History
The catalyst for the NGEC grew from a publication of the Ford Foundation authored by Lora Jo Foo entitled, "Asian American Women: Issues, Concerns and Responsive Human and Civil Rights Advocacy" (2002).
An ensuing book tour captured the hopes and dreams of AAPI leaders to build community infrastructure and organizational capacity to address the issues facing AAPI women and their communities from across the country.This process of community engagement surfaced a range of policy issues that matter most to AAPI women and their communities, including:
- high rates of poverty;
- immigration reform;
- lack of access to health care;
- family violence;
- limits on reproductive freedom; and
- human trafficking.
It also revealed that AAPI communities across the country do not have the internal capacity or external support structures to adequately address these issues. As a result, Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy launched NGEC, in response to a call for action by and for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to strengthen their community’s social justice movement infrastructure necessary to achieve a more just and equitable society.