This Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, join local AIGA chapters from Baltimore, DC, and Saint Louis for a virtual conversation rooted in healing, storytelling, and action. The space will be facilitated by The SEAD Project. Open to all design communities, with a special request for all attendees to come into the space with empathy and love.
Let's work towards holding space and acknowledging the rise of anti-Asian hate within our communities. Together we can grow a deeper sense of understanding and actionable ways to support Asian and Pacific American experiences.
Event Details
This will be a virtual event using Zoom with grounding and large group conversations and then smaller conversations in breakout rooms. An email with the Zoom link will be sent out one day prior to the event and 2 hours before.
Schedule
7:30 PM (ET) – Intros & Welcome
7:40 PM (ET) – Healing Grounding
7:50 PM (ET)– Large Group Prompt & Jamboard
8:30 PM (ET)– Small Group Breakouts
8:50 PM (ET)– Closing: Resources, Wrap-Up & Thank You’s
This session is a safe place to converse and will not be recorded
This session will follow AIGA’s Code of Conduct
Auto-generated captioning will be provided thanks to AIGA DC. Please let us know at time of registration by emailing us at: info@baltimore.aiga.org if you require any more accommodations. Zoom also offers accessibility features which can be found on their website.
This event is free but if you would like to make a donation to our chapter, please use the donation option when you register for this event. Donations for this event make all of our programming possible so we may in turn fairly compensate our speakers, fund our programs & outreach, and operational costs. AIGA chapters are nearly entirely volunteer-run 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and we are thankful for your continued support.
About The SEAD Project
SEAD (The Southeast Asian Diaspora Project) is a community-based organization in Minneapolis, Minnesota that focuses on growing social empowerment ecosystems through cultural organizing, critical language, and just storytelling. Learn more at www.theseadproject.org.
Chanida Phaengdara Potter
Chanida Phaengdara Potter (she/her/hers) is a Lao American 1.5 refugee, equity advocate, community strategist, narrative storyteller and mother of two. She’s the chief editor of Little Laos on the Prairie and founding executive director & community architect of The SEAD Project (Southeast Asian Diaspora). Chanida’s home is both in Minneapolis and Vientiane. She has worked 15 years in the nonprofit field in public affairs, community development, strategic communications, and human rights advocacy. She has a Bachelor's in Global Studies and Media Studies from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and a Master's in Public Administration from Hamline University. Chanida’s the co-author of Planting SEADS: Southeast Asian Diaspora Stories (2018), Minnesota’s first collection of Hmong, Khmer, Lao and Viet Minnesotan stories, poetry and art. Her work has been featured on Twin Cities Daily Planet, Asian American Press, The Uptake, Minnesota Public Radio, MinnPost, Star Tribune, Pioneer Press, Radio Free Asia, Voice of America; among others. She currently serves on the education advisory board for The Jay & Rose Phillips Family Foundation of Minnesota.
LinSun Simthong
Linda “LinSun” Simthong (she/her/hers) is a "Jai Coach" intuitively aligned with supporting others since her Great Grandmother appeared in her mother’s dream; signifying the seeds of rebirth and return. LinSun made the journey back to the homelands, Laos and Thailand, to reunite with her family and help bridge the gaps and healing opportunities. What she experienced shifted her perspectives and encouraged her to deepen her work with intergenerational trauma, healing, and community building. She received the NC Teaching Fellows Scholarship Loan, and taught as an Elementary Educator in the Charlotte Mecklenburg School System. She serves a predominately Southeast Asian and Black youth/family population. After feeling stifled by the system, she ventured off to start a community movement that later evolved into School of Jai, a grassroots movement activating Heart-Spirit-Ancestor energy. Jai is the Lao expression for “heart”. Her healing modalities are meditation, manifestation, Ancestor honor, nature, Reiki, chakras system, energy healing, journaling, improvisation, teas/ herbs, creative arts healing expression, and intentional communities.
Michael Sasorith
Michael Sasorith is a Lao-American designer whose problem-solving skills are focused on web, UI, and UX, as the Lead Designer at ArcStone, a digital agency in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Michael’s passions also include racial equity, culture, and identity. He currently works on using his design skills to amplify the narratives of the Southeast Asian community and other marginalized identities through his role as a board member of The SEAD Project and as the Co-Director of Diversity & Inclusion for AIGA Minnesota. Michael also runs Wow Speak Lao, a language resource that helps the Lao language learning process by building vocabulary.
