NAPAWF in Las Vegas, NV
In 2008, NAPAWF’s Las Vegas Chapter was established by a passionate network of Asian and Pacific Islander (API) women who saw the need to address pertinent issues relevant to the fast-growing API community in the area. While there existed many organizations that promoted Asian and Asian American cultures, Las Vegas lacked infrastructure and resources that directly served API women. To ameliorate the need and promote visibility of API women and girls, NAPAWF-Las Vegas was founded.
As a chapter, NAPAWF-Las Vegas laid a great foundation that increased voice for API sisters in the regional and federal landscape. In 2008, the Las Vegas Chapter met with Senator Harry Reid to discuss the issue of human trafficking and advocate for more affordable health care. In 2009, the chapter joined forces with NAPAWF-Washington DC to stand against abortion restrictions and anti-immigrant amendments in health care reform. In 2010, Las Vegas Chapter partnered with local organizations to host family law and immigration law workshops.
Along with all the organized activities, the fierce sisters of Las Vegas also gained great credibility amongst the local community and media coverage of their work on NAPAWF’s prioritized issues. Kathleen Bergquist represented NAPAWF at a Freedom Network conference and was a speaker at a local radio show on human trafficking issues in the Las Vegas area. NAPAWF-Las Vegas also received an honorable recognition from Clark County for raising anti-human trafficking awareness.
With increased momentum and a desire to move forward local efforts in the realm of social services, leaders of the Las Vegas Chapter transitioned its efforts to the creation of a non-profit organization called Bamboo Bridges. Bamboo Bridges seeks to bridge the multi-ethnic, multilingual, and multi-generational Asian Pacific American community by developing collaborations and building awareness of the issues that APA women confront in their lives, families, and communities.
NAPAWF congratulates the fierce women and leaders of Bamboo Bridges for the establishment of a local non-profit organization. As we continue to stand in solidarity for our movement’s mission, we look forward to future collaborations with Bamboo Bridges to further human rights and social justice for API women and girls!
If you are interested in building a NAPAWF-Las Vegas chapter, please feel free to contact Kathy Huynh at khuynh@napawf.org.
