The Yappie

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The Yappie

The Yappie (theyappie.com) is the only publication dedicated to tracking the rise of Asian American + Pacific Islander political power. We provide a digestible summary of the policy news and activism affecting AAPIs and explore how our communities are shaping politics like never before. Our award-winning journalism is read in

The Yappie

In 2016, eight Cambodian Americans from Minnesota—collectively known as the MN8—were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) without warning or chance to say goodbye to their families. They were going to be deported to Cambodia, a country where their families fled from genocide and war. Their families—primarily women, elders, & children—rallied around them and fought back. They mobilized community members and advocated to attorneys and Congress-members. At these rallies were babies, Khmer elders who have since passed away, community advocates, and more. The enormous efforts of the MN8, their loved ones, and community supporters sparked national attention and led to the eventual release of 3 of the 8 men. This started the #ReleaseMN8 grassroots campaign, a uniquely intergenerational movement led by family members who had never organized before. Our story begins with these eight remarkable individuals, their families, and the deep love that carried them through. However, we knew our fight was far from over. We vowed to never let another family be separated again and that we must reunite families. Since then, our campaign has bloomed into an abolitionist nonprofit organization that fights for the liberation of Southeast Asian communities. From the beginning, MN8’s origin was a love story about communities protecting their loved ones and fighting for freedom. MN8’s roots have always been grounded in community care, people power, and shared liberation. Since 2016, we have continued to dream of and build a world where our communities can live without fear and thrive for generations to come.

GFC 2022

About the Organization:

In 2016, eight Cambodian Americans from Minnesota—collectively known as the MN8—were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) without warning or chance to say goodbye to their families. They were going to be deported to Cambodia, a country where their families fled from genocide and war. Their families—primarily women, elders, & children—rallied around them and fought back. They mobilized community members and advocated to attorneys and Congress-members. At these rallies were babies, Khmer elders who have since passed away, community advocates, and more. The enormous efforts of the MN8, their loved ones, and community supporters sparked national attention and led to the eventual release of 3 of the 8 men. This started the #ReleaseMN8 grassroots campaign, a uniquely intergenerational movement led by family members who had never organized before. Our story begins with these eight remarkable individuals, their families, and the deep love that carried them through. However, we knew our fight was far from over. We vowed to never let another family be separated again and that we must reunite families. Since then, our campaign has bloomed into an abolitionist nonprofit organization that fights for the liberation of Southeast Asian communities. From the beginning, MN8’s origin was a love story about communities protecting their loved ones and fighting for freedom. MN8’s roots have always been grounded in community care, people power, and shared liberation. Since 2016, we have continued to dream of and build a world where our communities can live without fear and thrive for generations to come.

organizational budget

$0 - $50,000

existence for

0-5 Years

Organization benefits AAPIs residing in the following state(s):

Florida • Illinois • Indiana • Kentucky • Minnesota • Missouri • North Carolina • Ohio • Tennessee

organizational budget

$0 - $50,000

existence for

0-5 Years

Organization benefits AAPIs residing in the following state(s):

Florida • Illinois • Indiana • Kentucky • Minnesota • Missouri • North Carolina • Ohio • Tennessee

The Issue:

If you’re an AAPI and you want to find policy news about your community, where do you turn?
Right now, news resources covering AAPI politics and advocacy are hard to find, fragmented across digital platforms, and unreliable. Many traditional newsrooms are ill-equipped and lack the experience or bandwidth needed to track key AAPI political developments. Moreover, the issues that AAPIs—and especially Pacific Islanders—care about are rarely covered, while sensationalist and inaccurate content continues to flourish across social media.
Yet this comes at a time when AAPIs have emerged as a powerful voting bloc,
AAPI voter turnout and political engagement has surged more than any other racial group. AAPIs have emerged as a powerful voting bloc, but continue to be sidelined from important policy conversations and lack the information necessary to fully participate in our democracy. We at The Yappie believe the empowerment of our communities begins with access to information: high quality journalism and coverage for AAPIs, by AAPIs.

The Solution:

The Yappie (theyappie.com) is a first-of-its-kind newsroom dedicated to covering AAPI power, politics, and influence in the U.S. Through in-depth newsletters, alerts, and nonpartisan analysis, our team works to inform the public about relevant policy and political developments affecting AAPI communities; deliver intelligence to AAPI voters; promote original writing from AAPI journalists; and highlight the voices of AAPI activists across the country.
In the long-term, we hope The Yappie will serve as a critical information center that connects and educates AAPIs from all backgrounds. Given the unprecedented visibility of our communities today, the need for such a publication is greater than it has ever been before.
Among other things, the Gold Futures Challenge grant will allow us to:
  • Expand our tracking of AAPI advocacy groups in order to make their work more accessible to the public, including during the upcoming midterm elections and transition period;
  • Monitor notable activity from AAPI elected officials, campaigns, and efforts to engage with AAPI communities politically;
  • Fairly compensate journalists for their work;
  • Invest significant resources into investigative projects and deep dives on issues including mental health, immigration, and Pacific Islander activism; and
Build The Yappie into a training ground for the next generation of AAPI leaders, including AAPI student journalists and interns pursuing careers in politics/policy, government, and communications.

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