On September 7th, 2023, Executive Director Shobhana Verma was invited to a session by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) in collaboration with the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI) as…
WBEZ Article on “Is suburban Chicago taking away Devon Avenue’s ‘Little India’ title?”
On August 31st, 2023, Co-Founder and Board Chair Ann Kalayil was featured in an article regarding the evolution and growth of the South Asian community from Devon Avenue to greater suburban Illinois. The article discussed how “some long-time area advocates…
Illinois Non-Profit Security Grant Program (NSGP-IL) Virtual Town Hall
On August 31st, 2023, SAAPRI, State Senator Ram Villivalam, and representatives from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency taught how to access Funding for Enhanced Security Preparedness through the Illinois Non-Profit Security Grant Program (NSGP-IL) – This grant is for non-profits, religious organizations, and…
PAVE-IL State Legislature Asian American Caucus
On January 25th, 2023, the Pan-Asian Voter Empowerment (PAVE) Coalition (a coalition of 16 Asian American advocacy and direct service organizations in the Chicagoland area) met with the IL State Legislature’s nine-member Asian American Caucus. We have an exciting year…
LGC Class of 2022 Supper Club
On September 1st, 2022, the LGC Class of 2022 Supper Club met to discuss how to take action and tackle issues affecting Chicago’s Asian population, among the fastest-growing racial demographics in the country. The panel included Shobhana Verma, SAAPRI’s Executive…
2022 Citizenship & Immigration Expo
On July 20th, 2022, SAAPRI partnered with other Chicagoan organizations including the Pilsen Neighbors Community Council to host a citizenship and immigration expo. The event focused on bringing together diverse community organizations across Chicago to address and bring awareness about…
South Asian American Community Roundtable with Geri Aglipay
On April 19th, 2022, SAAPRI hosted a private invitation-only community roundtable event at SAAPRI Board Member Susan Patel’s venue, Urban Convene at 2711 West Peterson Avenue, on the north side of Chicago. The event aimed to celebrate the historic appointment…
Redistricting Press Conference in City Hall
On November 30th, 2021, members of multiple Asian American community organizations, including SAAPRI’s Executive Director Shobhana Verma, spoke during a redistricting press conference in Chicago City Hall, demanding that Chicago City Council members include an Asian American-majority ward in Greater…
2021 Citizenship & Immigration Expo
On July 30th and 31st, 2021, SAAPRI partnered with other Chicagoan organizations, including but not limited to the Latino Policy Forum, Pilsen Neighbors Community Council, Syrian Community Network, Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community-CBCAC, to host a two-day citizenship…
SAAPRI’s Executive Director Shobhana Verma discusses growth and problems of Chicago Asian population on WBEZ
On April 30th, 2021, SAAPRI’s Executive Director Shobhana Verma discussed the growth of the Asian population in the state as well as the many challenges facing the community. [I have witnessed] “a wide range of increasing needs and challenges facing…