SOAR with us | January 2023 Recap
January was a time of both reflection and renewal at SOAR. In this work, we find ourselves ebbing amongst waves of grieving, processing, resting, and responding.
As we learned of the shootings in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay, we reflected on the intersection we know too well—that of gender-based violence and gun violence. We listened to AAPI leaders and partners in the space and strengthened our commitment to addressing the root causes of all forms of violence. Toward naming and amplifying this analysis, we published a new resource with statistics, analysis, and resources on this distressing intersection—read more below.
On what would have been the 50th anniversary of Roe, we reaffirmed our commitment to advancing the reproductive health and justice of South Asians across the US, particularly those who experience reproductive injustice as intimate partner violence. Now, we’re gearing up to publish the first Guide to Abortion Care translated into 20 South Asian languages, coming this April.
As we settled into the new year, we reflected on the process and impact of our remembrance series—Their Light Remains. We asked ourselves what it means for their light to remain, and we found the answer in the insights shared by our members: we need a long-term commitment to ending violence at all levels—interpersonal, cultural, and systemic.
In response to this call, we will be convening our 32 members for our first ever National Summit: Together We Rise. This summit picks up where we left off as a movement 10 years ago, with the last national conference, Aarohan, taking place in 2013. Bringing everything full circle, we learned that Aarohan means rising up, and so our summit title: Together We Rise feels all the more fitting. Our summit will be a meeting of minds to articulate the state of gender-based violence across South Asian communities and to strategize towards a collective agenda for change.
Soon, we’ll be releasing our 2023 vision, and I’m excited to share it with all of you—our closest supporters and champions. As always, we’d love to connect with you if you want to learn more about SOAR’s work or the movement to end gender-based violence. Find a time for us to meet here!
Thank you for your unwavering support for survivors, our work, and this movement.
With gratitude,
Amrita
Understanding the Intersection: Gun Violence, Gender-Based Violence, & Mass Shootings
Following the Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay shootings, we are, once again, left reeling from confusion about how and why such violence continues to occur. In response, leading AAPI groups such as AAPI Women Lead, the Asian American Feminist Collective, 18 Million Rising, and Stop AAPI Hate, and many others have called for a deepened understanding of the intersections of all forms of violence—gun violence, racial violence, gender violence, state violence, and patriarchal violence.
We created a resource for our members and all of you to learn more about this intersection, with the hopes of educating and mobilizing ourselves and all of you to drive the community conversations and systemic change.
Podcast Episode on Their Light Remains with Nashi & Amrita
Catch the SOAR team on Between Friends, a podcast by one of our own member organizations, Maitri. In this podcast, we reflect on our process and intentions for Their Light Remains, and our vision for collective change. Listen to the episode here!
Workshop at University of Michigan’s South Asian Awareness Network Conference
On February 10th, the SOAR team will be presenting an interactive, in-person workshop on GBV and what students can do to be change-makers. If you are in Michigan, please join us and register here.
Amrita Doshi, SOAR’s ED named a Power Player Rising
Our Executive Director, Amrita Doshi, was named to Politics NY’s 2022 list of Power Players rising, featured among several other emerging leaders across New York.