Network Learning Sessions

Topic: Bearing Witness: AANHPI Advocacy for Immigrant Communities  |  Register by clicking here! 

Our focus will be on building solidarity and cross-cultural support for current immigrant and refugee communities, increasing awareness of AANHPI (Asian American-Native Hawaiian-Pacific Islander) communities in the North Sound region, and strengthening knowledge of AANHPI history and anti-Asian exclusion. By connecting history with present-day experiences of immigrant and refugee communities, we can help protect the most vulnerable through informed action. Our panel will feature the following folks:

• Van Kuno – Executive Director at Refugee & Immigrant Services NW
  Van Dinh-Kuno, a former refugee from Vietnam, has dedicated most of her adult life helping others at Refugee & Immigrant Services Northwest where she has been Executive Director since 1991. Following her arrival to the US after the Fall of Saigon, she obtained a BS degree in Bio Chemistry from the University of Minnesota. After moving to WA State, she was hired first as a job developer, then assistant director before assuming her current position of 28 years as Executive Director. As the result of her own experience, she brings passion, understanding and commitment to providing culturally and linguistically appropriate services so all refugees and immigrants can build a better life for themselves and their families.
• Brian Niiya – Content Director & Public Historian at Densho
  Brian Niiya is a public historian specializing in Japanese American history. Currently the content director for Densho and editor of the online Densho Encyclopedia, he has also held various positions with the UCLA Asian American Studies Center, the Japanese American National Museum, and the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai’i that have involved managing collections, curating exhibitions, and developing public programs, and producing videos, books, and websites. His writings have been published in a wide range of academic, popular, and web-based publications, and he is frequently asked to give presentations or interviews on the forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.
• Stan Shikuma – Leadership Council at Tsuru for Solidarity
  Stan Shikuma is on the national Leadership Council for Tsuru for Solidarity and is the co-president of Seattle JACL (Japanese American Citizens League). He is a writer, taiko (Japanese drum) artist, and community activist. As a social activist, Stan writes and lectures on Civil Rights, Japanese American history, and Taiko. Affiliations include work with the Tule Lake Pilgrimage, Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), Seattle Nisei Veterans Committee & NVC Foundation, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), Regional Taiko Groups-Seattle, and Taiko Community Alliance.

•  Upcoming sessions: July 16 – Trans Health and Well-BeingSept 17 – Climate Action to Protect Vulnerable CommunitiesNov 19 – Disability Advocacy