Cultivating Strategy and Solidarity: A Letter from Cathy

In 2013, I was in New Orleans at Grassroots Asians Rising’s first national convening. I raised the concept of a 100-year work plan for our movements. Alex Tom, a fellow GAR founder and comrade, turned to me and said, “Yes, that is what our movement needs!” The GAR convening was one of the few places I connected with organizers in working-class pan-Asian communities. I soon joined GAR’s Coordinating Committee while I was the Executive Director of CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities in New York City.  

Group photo of the attendees of GAR’s 2013 Gathering in New Orleans.

Between 2014 and 2016, I faced what felt like an impossible political situation. CAAAV led a critical fight for police accountability, following the killing of Akai Gurley by former NYPD officer Peter Liang. As some Asian immigrant communities perceived Liang to be scapegoated because he was indicted when white police officers were not, they were pulled toward a pro-police conservative agenda. I felt lost, confused, and in need of support. I was at my lowest point in leadership, politically targeted, and afraid, and I was expected to lead CAAAV and provide direction to others around the country. I turned to leaders in the GAR network for guidance. It was my comrades at GAR who provided the peer support that guided me to lead with dignity through that challenging moment. 

Cathy leading a rally in NYC as CAAAV’s Executive Director in 2014.

The lessons learned from that critical moment are urgent today. Pan-Asian communities continue to be recruited into divisive agendas that hurt our own interests. The growing threat of authoritarian forces has permeated into many local organizing efforts across the country, rolling back hard-won progressive victories. 

When I became GAR’s first National Director, I knew we needed to answer the foundational  questions that had persisted since GAR’s inception: Do we organize individuals or organizations? Are we a policy vehicle or a movement-building vehicle? How can we provide rigorous political education to those most vulnerable to authoritarian organizing? 

My first tasks were to work with our Coordinating Committee to clarify our mission, vision, theory of change, membership, and strategy, so we could build up the organization. Together, we have become clear about the role GAR plays in our ecosystem: strengthening local efforts to organize pan-Asian communities toward working-class interests. That is how we protect our communities from being actively recruited into harmful agendas and build towards a future where working-class communities are safe from violence and exploitation. 

Cathy and Roksana at the 2023 Lotus & Rice Membership Gathering in Los Angeles.

Over my ten years with GAR–from my time on the Coordinating Committee and staff–I have countless cherished memories. GAR, its Coordinating Committee, and its members helmed political leadership in Asian American grassroots organizing, with people across the country looking to us for direction. This leadership has never been about any single person. GAR is held together by the trust of tight-knit comrades who have gained alignment and clarity through unity, struggle, unity. This is how GAR was built, and it is how GAR will continue to be, now with over 34 grassroots organizations across the country reaching more than 21,000 working-class immigrants and fighting for a future where all our communities can thrive.

Now, I am asking you to help nourish our movement for the long haul. Will you become a monthly sustainer to provide the steady sustenance we need? Your recurring support is the fuel that allows us to continue building the political leadership of working-class Asian communities. It ensures we have the resources to host our membership convening and publish critical lessons from the frontlines. Just as food nourishes the body, your solidarity nourishes this movement, allowing us to cross-pollinate strategies and grow our power to advance victories for the working-class.