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OiYan Poon

@oiyanpoon

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Off-brand Asian mom, foodie, reader, and author of award winning book: Asian American is Not a Color
📍Chicago: the greatest freaking city in the world

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It was a lovely night at the @circesteem gala. I love a reason to dress up. Swipe through to see my #OOTD

Special thanks to @paquetteup.paquettein for lacing up my corset.

#circus #forthekids

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New substack co-authored with OiYan Poon. #wiltedgreens check the link in bio

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End of summer gratitude journal entry. Some valleys, mostly peaks.

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Our next book club is May 31st! ✨ We are reading Asian American is Not a Color by Oiyan A. Poon, a local author, educator, and speaker.

Each month we partner with Crema Coffee Shop to host a book club discussing topics like race, ethnicity, and gender.

Through our monthly book clubs, our goal is to build community in Uptown, one of Chicago’s most diverse neighborhoods.

If you’d like to join us, grab a copy (We got ours at Restoried Bookshop @restoriedbookshop in Albany Park!) and RSVP via Pie, 🔗 in our bio.

📍 May 31st 5PM at Crema Coffee Shop 1401 W. Wilson Ave

#uptownchicago #bookclub #explorepage #chicagothingstodo #chicago

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Happy Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month! Here are some staff-recommended reads by AANHPI authors:

Flux by @jinwoochong

Seyoon and Dean, Unscripted by @sujinwitherspoon

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by @malindalo

Asian American is Not a Color by @oiyanpoon

Hot Girls with Balls by @xbennyboo

Dragonfruit by @makiialucier

I’d Rather Burn than Bloom by @shannon.cf.rogers

They Bloom at Night by @nvtran_

Bad Bad Girl by @gishjen

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by @jennyhan

Loud by @drewafualo

#VanWA #ClarkCountyWA #WhiteOakBooks #AAPIHeritageMonth

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We are living in a time where division is loud, and intentional.

Across communities, people are being marginalized, targeted, and pushed to the edges for situations outside of their control. And in moments like this, it can be easy to turn inward… to focus only on our own.

But solidarity asks more of us.

SASM is creating space for us to come together across difference—to ask: What does it truly mean to stand with one another right now?

Because the truth is we are often conditioned to believe in a zero-sum game.

That if one community gains visibility, resources, or protection, another must be losing. This is not accidental. It’s an intentional distraction.

We must reject the idea that justice for one comes at the expense of another.

We must move beyond the “oppression Olympics” and toward collective liberation. We must come together to better understand one another and realize that that our challenges and suffering are more alike than we realize.

Join us this Friday as we engage in honest, necessary conversation. This event has been designed to challenge our thinking, deepen our understanding, and explore what meaningful, enduring solidarity really looks like in these times.

Because none of us are free until all of us are. 🤍

👆🏽head to link in bio to learn more and register. Discount code available to anyone who needs a more accessible ticket. Just DM us!

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We went live today with @oiyanpoon for a powerful conversation on solidarity, anti-Blackness, and the question at the heart of her work: will we choose “just us” or “justice”?

From immigration and birthright citizenship to the ways Asian communities are positioned within white supremacy, this conversation challenged us to think more honestly about where we stand, and what solidarity actually requires.

🎤 OiYan will be joining us in person at our upcoming panel: Cross-Racial Solidarity in Divisive Times
🎟️ Register at 🔗 in bio 👆🏾

We’re also excited to share that @restoriedbookshop will be hosting a pop-up at the event, with copies of OiYan’s book and a selection of titles by Asian and Pacific Islander authors.

If cost is a barrier to registration, please reach out to us for a discount code because we want you to be there ✨

Watch, share, and come be in community with us on Friday April 17th @ 6:30PM @Haymarket

See you there 🫶🏾

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Chicago, are you ready??

🎟️TICKETS ON SALE NOW🎟️

🗓️ April 17th
🕛 6:30-9pm CST
📍 Haymarket House, West Buena Avenue

The SASM team is bringing together community leaders across various racial groups who are actively serving their communities to share both the challenges they are navigating and the solutions they are building. This event centers lived experience, collective learning, and actionable solidarity.

