RECORDING: Uplifting the PI in AAPI: A Conversation with Karla Thomas, Co-Founder of Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC)
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One more thing before you go...
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One more thing before you go...
The Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community is a large one with over 20+ million members according to the latest US census. Of that number, roughly 690,000 people identified as Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (NHPI) alone but almost 900,000 identified as NHPI in combination with another race. We are excited to sit down with Karla Thomas, Co-Founder of Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC) to discuss how her organization is advancing racial equity for Pacific Islander communities, disaggregating Pacific Islanders and uplifting the Pacific Islanders in such a large racial umbrella.
Karla Thomas
Karla Thomas is the oldest daughter to her Samoan mother and Aymara father, who came to the U.S. from Vatia, Tutuila Samoa and Quime, Bolivia. She was raised on Serrano and Tongva land, in the city of San Bernardino, California. Karla serves as the Deputy Director of Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC) and has a public health background, holding a Master of Public Health with a focus on health policy. Prior to joining EPIC, Karla was co-founder and Policy Director of the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) Data Policy Lab at UCLA’s Center for Health Policy Research. She is also a local organizer and co-founded the Pasifika Inland Empire Coalition for Empowerment (PIECE), which serves Pasifika or Pacific Islander families living in San Bernardino and Riverside counties through direct services and local advocacy. Karla is passionate about serving the communities she is a part of as an advocate in all spaces she enters.