This piece, written by EPIP Bay Area Steering Committee Member Daniel Lau, was originally published on NCG's blog. We felt it would resonate strongly with EPIP members and share an excerpt here. 

Everyone Counts, No Exceptions: What Does Japanese American Internment Have to Do With the Census?

The announcement came as we were pulling into our halfway point: “We’ll be stopping for about 15 minutes. We’ll also be distributing t-shirts, feel free to use this time to change.” Yes, I thought! I had been eyeing the black t-shirts with ‘Solidarity By Any Means Necessary’ in big block letters since we had gathered in Little Tokyo in Los Angeles and gotten on the bus in the wee hours of the morning.

My friend Christine and I were on our way to Manzanar, one of the ten American concentration camps where more than 110,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated between 1942-1945. An annual Manzanar Pilgrimage is held on the last Saturday of April to commemorate the experience of Japanese Americans, reflect and heal from the legacy of racial persecution, and draw parallels to current-day racism and xenophobia. April 27, 2019 marked the 50th anniversary of the Manzanar Pilgrimage, and through the organizing efforts of our regional PSO (Philanthropy-Serving Organization) counterpart Southern California Grantmakers; Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation - Los Angeles; and Vigilant Love, I was able to join along. Through the experience, I was not only able to deepen my personal practice of equity and social justice, but also connect it to NCG’s Public Policy efforts and one of the most important democratic activities of our country - the decennial census.   

In education philanthropy, we share a collective sense of urgency to find the appropriate solutions to mitigate the achievement gap. Yet, we each concentrate our time on pursuing distinct but complementary missions. How many of us find ourselves wishing we could team up with other organizations to share collective learning and coordinate our efforts?

Rachel Ogorek is the Program Manager at NCFP. She is a proud alum of The Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, The School of Public and Enviornmental Affairs, and AmeriCorps. She loves travelling, a good cup of tea, and her dog Charles Magnus.She is also a DC Chapter Leader.

EPIP LA is thrilled to announce that it is accepting applications for its fifth year of the Mentorship Program. Through its Mentorship Program, EPIP LA aims to provide participants with the tools needed to develop and maintain meaningful connections with experienced leaders and their peers.

Civic Engagement is a House—and there’s room for you even if you come through the window

Adiel is Communications & Marketing Director of PACE and leads the organization’s internal and external communication efforts to further the critical dialogue moving our field forward. 

This post was published on PACE's Medium publication, Civic Engagement & Democracy: https://medium.com/civic-engagement-and-democracy

 Hayden Couvillion, EPIP Boston Steering Committee member and Analyst at CEP

Chao Yang is a first generation Hmong women leader with intense focus on impact.  She is driven by a desire to empower people to realize their greatest potential by building connection, collaboration, and ownership between groups that lead to societal progress. 

She is currently a Ron McKinley Fellow at Medtronic Foundation, where she oversees a diverse local and global grant portfolio.  Chao is prolific reader, writer and nature enthusiast.  Her community involvement, leadership and activism has brought about tangible and lasting impact that helps others capitalize on opportunities and succeed.  She is currently the Chair of the Minnesota EPIP Chapter and welcomes new ways in which she can contribute to empowering underserved communities.

Eliza is a member of EPIP San Diego works for the International Community Foundation (ICF) as their Marketing & Development Manager. "Perspectives on San Diego Grantmakers Taking a Stand Conference (March 2017)." Eliza  manages all activities related to donor relations and outreach, fundraising campaigns, and communications, working with the staff, Board, grantees, donors and the media to promote and expand ICF’s impact on the communities we serve. Eliza brings an intimate knowledge and passion for the Latin American region, where she has lived for over 20 years and continues to visit frequently.

Caroline is a member of our San Diego Steering Committee and is a program assistant at the Gary & Mary West Foundation (as well as working for their dental center). In her role as program assistant of the Gary and Mary West Foundation, Caroline Berger supports the Foundation’s grant activities in a variety of ways including research, grant writing, cultivating grantee and donor relationships. Berger supports the Foundation’s president and program officer assisting with projects and initiatives as needed. In addition to her work with the Foundation, Berger supports the Gary and Mary West Senior Dental Center in its efforts to provide patient-centered, integrated care and related clinical research.

Hazel Garcia reached out to offer her research from InvestmentZen. Her work further highlights the challenges facing those currently experiencing poverty that include and go above and beyond those reference on the EPIP blog in 2016. Childcare expenses are not the only heavy burden; there are systemic difficulties that low income families face on a daily basis which continues the cycle, as illustrated in the powerful infographic in this blog post.