On September 24th, 2024, Executive Director Shobhana Verma met alongside policy experts and community leaders from across the country at the WHIAANHPI’s 2024 Policy Summit. She was able to hear from organizations such as Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC, National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF), National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), representatives from the University of Michigan, and many others about their efforts to address hate crimes to foster safer and more inclusive communities while sharing about SAAPRI’s “Countering Prejudice: Hate Crimes & Discrimination Against South Asians” report. She was able to share our recommendations to prevent and address violence against South Asian American communities with senior White House and federal agency officials.
It is critical to create connections between policymakers and marginalized communities by elevating the voices of the grassroots, to ensure policies align with community needs and lived experiences of those communities.