Racial Justice

South Asians Against Racial Injustice (SAARI) initiative was started by India Association of Minnesota (IAM) in collaboration with other South Asian partner organizations.
2022
AAPI Heritage Month
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Black History Month - February

Why Is February celebrated as Black History Month?

A tradition since around 1976, Black History Month is an annual celebration of African-American achievement and history.

It all started with a historian named Carter G. Woodson. The son of former slaves, Woodson rightly noted that African-American history and contributions were not only overlooked and ignored, but actively suppressed in textbooks and by teachers. So he proposed the idea of a “Negro History Week” which was to be observed the second week of each February. Since, February 12th was Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, and the 14th was Frederick Douglass’, and both birthdays were already celebrated by black communities in America anyway, Woodson chose this week. Before Black History Month became a month long affair, “Negro History Week” was mostly about education. The main focus was promoting black history in public schools–an area that the American public school system still struggles with.

In 1969, a whole Black History Month was proposed by students and staff at Kent State University in Ohio. Six years later (1976), Black History Month was recognized, officially, by then President Gerald Ford. With that executive recognition, it began being observed all over the country. By the late 1980s, Black History Month had gained traction in other parts of the world, and it continues to be an important, necessary, and relevant observance today.

2021
Juneteenth Event
Author Talk - Not Quite not white: Losing and finding race in America
Black History Month Event
Knowing the past opens the door to the future: Learning from Black History
2020
Speaker Series

July 28 th: Allyship and How White Individuals and Non-Black POC Can Support the BLM Movement

Guest Speakers: Joel Kerandi & Dieu Do

July 14th: Institutional Racism and Covert Racism in Our Society Today

Guest Speakers: Josh Crosson & Dr. Nekima Levy Armstrong
Letters


SAARI's Vigil for George Floyd

The South Asian Community came together for a vigil in honor of George Floyd on Thursday 6/4 evening and expressed solidarity with the African American community and pledged to engage and invest to break the cycle of prejudice and bias on race.

South Asians Against Racial Injustices (SAARI) vigil was organized by Community members and India Association of Minnesota (IAM), in collaboration with Partner Organizations.

IAM Thanks the SAARI vigil organizers for bringing the community together on the day of George Floyd's memorial service in Minneapolis. Our work begins now.


IAM & CAAL statement 

IAM, along with the Asian organizations from Twin Cities, together we form the Coalition of Asian American Leaders (CAAL), is condemning the George Flyod incident and expressing solidarity with the African American community. We stand together in this difficult time that our communities are facing.

CAAL has put out this letter to the community seeking unity and solidarity in the face of violence.


We mourn for George Floyd

We at India Association of Minnesota (IAM) are profoundly saddened to hear of the inhumane treatment and loss of life of George Floyd by the Minneapolis police. We stand with his family and Minnesotans in sorrow and offer our support in demanding justice.

We respect the right to peacefully protest and condemn the use of tear gas and other uses of force against peaceful protesters. We condemn all racially motivated violence against African Americans and all the communities of color.