New Breath Foundation kicked off Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May the way it most values – bringing its treasured community together. Nearly 100 people filled the space for Collective Liberation: Celebrating the Leaders Behind the Movement, NBF’s annual awards ceremony and fundraiser. The joy that filled the space was palpable: elders, philanthropists, organizers, directly impacted community members, and longtime supporters arrived from across the Bay Area and beyond for a special night where diverse backgrounds and multiple generations celebrated side by side. Read on to relive this evening of collective joy and celebration.
It was a gathering grounded in the reality of hard times, yet lifted by the undeniable truth that this community remains committed to each other and the vision of collective liberation.
Guests enjoying the evening’s programming. Photo: Inspired by Studio
Honoring The People Who Hold the Movement Together
The throughline of the evening was recognition – not of the loudest voices or the most visible faces, but of the people whose steady work makes every movement possible. Organizers. Storytellers. Community elders. The ones who show up, again and again, regardless of who’s watching.
NBF presented two awards to recognize movement leaders who have been championing cross-racial solidarity and collective healing.
Ben Wang received the Trailblazer Award, given to racial justice pioneers who build movements by addressing institutional racism and inequity. A filmmaker, community worker, and founding member of the Asian Prisoner Support Committee, Ben has spent decades creating space for people and families impacted by incarceration and deportation to heal from harm through community programs and storytelling.
Audee Kochiyama-Holman received the Movement Elder Award, which honors those with decades of work across overlapping grassroots movements – civil rights, racial justice, Asian American activism, LGBTQ+ advocacy, and more. Audee has served as Director of Alumni Relations at the Asian Law Caucus for 31 years and is Co-Director of the Yuri Kochiyama Solidarity Project. Long before many of us arrived to this work, she – alongside her family’s legacy – had already been a steady, grounding presence, helping pave the way for us all.
In her acceptance remarks, Audee reflected on her relationship with NBF, which began when her mother, Yuri Kochiyama, started writing letters and visiting founder Eddy Zheng while he was incarcerated. She spoke warmly about the NBF’s We Got Us Fund grantee partners – Asian Refugees United, the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity, and Tsuru for Solidarity – who all work in the social justice sector “at a time when we need more than anything to speak out, come together, and support one another.”
Audee affirmed that “it is foundations like New Breath that make such a difference and provide hope rather than despair” at a moment when funding for progressive groups and communities of color is increasingly threatened.
“[I draw] inspiration each day [from] the people in this room and in the greater community who continue this fight to resist, make change and bring joy during these challenging times.”
Rooted in Gratitude: Our Partners, Sponsors, and Supporters
The evening also featured brief introductions from three of NBF’s We Got Us Fund grantee partners: Asian Refugees United, the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity, and Tsuru for Solidarity. Hearing directly from these organizations about the people they serve and the work they do every day was one of the highlights of the night, a reminder that the movement is made up of many hands.
Thanks to the generosity of everyone present, New Breath Foundation raised $105,000, exceeding the evening’s fundraising goal. It is a testament to what happens when a community believes in the work and shows up for it.
We are grateful to our longtime allies and advocates, such as Karen and Arnold Perkins, Peggy Saika, and Dr. Arthur Chen.
We’re also grateful for our sponsors: Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP), Donors of Color Network, East Bay Community Foundation, Fairview Capital, Germaine Q. Wong, Amalgamated Bank, Asian Health Services, Asian Law Caucus, Beneficial State Bank, Community Youth Center, Kaiser Permanente, and Proverb Strategy Advisors. Finally, a special thanks to our supporters, the RWJF Special Contributions Fund of the Princeton Area Community Foundation and Masto Foundation, whose partnership also made this evening truly memorable.
Nights like this don’t happen without the sustained belief and investment of people like them.
Joy & Celebration is Part of The Work
The work doesn’t stop after one night of celebration, but a night like this can remind us why we’re in it. We’re grateful for every member of our community who showed up for Collective Liberation. Together, we held the full weight and possibility of this work – the history and the hope, the challenges and the joys. We left the evening more deeply grounded in our shared commitment to keep building the world we know is possible.
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