Let Joy Rise Fundraiser
What is the “Let Joy Rise” fundraiser?
This is a joining-of-coasts collaboration between myself and Jessica Chiang (www.fangrlpress.com), a multi-disciplinary artist and art curator based in Ventura, California. The fundraiser will start on April 4th and end on April 18th.
Why are we doing this fundraiser?
Since 2020, the AAPI community has been facing increasing discrimination, hate crimes, and violent attacks. The Center of the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University released findings that hate crimes against Asian Americans spiked 149% between 2019 and 2020, although hate crimes overall declined. Stop AAPI Hate has cataloged almost 3,800 hateful incidents during 2020. Most of those targeted women. Most recently, 6 Asian-American women were killed in a mass shooting in Georgia. And just this past Monday, a 65-year-old Asian woman was attacked in Midtown Manhattan while the bystanders closed the building doors on her.
Our elders are being attacked and murdered. Our communities are threatened. And we’re doing our part in supporting the important works of NAPAWF*NYC and APIENC. AAPI communities are often looked at as the “model minority.” Docile. Quiet. But that myth stops now with us taking action and speaking
What does this illustration mean?
The illustration depicts a night scene illuminated by the floating lanterns and millions of flickers from a goldfish as it bursts glowingly into the darkness. A young girl is saddled on the fish’s back with her grandma holding on tightly while a family excitedly watches from below.
This illustration represents our AAPI communities breaking the proverbial fishbowl that are stereotypes and preconceived monolithic notions. As anti-AAPI hatred spreads its darkness, we band together. We protect our elders. We uplift ourselves. We break our silence. We push back. Because we simply want to let our joy rise over hate.
How much does this cost?
Our suggested donation is $30.00 for a 12” x 15” color print, produced by a POC-owned print shop in Oxnard, CA. We understand that this past year has been difficult for many, so all forms of generosity are appreciated. 100% of our proceeds will be donated to NAPAWF*NYC and APIENC.
If you would like to help us with this effort, please fill out this form.
About the organizations:
National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum - New York City (NAPAWF*NYC) Being one of the 14 NAPAWF chapters across the country, NAPAWF*NYC builds power with members to advance social justice and human rights for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women and non-binary and intersex people living in New York.
API Equality - Northern California (APIENC) Formed in 2004, APIENC's mission is to amplify the voices of LGBTQ+ queer Asians and Pacific Islanders and increase their visibility. They inspire & train leaders, establish intergenerational connections, document and disseminate our histories. They envision a world where lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer Asians, and Pacific Islanders can be present and affirmed in their families and communities as their full authentic selves.
F.A.Q:
Q: Do we ship internationally?
A: Unfortunately No. Not at this time.
Q: Interested in helping the fundraiser, who should I contact?
A: Email Duy at duynguyenbaovo@gmail.com.
Q: Interested in matching our donation amount, who should I contact?
A: Email Duy at duynguyenbaovo@gmail.com.
Q: When will you ship the print?
A: We will begin shipping the prints to you once the fundraiser concludes on the 18th. Thank you in advance for your patience.
We appreciate you.
Duy (& Thao) and Jessica
UPDATES:
The fundraiser concluded on April 18th. Thanks to your collective generosity, we exceeded our goal in proceeds and were able to donate $1,500 each to APIENC and NAPAWF*NYC.
