ACRJ in the Press
KPFA 94.1 Pacifica Radio: Apex Express, 6/3/2010
"Three young Asian Pacific American, women, community organizers in the Bay Area—Angela Angel, Jidan Koon, and Amanda Wake [of ACRJ]—discuss their recent experience in Movement Generation's Permaculture for the People two-week training. We will discuss the popularizing concept of permaculture and urban gardening in the context of API cultures and how it has inspired them as activists fighting for economic and environmental justice in low-income communities in the Bay Area."
AlterNet: "Will Workers in the Gulf Be the Next Victims of Environmentally Induced Cancer?" 5/21/2010
Co-written by Eveline Shen begin_of_the_skype_highlighting end_of_the_skype_highlighting, ACRJ's Executive Director
"As we all watch the oil continue to gush into the Gulf of Mexico, many of us are also watching the stories of the workers unfold... The story of the workers on the oil rig illustrates the life and times of many workers in the US today. Told to buck up, take responsibility and to be happy for the jobs they have, workers are often lacking basic training and protections from the materials and in many cases, especially for low wage workers, they can be fired at any time. ..."
Women's eNews: "21 Leaders for the 21st Century: Seven Who Build Autonomy," 1/5/2010
"Climate change, toxic work environments and immigrant women workers are just some of the issues that Eveline Shen links to women's reproductive health. Going beyond the issues of access to appropriate health care or even nutrition, Shen's mission is to improve women's health — particularly those of color — by interjecting the concept of justice throughout her work. 'A person has reproductive justice when they can drink water and not be worried about reproductive health,' says Shen, the executive director of the Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice. ..."
Collective Voices: "A Toolkit to Transform API Communities," Fall 2009
Op-ed by Diana Ip, ACRJ's Communications and Development Director
"Polls show that Asian Pacific Island (API) parents in California, like other California parents regardless of religion, race, or education level, overwhelmingly support comprehensive sexuality education. However, little to no outreach is made to API parents and caregivers to activate their power. So earlier this year, along with support from the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, we at ACRJ created Transforming API Communities: Tools for Comprehensive Sexuality Education, a toolkit that assists organizers, service providers and other community groups in mobilizing API support for comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) in their local communities and schools. ..."
National Radio Project: "When Your Back's Against a Wall, You Gotta Dance: On the Frontlines of Reproductive Justice," 8/6/2008
"Women across the nation are struggling with access to quality comprehensive reproductive health services. The women hit hardest are the ones who can least afford it, particularly poor and homeless women, young women and women of color. But solutions are coming–as women's health issues continue to become more integrated into the overall social justice conversation. Eveline Shen from Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice speaks about the reproductive justice movement, and we'll hear about community-based work in San Francisco, Denver and New Orleans. ..."
Audrey Magazine: "Countdown to Health," December 2006 – January 2007
"Maria Nakae, alliance building coordinator for Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice, relays a story about a young woman who found out she was pregnant. She couldn't tell her parents and spoke little English, so she came to the organization seeking support. 'She had never even heard of Planned Parenthood,' Nakae says. 'And she didn't know options of confidential services existed.' Nakae says the incident illustrates the lack of reproductive health information available to immigrant women who don't speak English proficiently. ..."
Voices from the Frontlines Radio: "Eveline Shen: Propositions 85 and the Fate of Reproductive Rights," 9/25/2006
"Eveline Shen from Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice sheds light on Proposition 85, a 2006 California ballot initiative requiring parental notification for minors seeking to access abortion services. How does Proposition 85 fit into the broader attack on reproductive access and justice around the country by political conservatives? In conversation with Damon Azali and Lisa Adler."
AmericanProgress.org: "Reproductive Justice: Toward a Comprehensive Movement," 1/20/2006
Op-ed by Eveline Shen, ACRJ's Executive Director
"On the 33rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, reproductive rights activists, the media, and legislators are focusing on how the confirmation of Samuel Alito will impact the reproductive rights of women in the United States. Indeed, Alito's previous record raises serious concerns for those who support reproductive rights and civil rights. Historically and currently, many reproductive rights leaders and activists have viewed Roe v. Wade as being at the center of the fight for reproductive rights and abortion access. However, a constitutional right to abortion is not enough to protect the reproductive health of women, nor even abortion access for all women. ..."
National Radio Project: "Enduring Choice," 8/17/2005
"A growing number of women are seeing the link between their reproductive health, their civil liberties, the environment and economics. On this edition, we hear about the common thread that connects women from all walks of life. From prison cells, to the barrios in Fresno, California, women of color are organizing around the broad theme of reproductive justice. Featuring: ... Judy Lee and Dana Ginn Paredes, organizers, Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice."
Oakland Tribune: "Teenagers Learn of a Dangerous Beauty," 8/7/2005
"The cosmetic products they are examining are in a gray area — not food we eat nor the air we breathe. They are products most people use every day, but the FDA does not have authority to regulate cosmetic products. ACRJ's toxins and cosmetics project fits in with a larger effort in the Bay Area and across the country attempting to address such regulation. ..."
When We Were APIRH:
San Francisco Bay Guardian: "The New Choice," 11/5/2003
"Eveline Shen runs Asians and Pacific Islanders for Reproductive Health, an Oakland-based organization. ... APIRH is dedicated to a 'much more holistic and comprehensive,' grassroots approach, according to Shen, than the mainstream abortion rights groups. ... 'We want to get mainstream reproductive rights groups to think about race and class, but we also want social justice groups to think about gender,' she told me. She also emphasized that this is a good way to diversify the movement. ... If the movement stretched beyond abortion, you'd be less likely to get the response that it's just 'a white woman's issue,' she said. ..."
ColorLines: "Unsettled Refugees," Fall 2001
"Cambodian girls in the HOPE for Girls project of Asians and Pacific Islanders for Reproductive Health (APIRH) held several community readings of their poetry and stories, which were published in a 1999 chapbook called The Way In. The girls at APIRH's Oakland headquarters are working on a collection of writings about the impact of issues such as education, environmental racism, and welfare on their lives. The writing project is called Bloodlines. The question they started out with: why are our families poor? ..."
AsianWeek: "Some Groups See Rise in Teen Pregnancy," 6/8/2000
"'There is a [correlation] between rates of pregnancy and Southeast Asian teens,' said Ann Cheatham, research coordinator for Asians and Pacific Islanders for Reproductive Health. 'Their poverty rates are much higher, they don't have access to health care services, and there's a lack of access to education.' ..."
AsianWeek: "To Speak for Ourselves," 9/3/1998
"Asian American women have long been part of the abortion debate. In 1989, a group concerned that their voices were absent from the larger debate formed Asians and Pacific Islanders for Choice (APIC), a volunteer-run, pro-choice organization addressing reproductive health issues for Asian American women. The group, since renamed Asian Pacific Islanders for Reproductive Health (APIRH), was the first such organization to address Asian American women's reproductive health concerns, according to Peggy Saika, an early member."
