations in their communities. They are shifting the landscape in medicine, science, policy, economy, education, art and advocacy with their authenticity, problem-solving and vision for a better Sacramento. The list includes individuals such as Congresswoman Doris Matsui, California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, and Superior Court Judge Shama Hakim Mesiwala who have done exceptional work to promote equity, strengthen community ties and amplify the voices of the region.
Annie V. Lam
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE LEADER
Annie V. Lam wants to develop the next generation of change makers. Lam is the executive director and founder of the nonprofit APIs Mobilize and the executive director of the California API Legislative Caucus Institute, organizations with a mission to promote AAPI participation in public service and government via mentorship and programs. She is also the principal and founder of Lam Consulting group. “I grew up in public housing. I went to under-resourced schools,” said Lam, a daughter of Chinese refugees from Vietnam. “I know the struggle because I have gone through it. So I want to help change lives by bringing back resources to our community,” she said.
Raised in south Sacramento, Lam worked in the farm fields with her family when she was young before eventually starting her career in the California State Legislature for former Assemblywoman Judy Chu. “It’s important to have diverse representation, diverse people serving as role models,” she said. “Not just diversity, but also having people who have the lived experiences to serve as role models because that will allow young people to see themselves in those roles.”
Read the full Sacbee article here.
Today we’d like to introduce you to Annie Lam.
Hi Annie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today? Born and raised in Sacramento, I now call both Sacramento and Lakewood home. My lifelong pursuit of change-making began in the farm fields of Sacramento where I worked alongside my family picking fruits, starting at the age of seven. I learned a lot in those fields about myself, about my family, about grit and power structures, and as a byproduct of a system that wasn’t created for people like me or who have stories like mine.
Like many other children of immigrant families, my story starts with my parents’ journey to the United States. Like the Syrians, Afghanis and Ukrainians of recent years, my family escaped war and persecution for a better life. There were many obstacles and a lot of pain along that journey. Some of my family members did not survive the escape by boat to safety and freedom. For that, I am forever grateful to my parents for risking their lives to give me and my siblings an opportunity for a better life.
It was especially meaningful to start my first job out of college, nearly 20 years ago, working in halls of power at the California state legislature for two prominent and inspirational Asian American legislators. But I often felt like I didn’t quite fit in. When I looked around, there were so few of us and that question has persisted all my life in every space I’ve been in. I have spent my entire life exploring that question and made it my life’s work to bring change so others won’t have to go through similar situations.
My passion work focuses on transforming culture and creating structures that will lead to a future where the identities of marginalized groups will one day be celebrated instead of questioned. And as the proud Girl Mom of a multiracial daughter, it is my hope that she and future generations of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs), as well as their Black and Brown siblings, will grow up feeling like they belong and can lead as their full authentic selves without having to ascribe to our current definitions of success and leadership, which are based on non-diverse and non-inclusive values and characteristics.
Read the full article here.
By Agnes Constante
NBC News mentions APIs Mobilize as part of the leadership development programs that help build Asian American representation.
Annie Lam, executive director of the League of California Cities Asian Pacific Islander Caucus and founder of APIs Mobilize, reaches out to high school students in areas with large AAPI populations and recently launched a training program to teach AAPI legislative staffers leadership and management skills.
'We all have our training programs to help build the bench. And that goes into the infrastructure building,' Lam said. 'APIs get elected, then they hire API staff, then we train them so that they move up in the ladder in the legislature.'"
Read the full article here.
By Omar Rashad
Both Chu and Eng are among the first Asian Americans elected to hold political office and are known for spearheading legislation that had the Asian Pacific Islander community in mind. Being among the first trailblazers who fought for the API community, the two are also known for taking down Monterey Park’s “No-English” movement.
Following her success with Chu and Eng, Lam is now the head of The Lam Consulting Group, but more recently, her impact on the community did not end with legislation. Lam is now the Founder and CEO of APIs Mobilize, a youth leadership program that looks to empower the minds of high school juniors and seniors by educating them about government involvement.
“I think it’s important to engage more young students and young folks,” said Lam. “There’s not enough of them getting involved on the civic engagement level. The [past] election has shown that for Asian Pacific Islander youth, they’re the lowest number of voters compared to others.”
Down the line, Lam foresees a lot more work to be done, but when asked exactly what motivates her to do what she does, she brings it full circle to the Asian American Studies classes she took in college.
“I learned a whole lot about my own identity, about my rights, about where our rights come from, and our common struggles,” said Lam. “Because I knew that if you don’t participate, others will make the decision for you, and we just can’t have that happen anymore.”
Read the full article here.