Who We Are
We are a volunteer-led and guided organization, founded in 2021.
Our archive is housed within the Ethnic Studies Library at the University of California, Berkeley, in partnership with the Asian American Research Center.
Our Mission
To archive and preserve the voices and stories of the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities during the COVID-19 pandemic for future generations.
Our vision: Giving our Voice to the Future
By building a platform that will give us a voice to speak for ourselves, the collective experiences we’ve cherished and endured during this pandemic will be valuable lessons for future generations. Our stories will also help to fill the void left by the failure of institutions to include meaningful reflections about AAPI individuals during this pandemic. The archive strives to collect different forms of media such as podcasts, articles, poems, and more in order to tell the many perspectives of the AAPI community during the pandemic.
Our Collaborators
UC Berkeley Ethnic Studies Library - The library was established in 1997 by merging the Asian American Studies Library, the Chicano Studies Library and the Native American Studies Library. In the late 1960s, the collections of these founding libraries grew from student interest in collecting and preserving a perspective that was lacking in other campus libraries. The specialized ethnic studies books and serials, archival collections, posters, and audio collections from those three libraries live on in a centralized space on the ground floor of Stephens Hall. The library consists of these four collections: Asian American Studies Collection; Chicano Studies Collection; Native American Studies Collection; Comparative Ethnic Studies Collection.
Sine Hwang Jensen (they / them), UC Berkeley Ethnic Studies Librarian
About the Team
This team is composed of undergraduate and graduate students, medical professionals and library science professionals. All have done advocacy work with AAPI individuals, communities, and organizations.
Caven C.Y. Chow (he / him) is a Medical Student at CalMed. Prince of MY Coffee Roastery at Berkeley. From Hong Kong-China and web manager of his parent’s coffee shop website. Services globally, he volunteered with South Asian immigrants in Hong Kong and helped free clinics in Tijuana Mexico. Co-founder and President of his school’s APAMSA chapter and currently leading a team of students interviewing health advocates from the Inland Empire to promote rural healthcare.
Elaine Cheung (she / her) is a Medical Student at California Northstate University. Daughter of immigrants from Hong Kong. Elaine is a first-generation medical student and grew up in the Los Angeles area, serving community members in Chinatown and the San Gabriel Valley. She is an APIA Scholar and Chinese American Citizens Alliance Foundation Scholar. Elaine is passionate about tobacco control and community wellness advocacy.
Jay Mantuhac (he / him) is a second-year Masters in Public Health student (with an emphasis in Biostatistics) at UC Irvine interested in the intersection of public health and data science. He was previously involved with the AAPI Health Research Group at UC Berkeley during his undergraduate career, where he facilitated various service projects and student-led classes that engaged with Asian American community health. Before COVID-19, Jay spent his time engaging in collegiate dance on campus (although he still spontaneously dances by himself when he thinks nobody is looking). Nowadays, you’ll find him at home cooking, watching youtube videos, and playing video games.
Marilyn P. Wong, MD, MPH (she / her) is retired from clinical practice as a physician. She now centers her volunteer work on (1) the promotion of community health careers to undergraduates who are from AAPI immigrant and refugee families and (2) the building of a movement to define and promote Postpartum Justice in the United States. Her projects include AAPI Health Research Group (UC Berkeley), AAPI Community Health Leadership Initiative (UC Berkeley), Mothers-for-mothers Postpartum Justice (MPJ), and NOURISH!. She served on the Community Health Commission in the City of Berkeley and is currently serving as the Vice President of the UCSF Medical Alumni Association.
William Z.D. Zeng (he / him) is a Medical student at UCSF, immigrant from Toishan-China, and a lover of Chinese history. He previously worked in stakeholder engagement to help develop the Primary Care Access Program in Santa Clara county, and is currently doing research in telehealth with a focus on engaging underserved immigrant populations. In his spare time, he watches too much Anime, muses about Chinese philosophy as applied to medical ethics, and plays Beyond songs on the guitar.
Yi-Shen Loo (she / her) is an alumni of UC Berkeley possessing Bachelor degrees in Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies (AAADS) and Ethnic Studies. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Yi-Shen has interned for the National Japanese American Historical Society of San Francisco and LEAP (Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics) and is currently a fellow for the Asian American Journalists Association and co-chief editor of the Asian American Research Journal. In her free time, she loves to play the violin and bake.
Sou Saechao (he / him) is an alumni of UC Berkeley and received a Bachelor of Arts in Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies (AAADS). He is from Oakland, California and is a second-generation Mien-American. He was involved with engaging with Southeast Asian youths in exploring their cultural identity, history, as well as learning about higher education through SEAM (California) and SEAYLUR (Portland, OR). On his free time he watches streams on Twitch, plays his guitar, and plays video games.
Nola Vu (she / her) is a recent graduate of UC Berkeley who received a Bachelor of Arts in Molecular and Cell Biology and Public Health. She is a Bay Area native and an aspiring physician. At the moment, Nola is pursuing her lifelong goal of addressing health disparities in the AANHPI community through various research and community-focused endeavors. Her hobbies include swimming, golfing, and trying out new cooking/baking recipes.
Michelle Yiu (she / they) is a recent graduate of UC Berkeley who received a Bachelor of Arts in Public Health and Certificate in Asian American Community Health. Born in San Francisco, California, Michelle is a second-generation Chinese American who has been involved with the AAPI Health Research Group and MOVE: API Community Organizing Fellowship on campus. Passionate about health equity and the integration of social services and health care services, she hopes to work at the intersection of health policy and community health post-graduation. In her free time, she loves to dance and chill with friends.
Viangkaeo Lee (she / her) is a medical student at UCSF School of Medicine. A Hmong refugee from Thailand, Viangkaeo grew up in one of the largest Hmong communities in the United States, California’s Central Valley. Her dedication to addressing health and educational disparities within the Hmong community was a major factor in her decision to pursue medicine. During her free time, she enjoys hiking with her fiance and her dog and mentoring underrepresented minority premedical students.