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Author: communications

Dear Friends,

Throughout May we celebrate and honor the rich culture, contributions, diversity, and resilience of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities. It is a special month at GLIDE. And it is also every day at GLIDE, where we embody the opportunity for healing and unity through our diversity.

So much of the GLIDE community is comprised of people of AANHPI heritage – our leadership, our staff, and clients, our donors and volunteers, our friends. All are fundamental to who we are and how we transform lives across San Francisco. Our heritage is rooted in the legacy of GLIDE’s co-founder, Janice Mirikitani, whose legacy of love, strength, and healing for all people is also rooted in her personal experience overcoming abuse and injustice.

The lived experiences of the AANHPI community resonate daily within and around GLIDE. From accomplishments on the national stage in leadership, social justice, business, and philanthropy, to the heroism and ingenuity of our staff, volunteers, and community partners who assist those in need across San Francisco. Throughout GLIDE’s nearly 60-year history, we have celebrated members of the AANHPI community, because they are us and we are them. Together we are the beloved community.

Yet, echoes of historical injustices against the AANHPI community sound again as hate crimes increased with the rise of COVID-19. These acts of violence are a chilling reminder of the consequences of political scapegoating and our nation’s long and systemic history of erasing and denying our patterns of stereotyping, silencing, exploiting, and perpetuating acts of brutality against the AANHPI community.

It is time to end this violent history and to carve new paths for healing and justice. We must begin by shining a light on the realities of the AANHPI experiences in our country, by exposing the travesties of history, speaking out loudly against violence, and demanding accountability. This radical truth-telling is a prerequisite to progress, an essential step for any nation to move out from under and beyond hate crimes and racial injustice. Once we lift up the truth, we must take action that fosters accountability, compassion, dialogue, and, eventually, reconciliation. GLIDE is doing this work. As we publicly condemn the violence and call for accountability, we are also leading initiatives that build pathways to empathy, trust and reconciliation. Our innovative work with police, healthcare workers, companies, and our own diverse community is changing how people see themselves and each other.

When we come together in these ways, with resilience, lifting each other up and embracing and cherishing our diversity, we build a better future that is bigger than the sum of the parts. GLIDE has stood for and with the AANHPI community. We always have, and we always will.

With love and in solidarity,

Karen J. Hanrahan
President & CEO

During May, GLIDE Voices is highlighting Asian American and Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Volunteer Recruitment Coordinator Meilani Meleisea, “what GLIDE values resonate with you this month and why?

Meilani Meleisea, Annual Giving Manager

My name is Meilani Taumaia Marie Meleisea. I was raised by parents who hail from both Apia in the West of Samoa and the village of Taputimu on the Island of Tutuila in the East of Samoa. To be of Samoan Heritage and to have been raised by both my family and larger community has shaped the values I currently hold, many of which GLIDE upholds as well. Of GLIDE’s central values, I resonate most with being “For the People,” and continuously being “Loving and Hopeful”. As a child, I was taught by my parents to be giving and to be kind. I was also taught to always strive to leave someone better than I met them.

To be Pacific Islander is largely to know that all that who you are, is not all of your own doing. I recognize that I have villages and family everywhere, by way of the vastness of our oceans and the fortitude of my people, who have served me and poured immeasurable value into my life. It is in recognizing this, that I have learned and continue to learn how to best serve my community with humility, compassion, and strength. GLIDE similarly exhibits genuine and humble service for their communities in everything they do, whether it is serving meals at 7 am in the morning or staying after hours to ensure a community member has all they need for the evening ahead. GLIDE stands for all people. To be loving and hopeful is a value I have come to cherish in my work with Pasifika communities near and far.

Being a Pacific Islander in the United States can feel both strenuous and isolating. Throughout all of my schooling, I was the only Pacific Islander in any of my graduating classes. Throughout my life I have felt like the only Pacific Islander in everything I have done, which can be extremely lonely sometimes. Nevertheless, I have found friends and colleagues along the way who share my love of our Pasifika communities and my passion for equitable representation of NHPI peoples. It is in these experiences that I learned to root my cultural advocacy work in love rather than resentment and hope rather than fear.

To be at GLIDE is to emanate love and to do so unconditionally. GLIDE receives folks who come from all walks of life and meets each one with the same love which works to inspire the hope that there are people who love other people, and that all people are deserving of love.

Manuia le Masina AANHPI. 

Alofa Tele! 

­­­— Meilani Taumaia Marie Meleisea

During May, GLIDE Voices is highlighting Asian American and Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander Heritage Month. We asked Annual Giving Manager Sunil Prasad, “what GLIDE values resonate with you this month and why?

Sunil Prasad, Annual Giving Manager

This month, which is very significant on so many levels, the GLIDE values that continue to reverberate the loudest to me are unconditional love and eternal hope. We are all in recovery and as a community we have such a long way to go to heal together and bridge the divides that exist: without love and hope we cannot do this.

I am from the Fiji Islands. Many know it from ‘postcard images’ with white sandy beaches, turquoise waters and lush green rainforests. Sadly, we have also had a long history of political coups. I have lived through six such events before moving to the US about ten years ago. I joined GLIDE at the beginning of 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic started dominating the headlines and our lives.