Check out our phenomenal panelists:

@OiYanPoon is an award winning writer and author of Asian American is Not a Color, racial equity researcher, and education leadership consultant

John Zeigler @kabila00 is a counselor, educator, community activist, therapist, researcher, and creative artist in Chicago communities

@anthonymichaeltamez is a Black and First Nations Oji-Cree (Saulteaux) organizer, communicator, and public servant dedicated to building systems rooted in justice, sovereignty, and collective care

@_tanyalozano is a pastor, community organizer, and cultural strategist working at the intersection of faith, justice, and community health

@shaktitraining is our moderator for the evening! Cindu is a tenured Professor and seasoned Inclusion and Belonging Practitioner with a fierce commitment to developing antiracist catalysts of inclusion and agents of change.

We are looking to inspire hope during a time many experience as divisive and uncertain. In these divisive times, it’s critical to build authentic racial solidarity and cross-community connection.   Let’s move beyond headlines and reactions toward meaningful action. Together, we can create space for transformative community dialogue.  Join us if you want to deep dive into how current political rhetoric and media narratives are shaping our emotions and actions. How white supremacy systems attempt to pit communities against one another — and how we interrupt that pattern.   SASM is committed to practicing solidarity and learning what gives leaders hope and sustains their work.  Let’s reflect on how each of us can take responsibility within the spaces we occupy.

Follow us to get updates on our events: @southasiansolidaritymovement

#communitybuilding #socialjusticewarrior #bipoc

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🌞 TEACHING FOR JUSTICE 2026: Day 1 Recap 🌞

We're still beaming from our COMMUNITIES OF CARE conference, which brought together K-12 educators, youth, and community partners focused on AAPI-centered, justice-driven teaching that centers community knowledge and lived experience. Together, we explored how to bring justice, equity, love, and solidarity into classrooms and schools.

Our virtual first day opened with a powerful keynote from Dr. Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales on practicing community cultural abundance in our pedagogy. She asked us how we define community, and as the answers cascaded into the chat, she demonstrated how it is a living, breathing, and changing thing that gives us meaningful connection to each other.

Our speakers and facilitators led us through a day of resource sharing and wellness exercises to ground ourselves in our bodies. The youth-led Red Envelope Collective closed the day with insightful testimonies about their experiences in the classroom, reminding us of the importance of youth voices in curriculum development, and the need for diverse narratives in the learning experience.

Thank you to our speakers, participants, and our donors @bhbcoffee @passionplanner and @dtn.tech . You all made another year of Teaching for Justice possible!

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Introducing our first panelist on Cross Racial in Divisive Times, Dr. OiYan Poon!

@oiyanpoon is an award-winning writer, researcher, and education leadership consultant. She is currently serving as a consultant on higher education equity to Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s office.

Dr. Poon is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and co-director of the College Admissions Futures Co-Lab. She is the author of Asian American Is Not a Color: Conversations on Race, Affirmative Action, and Family, which explores how Asian Americans are shaping the future of race relations through debates over education policies like affirmative action.

Her work has appeared widely in national media outlets including NPR, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and The Atlantic. We are beyond thrilled to have her join us!

🗓️ April 17th
🕛 6:30-9pm CST
📍 Haymarket House, West Buena Avenue

Follow us to get updates on our events: @southasiansolidaritymovement

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Thank you to everyone who participated in our Lunar New Year Red Envelope Promo! 🧧✨

We appreciate all the love and support from our amazing community. Here are our winners! 🎉

We’ll be reaching out directly to those who won with details on how to claim your prizes. Stay tuned for more fun promos and giveaways!

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🌞 Who's coming to our TEACHING FOR JUSTICE conference?

Our Friday virtual schedule is ready to view! From sessions on identity formation, curriculum development, culturally responsive classrooms and more, we are so ready for a day of learning together.

The conference is just a week away! Register using the QR code, via our link in bio, or by visiting tinyurl.com/TFJ2026. Registration is sliding-scale, with scholarships available. Students are encouraged to attend, and professional learning units are available.

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