API Middle Tennessee

“COMMUNITY BUILDING In 2022, API Middle Tennessee hosted 17 online and in-person events. These events included our Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month celebrations, learning workshops, and informal networking events that engaged over 1,000 unique attendees. We also engaged our community by facilitating an online community group and curating a local, API-owned business directory with over 150 entries. LIFTING VOICES API Middle Tennessee engaged in some general advocacy work in 2022. We focused on increasing diversity in Tennessee classrooms, creating more opportunities for immigrant communities, and more pathways towards citizenship. We also began civic engagement work in 2022. We engaged over 700 voters through social media, a postcard campaign, and text messaging. We also participated in different community coalitions, including the Education Trust of Tennessee's Equity Alliance and the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition. We were also one of the lead organizations in the Our State, Our Languages Coalition that is advocating for more language access in the state. CELEBRATING IDENTITIES API Middle Tennessee is committed to celebrating our community's rich diversity. During Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we hosted four community events that featured local API artists, API-owned businesses, and cultural performances from the community. We also partnered with the Greater Nashville Chinese Association and the Nashville Chinese School to bring more API written and illustrated books to local school libraries. Collectively, we raised over $14,000 and collected over 150 books. In 2022, we also began a new food-focused campaign called More Than a Menu. The project seeks to make connections to the people, culture, and history behind the food we eat.”

“There were $6,078 in OTHER EXPENSES in 2022. This included $5,344 in food and materials related to community events and meetings, $537 in miscellaneous supplies, and $198 in software and administrative fees.”