I2I’s Heart-2-Heart on AANHPI Month, 31 Miles for Mom, and Bicoastal Travels

Hey there,

Welcome to Intention 2 Impact (I2I’s) Heart 2 Heart (H2H) newsletter - where we share what’s on our minds, in our hearts, and up-our-sleeves. This is an archived newsletter from May 2023. Want to read the newsletter in real time? Click here to subscribe!

On Our Minds

Happy Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI) month!

I2I Founder & CEO, Nina Sabarre, is proud to be a first-generation Asian American and credits much of her professional success to Filipino values of community, service, and adaptability. 🇵🇭 In the 1980s, Nina’s parents immigrated to the US from the Philippines in search of the American dream. 🇺🇸

The American reality, however, differs among AANHPI communities.

In 2021, I2I partnered with the Asian Pacific Islander (API) Council to assess food injustices and opportunities among API communities* in San Francisco.

API residents comprise 34% of San Francisco’s population, yet represent 42% of low-income residents. Despite this outsized percentage, API community members utilize safety net services at a significantly lower rate compared to other groups and are often excluded from the discourse on racial equity.

Our assessment identified a consistent pattern of excluding API communities from data collection and needs assessments about public services — largely due to the model minority myth. Exclusion from data is an act of systemic racism, and the omission of API data has silenced realities that have left communities out of policy discourse and resource allocation. Check out the full report to learn more. 📝

*We humbly recognize that the scope of this project focused on Asian & Pacific Islander communities, and did not include Native Hawaiian groups - whose Indigenous cultures and contributions are also celebrated during AANHPI month.

Since 2000, the US Census has defined Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islanders (NHPI) as a distinct racial category from Asian Americans. As our study for the API Council illustrates, the way we collect, analyze, and present data about communities matters.

Celebrate AANHPI heritage month by learning more facts about AANHI data here! 📊

In Our Hearts

In case you missed it, Mother’s Day was last Sunday - don’t worry, it’s never too late to send your mom (or mother-like figure) a card! 🥰

To celebrate, we’ve got moms AND women’s heart health in our hearts this month (heart health in our hearts?! We’re so meta). 😉

According to the CDC, heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the US, accounting for 1 in every 5 deaths. YET, only about half of US women recognize that heart disease is their number 1 killer. YIKES! Double yikes: only 38% of participants in clinical cardiovascular trials are women. 💔

These stats hit close to home to I2I Partner + COO, Kathleen, whose best friend, Emily, recently lost her mom, Val, from complications from a massive heart attack Val suffered while hiking last year. Val was a cornerstone of Kathleen’s community growing up; a Girl Scout co-leader, braillist for Aurora Public Schools, close family friend, and camping enthusiast. Val was many things to many people; her memory is a blessing & her presence is deeply missed.

To celebrate Val’s memory and spread awareness about women’s heart health, I2I has joined the community to support Emily as she embarks on the 31 Miles for Mom Challenge with the American Heart Association. In the month of May, Emily is taking on 31 miles of hiking, running & biking to help end heart disease.

So wanna take action for Moms and heart health, too? We’ve got 3 action items for ya: Donate $5 to Emily’s 31 Miles for Mom in May Challenge today, text your Mom (or a mother-figure in your life) some love, and/or read up about women’s heart health!

P.S. Sending extra love to all those who have a tough time on this holiday. 💙

Up Our Sleeves

I2I Partners Nina and Kathleen are out in the wild this week for a double dose of client convenings & presentations!

Kathleen started off the week in San Francisco, facilitating a session at a client convening focused on shifting the housing affordability narrative in California.

Across the country, Nina has been holding down the fort in Miami at the Elevate Prize Foundations’s Make Good Famous Summit until Kathleen will join in the fun on Wednesday!

Not even competing client convenings can keep these 2 apart!