Kabzuag Vaj
Template:TOCnestleft Kabzuag Vaj was born in Laos and came to this country as a refugee child with her mother and siblings. She is co-founder and co-executive director of Freedom Inc. She has been working to end violence against women and girls since she was 16 years old. Freedom Inc. engages low- to no-income communities of color in Dane County, WI, to end violence against women and youth and to promote healthier living. They organize around the root causes of violence, creating new definitions and solutions, and empowering all community members as agents of change. Their vision for ending violence is to inspire and empower women and youths through leadership development and community organizing in ways that are language-gender and culture-specific to women and youth, in predominantly Hmong, Cambodian, Black and queer families and that bring about deep social, political, cultural, and economic change.
In the past 4 years, Kabzuag has been part of a Statewide Hmong women's movement (Wisconsin Hmong Women's Collective), a collective which consist of Hmong women leaders throughout Wisconsin, all working to address both interpersonal violence and system violence. She is a strong advocate for victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault but most importantly a champion at holding her community as well as mainstream communities accountable for creating social change and system change that directly addresses root causes of violence. Kabzuag is also a consultant with the Wisconsin State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (WCADV), where she works with other Hmong advocates to coordinate State wide shared analysis, strategies, solutions and community accountability. She is a strong believer that those who are most deeply impacted must be at the forefront of the movement.[1]
Freedom, Inc comrades
Kabzuag Vaj August 5, 2019 ·
Freedom Inc moved.
Shyra Adams, Nyiaj Muas, Hope Son, Bianca Gomez, Sheesenphooyw Moua, Mahnker Dahnweih, Ntxhais Chai Moua, Tais Zon, Houa Yang, Jessica Williams, Nancy Vue, Morathi Adams.
Can’t believe it. In 1999 I was alone in a 10 x 10 office and now in 6,000 sq ft office with a damn kick ass team. Never thought by creating a world I wanted to live in others would also want the same.
Madison comrades
Kabzuag Vaj June 12 ·
— with Mimee Xiong, Pangiee Yang, Abmos Zong Yang.
A Townhall On Anti-Asian Racism
AAPIs for Civic Empowerment Education Fund March 25 at 9:13 AM ·
Tune into this webinar on Anti-Asian Racism, featuring AAPI FORCE-EF executive director Timmy Lu, along with other organizers and scholars!
Peoples Collective for Justice & Liberation Presents
A Townhall On Anti-Asian Racism: Race, Struggle & Solidarity in The Time of A Global Pandemic
DATE: Saturday, March 28, 2020 TIME: 3:00-5PM PST / 6:00-8PM EST
We are living in unprecedented times with COVID--19 or the Coronavirus. There has been a rise in anti-Chinese and anti-Asian discrimination and many efforts to combat it during this public health crisis.
Asian American organizers, and other people of color we are in community with, will facilitate a conversation on race, struggle and solidarity in the time of a global pandemic.
Featured Speakers:
- Jason Oliver Chang, University of Connecticut Asian and Asian American Studies Institute
- Jennifer K. Falcon, Indigenous Environmental Network
- Timmy Lu, AAPIs for Civic Empowerment Education Fund
- Scot Nakagawa, ChangeLab
- Angela Peoples, Black Womxn For
- Carmen Perez-Jordan, The Gathering for Justice
- Lakshmi Sridaran, South Asian Americans Leading Together
- Kabzuag Vaj, Freedom, Inc.
- Helena Wong, Seeding Change
Co-Hosted by:
Gregory Cendana, Can’t Stop! Won’t Stop! Consulting and DJ Kuttin Kandi, Asian Solidarity Collective.
Cosponsored by Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop; Asian Solidarity Collective, University of Connecticut Asian And Asian American Studies Institute, 18 Million Rising, and Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), AFL-CIO
Asian American Racial Justice Toolkit
This toolkit is a project of love from the grassroots, from and by Asian American communities.
As Asian Americans, we believe that our liberation is tied to Black liberation and we continue to dream about a world where all of our people will be free. The toolkit would not have been possible without the following organizations and individuals:
Project Coordinators
Writing Consultants
We thank Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, Rosenberg Foundation, Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation, The California Endowment, The California Wellness Foundation, Unbound Philanthropy for their generous support of this project.
Special thanks to the Friends Doing Good giving circle, National CAPACD and Cathy Cha.
Thank you to the following racial justice organizers and fighters at the grassroots who have made this toolkit possible:
Alex T. Tom, Aiden Pham, Alvina Wong, Ashley Uyeda, Cathy Dang, Chhaya Chhoum, Christopher Cara, Dae Joong Yoon, Fahd Ahmed, InHe Choi, Joshua Fisher Lee, Kabzuag Vaj, Khamarin Nhann, Lai Wa Wu, Lillian Galedo, Mia-lia Kiernan, Minh Thanh Nguyen, Nancy Nguyen, Naved Husain, Rachel Aceberos, Rishi Singh, Sarath Suong, Steven Dy, Naroen Chhin, Sandy Saeteurn.[2]
Black Lives Matter Madison conference
Matt Nelson June 6, 2015 ·
- BlackLivesMatter movement-building conversation, #Wisconsin rising. Invest in community, no new jails, and community control of police. Leverage this moment AND build this movement! From outrage, to mobilization, to organization, vision, consciousness, power…forward! — with Tī S. Banks, Alix Shabazz, Jamala Rogers, Morathi Adams, Z. Lula Haukeness and Kabzuag Vaj.