AAPI Nexus: Policy, Practice and Community

Grace Lee Boggs suggested that activism must move beyond protest. Rather than action from above, she believed that change takes place at the local level through small actions. In this practitioner essay, the staff of the Asian Pacific American Resource Center at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities explores the multiple dimensions of local action we engaged in with students and colleagues to advance social justice for Asian American and Pacific Islander students. We highlight some of our work toward addressing anti-Asian racism and anti-Blackness on our campus and local community; building community and solidarity across racial-ethnic communities; participating with student groups as partners to challenge inequality; and engaging as a “critical collaborator” with other campus units to advance the institution’s goals toward diversity, equity, and inclusion. Against the backdrop of the anti-Asian racism instigated by COVID-19 that received little attention and the murder of George Floyd in our “backyard” that garnered widespread outcry, we argue that we were able to productively respond because we nurtured relationships and other actions over several years of local activism. Our explication significantly advances an understanding of the role of Asian American Native American Pacific Islander–serving institutions in activism at the local level that is critical for institutional change.