BAAFN Overview since 2009

Read the letter below written by Chris Chanyasulkit, BAAFN Steering Committee member detailing the work that BAAFN has achieved since its inception in 2009.

Posted on the BAAFN list serv in March 2021.
Hi everyone,

I am encouraged to see so much interest, heart, and support in our AAPI community and this Brookline Asian American Family Network (BAAFN) list serv.  BAAFN began in 2009 as a group of volunteer residents and parents in response to the lack (that continues) of AAPI representation in our town administration, government, and school administration, despite the AAPI community being the largest community of color in town (at nearly 20%).  Additionally, we (the BAAFN Steering Committee) wanted to be sure to help address the needs of AAPI students and their families in the Public Schools of Brookline.  Since 2009, our Steering Committee meets monthly to help plan a number of events (please check out our website, which Steering Committee member, Linda Chinsen Louie, so awesomely maintains at https://baafn.weebly.com/ where you can see our events and programs from 2009 until now).   BAAFN has indeed been more than a list serv; at least it has for me, my family, and my fellow volunteers.  I'm sorry if some folks didn't realize the depth and breadth of what BAAFN tries to advocate for.  Some events/programs/work from our all volunteer BAAFN Steering Committee include the following:
  • Open Houses where families can meet with School Committee members
  • Annual May (for AAPI Heritage month) celebration (with noted keynote speakers) and an Essay Contest (current contest information here)
  • Regular meetings with the Brookline Public Schools' Superintendent (Lupini, Bott, Lummis, and Marini) to advocate for needs and concerns of AAPI students and families
  • Advocacy to continue the AAPI History course at the Brookline High School
  • BAAFN representation on Superintendent Searches and other community convenings when called upon
  • Supporting petition and efforts for teachers of color in Brookline
  • Annual Lunar New Year Celebrations (which have been free and open to the public).  The 2021 celebration was virtual and can be found here.  Previous celebrations were in person, free/open to the public, included performances, art & craft activities for the whole family, and food.  Feel free to see here (for the 2019 in-person event coverage).
  • Co-hosted a virtual town hall in April 2020 with Select Board members members, Raul Fernandez and Heather Hamilton, to show support for Brookline’s Asian Community at a time when anti-Asian rhetoric, hate crimes and racist acts were on the rise. This also included an insightful and powerful presentation by UMass Professor Andrew Leong, titled "Love, Death, and Hate in the Age of COVID-19."   You can view it again here.
  • With the Brookline Community Foundation's support, Brookline Commission on Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Relations, Brookline Interactive Group, our Steering Committee Member (Alicia Hsu), and recent BHS graduates Emre Mufte, Kyle Makalusky helped to write, and Miles Leong and Max Murphy co-produced and created, a comprehensive video curriculum specifically designed for Brookline High School students.  What started out as an outline for a couple of workshops is now an impressive, rigorous and engaging 9 week curriculum by students for students and their teachers.   With continued support of BAAFN Steering Committee members and Ashley Eng, BAAFN continues to work closely with our schools to share this curriculum with our high school students.  You can hear more about this program (done well over 9 months of work by many volunteers) here.   
  • Supported advocacy efforts of Ashley Eng, amazing BHS alums, and supporters over many years to have the Lunar New Year recognized as a Category One holiday.  Please also see here for Ashley Eng's video on how this recognition came to be.  Also, the TAB covered it here and the Sagamore here.
The above is but a few of the programs and initiatives that this (about 7 now) volunteer Steering Committee has undertaken since 2009.  We are thankful for the support of the staff of the Brookline Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Relations, our School Committee Liaison (Jennifer Monopoli), support from the Brookline Community Foundation, and many others who have joined us in each of these endeavors (for example, the Brookline High School APAC Club, Lihua Shorter & Fu-Tseng Cheng (BHS Chinese language teachers), the Brookline TAB in highlighting our efforts, BIG (in televising our programming), and so many more (like the current and past sponsors of our Essay Contest test).  We are all volunteers and apply for grants and/or funding from outside sources (in addition to our own personal contributions).  

So, in addition to the list serv, there are many places and spaces for folks to volunteer with us (BAAFN Steering Committee) such as the events and initiatives above.  If you're able to contribute also of your time, we would welcome you to our monthly 2+ hour planning meetings).  We also accept monetary contributions to help us defray our costs.  

Again, I'm thankful for the interest and appreciate Carolina's leadership on an AAPI event as well!  I look forward to working together to continue the work to advocate for our AAPI community.

Thanks,
Chris

Love,
Chris
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Chris Chanyasulkit, PhD, MPH
2022-2023 President
American Public Health Association
www.apha.org