Reimagining a Future with Asians/Asian Americans:
Our Vision for Collective Liberation
Our Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) committee proudly hosted a fundraiser to support APIC Spokane this past April. The event was held on Friday, April 21 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Chase Gallery. We heard from four panelists on their perspectives of Reimagining a Future with Asians/Asian Americans: Our Vision for Collective Liberation.
What do Asians, Asian Americans, and collective liberation have in common? Depends on who you ask, and APIC Spokane’s panelists (who shared both their vulnerable and funny sides) all agreed that collective liberation starts with radical change. Radical change in the places we live, work, and play; in our institutions and systems; and even within ourselves. Despite the intergenerational and racial trauma we’ve endured, we ALL have the power within us to speak our truth, to heal, and experience liberation. I’m so proud of our team at APIC Spokane and am excited to continue reimagining our future of collective liberation!
Ryann Louie (they/them)
Executive Director, APIC Spokane
In addition to listening to the panel’s beautiful and honest reflections, attendees also had the opportunity to make a donation to support the work of APIC Spokane. Together we raised $1435 for this amazing organization that serves, encourages, and supports our Asian and Asian American communities in Spokane! It is because of community like YOU that our work, the work of APIC Spokane, and the work of many other local organizations is not only possible but sustainable. We appreciate you!
Though this fundraiser may have passed, you can make a donation to APIC Spokane at any time!
Meet the Panelists
Urvashi Lalwani (she/her) is a senior student at Whitworth University, majoring in Strategic Communications. With a multicultural background, fluency in multiple languages, and having grown up in Cameroon and India, she possesses a unique perspective and the ability to connect with people from diverse backgrounds. As a College Equity Ambassador at APIC Spokane, Urvashi is focusing on legislative work and building connections within Asian communities.
Margaret Albaugh (she/her) is the Health and Wellness Program Manager at APIC Spokane. She is a mother, school counselor, photographer, advocate and wife. She is a constant creative who often lives in her own head. In both her mental health outreach and in her photography, Margaret aims to help people ask important questions of themselves to find clarity, meaning, and richer fuller lives. She likes cake and cats.
Sarah Dixit (she/her) Sarah was born and raised in Pasadena, California, to her parents who immigrated to the U.S. in the 1980s from India. Growing up in an immigrant household provided a lot of opportunities to find her unique voice amidst the vastly different cultures. Sarah is the Public Affairs Manager for PPGWNI and the Co-Chair for APIC Spokane. In 2022, she was a YWCA Women of Achievement Honoree and took the Young Woman of Achievement Award.
April Dickinson (she/her) has been working in public policy in Washington state since 2008 and has a bachelor’s degree in law, societies, and justice from the University of Washington. She is currently the Communications Specialist at the Washington State Budget & Policy Center. She is currently pursuing learning more about her family’s Chinese cultural traditions through food, festivals, and qigong.
As folks gathered together for the event, they were also able to explore the current Chase Gallery Exhibit featuring two artists and members of APIC Spokane:
Persistence of Vision: Asian Diaspora Perspectives in Continuum
Returning from examining the unseen complexities of cultural identity in the exhibit Hidden in Plain Sight, artists Margaret Albaugh and Frances Grace Mortel reunite to explore the persistence of Asian diasporic narratives – an emergence from invisibility and affirmation of their enduring existence. This new showcase presents Asian and Asian American stories through diasporic portraits, memories, and recipes – an anthology of visions that do not cease – collectively persistent and continuously moving. Learn more at
More about APIC Spokane
APIC Spokane centers the power of Asians and Asian Americans to build a just, healthy, and thriving community for all. They envision a world of collective liberation where Asians and Asian Americans can live in a community of wellbeing, safety, and belonging. APIC Spokane’s values include joy and celebrating ourselves; belonging; racial, social, environmental, economic, and health justice; honoring complexity/nuance; intersectionality; intergenerationality; intentionality; and accountability.
APIC Spokane, in collaboration with NAACP Spokane, Muslims for Community Action and Support (MCAS), and the Hispanic Business/Professional Association (HBPA), founded the Spokane Coalition of Color (SCOC) in 2017. The coalition holds candidate forums to ensure we are electing officials who are responsive to the needs of communities of color and who center equity.
Exemplifying their commitment to community health and wellness, APIC Spokane is in the process of conducting a community health assessment. This assessment will increase awareness of the strengths and resiliency of the diverse Asian and Asian American populations in the Greater Spokane Region and examine the biggest barriers to living to their full potential. Learn more
In 2023, they also hope to provide new opportunities to connect and access resources that will help improve the mental health and overall well-being of our local Asian/Asian American communities through Peer Listening/Group Support, College Connect, and much more! If you want to learn more, email [email protected]
In addition to the crucial work they do for Asians and Asian Americans in our community, APIC Spokane has been an avid supporter of many PJALS initiatives like our BOLD program and our action conferences. We have the honor and privilege of working with them one on one as well as in collective spaces like Greater Spokane Progress, Greater Spokane Action, and the Workgroup for the new Spokane Office of Civil Rights, Equity and Inclusion (OCREI). They consistently use their platform to amplify the voices of Asians and Asian Americans in Spokane, of our organization, and of many other organizations in the community that are all engaged in the fight for justice and peace. We are so grateful for their compassionate leadership, collaboration, and action planning!
Learn more about their work at their website or follow them on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also make a donation to support their work.
We also encourage you to follow APIC Spokane for all of their Asian and Asian American Heritage Month activities.
