How we started
A founding story about how API Giving Project started
I got the idea to recruit a diverse group of friends to start API Giving Project because I saw that people, like myself, want to connect with others around celebrating our Asian and Pacific Islander cultural heritage and serving our community. The goal is to honor our collective history, support current needs, and work towards a collective vision of strong Asian and Pacific Islander communities empowered to take on challenges locally and beyond.
Four years ago, I never imagined that I would be where I am today. I moved across the country to Oakland from New York City to start a new job; I had never visited California, let alone Oakland, before and had no community or network in place before I moved out here. Like other transplants, I was hoping to make connections with people who held similar values as me. This meant finding people who value relationships with people who are authentic, have a strong desire to serve their community, and work with humor and joy.
Four years ago, I never imagined that I would be where I am today. I moved across the country to Oakland from New York City to start a new job; I had never visited California, let alone Oakland, before and had no community or network in place before I moved out here. Like other transplants, I was hoping to make connections with people who held similar values as me. This meant finding people who value relationships with people who are authentic, have a strong desire to serve their community, and work with humor and joy.
On top of seeking personal connections, my move to Oakland coincided with another personal journey — to learn about my Chinese-American heritage, and get closer to the stories and experiences of my parents and their ancestors. Whether it came from the desire to feel connected with my family or a longing to understand my roots, or both, I’m glad that I embarked on this journey to recover a part of my identity that I lost in pursuit of the American dream.
This is a journey many immigrants go through —- the separation from one’s cultural history to assimilate to American society and shed the markings of a foreigner.
This is a journey many immigrants go through —- the separation from one’s cultural history to assimilate to American society and shed the markings of a foreigner.
“API Giving Project is a place for people to learn from each other, from the wide breadth of knowledge and experiences we all bring to the table.”
Community is hard to define, but is invaluable and near unbreakable once formed. People yearn for a place to belong, to connect with each other, to understand each other’s stories and experiences, and to do good in the world. After several years, I was able to find my community, my network of friends and peers whom I could rely on and grow with. It was through this group of like-minded API (Asian & Pacific Islander) folks that I was able to rediscover my roots and open myself up to new people, new experiences, and new stories, and eventually share a little bit of myself with you here today.
API Giving Project is a place for people to learn from each other, from the wide breadth of knowledge and experiences we all bring to the table. Working together, we can learn about and support the grassroot organizations working tirelessly in our communities and help tackle the challenges they struggle with on a day-to-day basis. Through collective action, we can move the needle to address the inequities in our communities, such as addressing anti-Asian violence, increasing access to mental health treatment, preventing sexual violence and exploitation, promoting API arts and culture, protecting workers’ rights, humanizing the immigration process, and much more.
Donating money can be an isolating event, a singular transaction that doesn’t lead to any opportunities to explore or examine the issues and strengths of our communities. In addition, nonprofits focused on API issues often struggle to educate donors because they are hyper-focused on addressing the systemic issues that affect our individual and collective Asian and Pacific Islander communities. Coming together, we can work to support our collective learning and support grassroots API organizations in the Bay Area.
API Giving Project is a place for people to learn from each other, from the wide breadth of knowledge and experiences we all bring to the table. Working together, we can learn about and support the grassroot organizations working tirelessly in our communities and help tackle the challenges they struggle with on a day-to-day basis. Through collective action, we can move the needle to address the inequities in our communities, such as addressing anti-Asian violence, increasing access to mental health treatment, preventing sexual violence and exploitation, promoting API arts and culture, protecting workers’ rights, humanizing the immigration process, and much more.
Donating money can be an isolating event, a singular transaction that doesn’t lead to any opportunities to explore or examine the issues and strengths of our communities. In addition, nonprofits focused on API issues often struggle to educate donors because they are hyper-focused on addressing the systemic issues that affect our individual and collective Asian and Pacific Islander communities. Coming together, we can work to support our collective learning and support grassroots API organizations in the Bay Area.
"Donating money can be an isolating event, a singular transaction that doesn’t lead to any opportunities to explore or examine the challenges our communities face."
I want to extend to you the same hand that I wish was extended to me when I moved to Oakland four years ago. We hope that you’ll join API Giving Project, you’ll always be welcomed. We are stronger as a community, one that celebrates the diversity of all the cultures and groups that fall under the API umbrella, and together we can drive change in our communities.
Luigi Fu
Co-Chair | API Giving Project
Luigi Fu
Co-Chair | API Giving Project
Luigi with his Grandpa