AANHPI Summit on Reclaiming and Redefining Mental Health

Posted on by AAPIC

AAPIC President Laurie Fong and Vice President Grace Cheung-Schulman attended this conference at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center in downtown Oakland. It was a wonderful event, very well attended, and informative, and gave us a lot of good ideas for what AAPIC needs to do for our AAPI Community.

To start off the conference in an uplifting mood, you should watch a hilarious opening performance by Kristina Wong! Click here!

This is the organizer Asian Pacific Fund’s report on the event on Thu, June 6, 2024. Reprinted with permission.

Dear Asian Pacific Fund Community,

Thank you for joining us for our 2024 Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Summit on Reclaiming and Redefining Mental Health. With nearly 180 registrants from community organizations, corporations, government, philanthropy, and media present, we highlighted the importance and power of AANHPIs advocating for mental health resources and culturally competent services. 


The 5th Annual Summit was a unique mental health gathering, catering to a diverse community with varying opinions. It was a platform that some found unconventional, while others saw it as exactly what they were seeking. As a community foundation, our role is to bring together people with diverse perspectives, introduce new viewpoints, and create a safe space for “big family conversations.”

A significant moment occurred during the final panel session, featuring four remarkable youths discussing mental health successes and challenges. During the Q&A, an attendee, a parent of a transgender child, asked, “How do I support them and let them know that I love them?” The youth panelists offered empathetic and loving responses. I was moved to tears, touched by the parent’s courage and love for their child. I wondered if this attendee would feel safe asking such a question among well over a hundred strangers elsewhere. “This,” I thought, “is why we do this work—creating safe spaces where our communities can be seen, heard, supported, and loved. This is what impact looks like.”

This impact would not be possible without our partners, speakers, and sponsors, and we are grateful to our nonprofit affiliate, the Oakland Asian Cultural Center, and its staff for providing us with the perfect venue for these discussions. Special thanks go to all our speakers: Kristina Wong, Amy Lam, Ph.D., Connie Wun, Ph.D., Kevin Niuatoa, MDiv, ThM, Anni Chung, Tone Va’i, Yuan Wang, Amulya Mandava, Ph.D., Daria Cisper, Kim Luna, Aly Pascual, and Dan Pascual, for sharing their knowledge, insights, and tireless dedication.

We extend our gratitude to our official media sponsor, NBC Bay Area, and our partners, Robert Handa and Jay dela Cruz, for helping to promote awareness of AANHPI mental health and our Summit. Thank you to Chuck Siu, Amy Siu, and the Samoan Community Development Center for leading us in the arts and cultural practices. A special thank you goes to our outstanding volunteers from Kaiser Permanente and Enterprise for supporting our staff throughout the day. Our appreciation also goes out to Thai Rice Spoon and Verbena Catering for providing exceptional catering services.

Thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate, share our stories, and work towards a brighter future for our community’s mental health. Your presence, bravery, and support are a testament to our collective strength and unity. Together, we will drive change.

With gratitude,

Photos at the Summit. View the full photo album here.

Insightful Resources

Throughout the Summit, our speakers and panelists highlighted several insightful resources and readings. We encourage our community to explore these valuable materials:

Read the original newsletter from Asian Pacific Fund about the Summit.