Before the pandemic hit, I was already going through so much. I had lost someone very dear to me to fentanyl-related accidental overdose. When that happened I had to step away from a lot, from people and my job, to heal and accept my loss. At that time GLIDE’s compassionate and judgment-free work in harm reduction shined like a beacon to me.

I feel elated to be part of an organization that provides so much for others in need. From nutritious meals to health screenings, from crisis intervention services to resources that empower survivors of substance use disorders and partner violence. From supporting individuals to supporting families to fight for equity for all within our community. All of this with open hearts and arms. Without judgement.

In Fiji, food is considered very sacred. It brings the whole community together whether the occasion is celebratory or somber. Food breaks every cultural and traditional boundary to provide a sense of togetherness and love. And at GLIDE, we open our doors to everyone so that we feed the body and the soul.

May 2021

GLIDE Voices is highlighting Asian American and Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander Heritage Month. We asked Deputy Director of Programs Lillian Mark, “What GLIDE values resonate with you the most this month and why?“

Lillian Mark, Deputy Director, Programs
When my grand-uncle passed away, I had the honor of delivering his eulogy. His daughter wrote out his life story, parts of which even she and her five siblings did not know until they started tracing it.

I did not know until I held the draft in my own hands that my grand uncle was a “paper son” which explains why he had two different names; one was his given name, and the other name was the one on the “paper” that my great grandfather had purchased for him to come from China to the United States. Even in this moment, I feel anxious acknowledging this part of my family history. The stories of where we come from have been buried because of fear, shame, and hurt. We continue to struggle with telling our story because we are told that we still do not belong. But even so…

I am my family’s story.

I am a constant, persistent manifestation of my family’s history – in my spirit, in my speech, and in my stride.

I am, as we say in GLIDE’s Terms of Faith and Resistance, telling the world my story. Unstoppable.

— Lillian Mark

May 2021

GLIDE Voices is highlighting Asian American and Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander Heritage Month. We asked Client Advocate Tina Huang “What GLIDE values resonate with you the most this month and why?“

Tina Huang, Client Advocate
Over 20 years ago, I immigrated from China to the United States, and I didn’t know a single English word. It made looking for a job, making new friends, and navigating this unfamiliar country incredibly difficult. After I found my first job at a cable manufacturing company, I held on to it for decades because I thought I could work there till my retirement. I lived in China Town, and I remember I only went from home to work and back. I shopped in China Town and didn’t really know the outside world. I raised my kids and went to Adult School in China Town. Then, because of my company’s downsizing, I was laid off. I went back to get more training at an institute. The institute wanted to send me to do an internship in data entry, but I told them, “I love helping people.” Through the school, I got an internship at GLIDE. I fell in love with the organization’s culture and caring environment. When they offered me a job I said “yes!”

From the start, I identified strongly with GLIDE’s mission and Radically Inclusive value. As an Asian immigrant, I recognize how important it is to demonstrate mutual respect for one another. Here, you can truly see how respectful, generous, and radically inclusive everyone is: my interactions with my colleagues have always been done with the utmost respect. Although I speak English with an accent, my colleagues accept me for who I am. Slowly but surely, we have become brothers and sisters. They have become my friends and family, and I am extremely grateful to have them by my side.

The COVID-19 pandemic definitely impacted all of us, especially the AANHPI community. Racist remarks are on the rise and these comments have made me angry, afraid, and frustrated. The threat of physical violence on Asians does worry me. But, because of GLIDE and the consistent support and encouragement from my colleagues, I have the confidence to stand up for my rights. I have supported and participated in various peaceful gatherings against violence and racial discrimination. I want to encourage everyone to stand up and speak up.

Be proud of your ethnicity, your background, and upbringing. GLIDE has reminded me of this every day, and I am beyond honored to be a part of this amazing family. We stand up for one another regardless of our background and differences. I am proud of my identity as an Asian American woman. I will do my best to continue to serve my community.

Lilly Datnow (they/them)
Lilly is studying Society and the Environment at UC Berkeley. While at GLIDE they are working with the fundraising team doing grant writing and prospect research.

Emily Kim (she/her)
Emily is a rising junior at Pitzer College studying Critical Global Studies. While at GLIDE she is working with Saundra Haggerty in the Men In Progress violence intervention program.
Tiaira Friend (she/her)
Tiaira is a rising senior at UC Riverside studying Psychology. While at GLIDE she is working with Isoke Femi, Maven of Transformative Learning with the Center for Social Justice. 
Kimberley Pascual (she/her)
Kimberley is an incoming second-year student at UC Berkeley. She is interning under GLIDE’s Men In Progress violence intervention program with Lead Facilitator and Case Manager Saundra Haggerty.
Xochitl Barrios Santiago (she/her)
Xochitl is a rising junior at UC Berkeley majoring in Society and Environment with a minor in Global Public Health. While at GLIDE, she is excited to learn more about community-building and policymaking with the Center for Social Justice.