+ KAN-WIN engages in “comfort women” advocacy through political education, art, and coalition building. We know that to truly create conditions for a world free of oppression, we must shift from our current culture of silencing and distrust of survivors. At the same time, multiple systems of power uphold this culture to be the dominant response to survivorship and violence. Examples of these interlocking powers include cis-heterosexism, ageism, ethno-nationalism, colonialism, and militarism. Notably, not one of our communities is free to ignore or overcome these forces alone. When “comfort women” survivors fight for their justice, they are challenging each one of these systems. Their fight then is our fight.
+ Learn more about our “comfort women” advocacy efforts.
+ KAN-WIN is a member of the Illinois Language Justice Coalition, a coalition made up of community-based organizations that serve, organize, and work with community members whose primary/first language is not English. The goal of the Coalition is to grow a diverse base of directly impacted immigrant and refugee leaders who develop grassroots model policy to improve language access in Chicago and Illinois.
+ Asian Americans have long contributed to anti gender-based violence activism. We created a timeline of such efforts with the intent of filling the gap in the archive of the anti-violence movement(s) which frequently leaves out the stories and narratives of communities of color, but we do not claim that this is a fully comprehensive overview of the role that Asian Americans have played within the movements to end domestic and sexual violence. We hope that this can serve as an important learning tool and a starting point for uncovering more of the stories and voices of Asian Americans in history.
+ KAN-WIN acknowledges the legacy and lasting impact of Black, Latinx, and Indigenous activists, many of whom are women, trans, and/or non-binary, throughout history who have created the frameworks and contexts for doing transformative gender-based violence prevention and advocacy work. Without their contributions to the expansive history of the anti-violence movement(s), it would not be possible for many of the Asian American activists, politicians, and community organizations listed in this timeline to accomplish what they were able to. We thank the activists who worked tirelessly before us to shed light on the unique barriers faced by survivors of color and their ingenuity in crafting solutions that address the specific challenges faced by immigrants and people of color, and who fought to provide space for more diverse voices to be heard within the movements to end domestic and sexual violence.
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