CELEBRATING AAPI HERITAGE MONTH
May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month!
We’d like to take this opportunity to highlight community partners, emerging and accomplished leaders who are making history in their own realms of food and labor justice. These individuals are paving the way for a more equitable and inclusive future for all our communities. Join us as we recognize their accomplishments and learn more about the important work they are doing.
Heng Lam Foong & Kyle Tsukahira – API Forward Movement
Heng Lam Foong and Kyle Tsukahira both serve their community in Los Angeles as co-directors at API Forward Movement (APIFM).
APIFM brings community-centered engagement, education, and advocacy to Asian and Pacific Islander communities, and all communities of color. In 2021, APIFM partnered with Growing The Table to provide over 10k pounds of culturally relevant food boxes to food-insecure populations of Asian or Pacific Islander descent. Their collective experience at the intersection of public health, food, and fighting against environmental injustice in collaboration with diverse coalitions of Californians, makes them a shining star among LA nonprofit organizations.
Janelle Manzano – Farm to School Program Specialist, San Diego Unified School District
Janelle Manzano is the Farm to School Program Specialist with San Diego Unified’s Food & Nutrition Services. She is a trailblazer in her role, introducing students to fresh fruits and vegetables daily. Janelle is also a proud graduate of UC Davis, where she majored in Clinical Nutrition. She also once served as a Foodcorps service member teaching nutrition, garden and culinary education in Oakland, CA. We have been proud to partner with Janelle on the School Meals for All Movement in California, lifting up her work as a national model for Farm to School programs.
Julie Su – Acting Secretary of Labor, U. S. Department of Labor
| Julie Su is the Acting Secretary of Labor and a nationally recognized expert on workers’ rights and civil rights. Su has dedicated her distinguished legal career to advancing justice on behalf of poor and disenfranchised communities and is a past recipient of a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant.
Prior to joining the U.S. Department of Labor, Deputy Secretary Su served as the secretary for the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency (LWDA). The LWDA enforces workplace laws, combats wage theft, ensures health and safety on the job, connects Californians to quality jobs and career pathways, and administers unemployment insurance, workers compensation and paid family leave. Su was the first labor commissioner to be included among the Daily Journal’s “Top 75 Labor and Employment Lawyers.” She has also been named one of the 50 most noteworthy women alumni of Harvard Law School and one of the 100 most influential people in Los Angeles in Los Angeles Magazine. |
Keng Vang – Fresno BIPOC Produce
Keng Vang is the founder and owner of Fresno BIPOC Produce (FBP), a new food hub that includes over 90 BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) farmers in and around Fresno County. He has built his business to help these small and diverse farms grow their sales, and supports them within an ever-shifting marketplace. Keng and his organization were recently honored by the Community Alliance with Family Farmers as the California 2023 Food Business of the Year.
Keng comes from a Hmong family of farmers. Upon graduating from Fresno State he decided to give back to his community by working with hundreds of Southeast Asian, Latino, African American and other Asian Pacific Islander farmers through the Asian Business Institute and Resource Center.
Rochelle Li – Content Manager, FoodCorps
Rochelle Li (who also goes by “Ro”) is a digital storyteller. She works at FoodCorps, a national nonprofit that partners with schools and communities to nourish kids’ health, education, and sense of belonging. In her current role as Content Manager, she leads videography, photography, and graphic design projects for the organization. Her work supports FoodCorps’ advocacy for policy change in service of every kid’s health and wellbeing.
As a student, Rochelle learned from her teachers the values of aloha, the healing power of food, and the foundations of visual storytelling. She loves to connect and cook up wholesome ideas and projects with folks who bring joy, strength, and love to their communities—especially if it’s over a tasty meal! She gives full gratitude and appreciation to the teachers, family members, friends, and Hakka Chinese and Filipino ancestors who paved the way and have supported her along the journey.