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OPAWL has organized a strong and growing grassroots community with joy, healing, and connection, serving as one of the few spaces where progressive Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women and nonbinary people can feel seen and heard.
Our Programs
OPAWL celebrates AAPI artists and activists in Ohio and beyond. We support immigrant and refugee survivors of gender-based, race-based, and state-sponsored violence. We break bread and collaborate with other communities of color. We create intentional spaces for sharing our stories with each other, and with the world.
OPAWL has a variety of different programs for individuals seeking to build community and learn. There are several different ways you can get involved such as attending an event, checking out our QuaranZINE or Dear World podcast, sharing your story and ideas, joining a campaign, and more. Some of our events/activities are only for OPAWL members, but there are many opportunities where supporters and friends are welcome.
Featured Recurring Programs
#IWillEatWithYou
The #IWillEatWithYou campaign launched in April 2020 to encourage community care while building solidarity with everyone impacted by the pandemic and COVID-related racism. Since many AAPIs and other people of color show our love through food, the need to avoid physical gatherings has been devastating for our families and communities. #IWillEatWithYou has since evolved into a series of online solidarity dinner discussions supporting local BIPOC-owned restaurants. Special thanks to Kathy Nguyen and Zoë Byron for their contributions to this campaign!
Feminist Grounding
An OPAWL Community Healing Practice. Through simple practices of presence, breathing, and group check-in, Feminist Grounding gathers OPAWL members each month to discuss the parts of our lives that are in most need of visibility. Thank you to Lisa Factora-Borchers, Kelly Hill, and the other facilitators who are co-creating this restorative practice where our members are seen and held with care.
Writer’s Circle
The Writer’s Circle brings together OPAWL members and other women and nonbinary people of color to build community, develop artistry, and write together in a safe, intimate setting. Thank you to Fariha Tayyab for envisioning and facilitating these intimate creative sessions.
QuaranZINE: Pandemic Stories
QuaranZINE: Pandemic Stories is OPAWL’s first zine released in January 2021, featuring visual, auditory, and written art from over 40 women and non-binary/trans creatives of color in Ohio and beyond. Zines are independently published booklets, often used as creative instruments of protest and change in social movements. This digital zine explores themes of pandemic, mass protests for justice, and community building / advocacy in the year 2020.
Interested in becoming a member?
OPAWL seeks to connect and mobilize AAPI women and nonbinary people across Ohio to join and lead social movements that impact their own lives and the lives of all Ohioans. OPAWL also creates spaces for community members to come together to support each other and talk about politics, society, arts, and everything in between.
You can become a member if:
- you identify as AAPI (Asian, Asian American, or Pacific Islander)
- you identify as a woman or nonbinary person
- you commit to our mission and values; to learn more about our mission, theory of change and values, please visit our About page
- you’ve joined an event, followed or supported our work, or helped with an OPAWL initiative
For more information or any questions, please contact us.