South Asians for Black Lives

A path to allyship by learning more on the intersection of Black and South Asian Communities.

It surrounds you everywhere and you cannot leave the house without fear of getting affected by it. You teach your child every day the precautions they need to take before stepping out. You wear a mask to work. For some of us this is temporary and related to a virus but for the Black community this has been a challenge for centuries. Racial injustice is all around us and the Black community in particular has been disproportionately impacted. Many of us are looking to show up as allies to the black community. We at Aram Sei aspire to help you on your journey as being allies is critical to long term reform and change.

We are seeking to address allyship to the Black Community via:

• Education
• Community Contributions

Education

We have had multiple conversations within our volunteer and partner community and each time came away realizing that the South Asian community in particular is looking for answers around ‘What can we do?’. We have heard questions and comments that range from ‘This happens to us as People of Color’ to ‘‘I am an immigrant too, how can I influence change?’. These conversations also proved to be a safe space for us to learn from each other and ask questions that are harder to ask in a broader setting. Through our research into allyship we realized we needed resources geared towards the South Asian community. We are looking to help recognize our privilege where relevant and also have an actionable plan for what we can do if we aspire to be allies to the Black Community. To address this we are hosting a series of Webinars on Black Lives Matter specifically geared to the South Asian Community. The sessions will take you on a journey back in history to hearing from the community today to a final call to action for the future on what you can do. The sessions are FREE to attend and open to anyone but registration is required via Eventbrite.

The first of a 3 part series to learn more on the history between the South Asian and the Black community. We will engage in learning and discussion to educate and move forward to action. This session will be led by Anirvan Chatterjee.
Host Bio: Anirvan Chatterjee is a technologist, storyteller, and activist from Berkeley, CA. He has curated the award-winning Berkeley South Asian Radical History Walking Tour, developed the visual introduction to African American and South Asian solidarity, and publish the Secret Desi History blog.

In the second of this 3 part series we will hear from members of the Black community about more on the intersection of the South Asian and the Black community. We will discuss shared history, life experiences and how we can be allies for the Black community. This session will be moderated by Anu Natarajan.
Moderator Bio: Anu Natarajan is ex-council member/Vice Mayor of the City of Fremont. Anu has tremendous experience in the areas of public, private, political and non-profit sector. She is also a passionate leader who initiate changes by working with diverse community groups.

In the final session of this 3 part series we will hear from community leaders on how we can create actionable long term change as technologists, professionals, parents and educators. This session will be moderated by Anu Natarajan and MR Rangaswami.
Moderator Bio: MR Rangaswami is a software executive, investor, entrepreneur, corporate eco-strategy expert, community builder and philanthropist.  In 2012 M.R. founded Indiaspora to unite Indian Americans and to transform their success into meaningful impact in India and on the global stage.

In addition, we believe no change is possible without educating our young community. We will also be running sessions for our youth.

In this session geared towards children of the ages 7-12, we will cover the rich history of the Black community starting from slavery to the inspiring contributions the community has made to American history. A story of grit and resilience in the face of adversity by focusing on innovators and technologists from the Black Community that children maybe less familiar with. This session will be led by Vidya Pradhan.
Moderator Bio: Vidya Pradhan is a freelance writer and editor in Palo Alto, California. She teaches English to native Spanish speakers and volunteers as a tutor in local schools. She loves word games and is learning Spanish. She enjoys reading and watching science fiction and looking at starry night skies.

In this session geared towards youth ages 13-18, we will delve into the history and current presence of the BLM movement in a relatable manner. This session is aimed to equip youth with the tools they need to make sure their voices are heard, and empower them to use it effectively as they aspire to change the future. This session will be led by Nyantara Narasimhan.
Moderator Bio: Nyantara Narasimhan works in the non-profit sector for First Community Housing that develops sustainable housing for those who earn 20-60% of the San Francisco Bay Area’s median income. She is passionate about bringing about change in the local community and believes youth can be instrumental in changing the future.

Community Contributions

We are actively evaluating project proposals that benefit the Black community. If you have any project proposals please submit them here.