On October 1, 2022, Portland State University (PSU) held the Convening for a Thriving Future for Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian, Asian, and Asian American (PIAA) Communities at the university’s Native American Student Community Center (NASCC). This event was part of a series of BIPOC-centered and -led community convenings by PSU’s Global Diversity & Inclusion as one of our action items in the Time to Act Plan for Equity & Racial Justice.

PSU contracted with Roxanna Bautista of Rise Up Solutions to support the planning, development, and coordination of this convening, in addition to providing facilitation and contributing to this convening report. In addition, PSU partnered with PIAA communitybased organizations to hold this convening. Those community partners were: API Forward, Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO), Oregon Pacific Islander Coalition (OPIC), Filipino Bayanihan Center, and the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO)-Pacific Islander Asian Family Center.

The convening was organized into morning and afternoon sessions and breakfast and lunch were provided by Asian owned businesses, Phat Cart and Khao Niew Lao Street Food. The morning sessions consisted of remarks and presentations on data and PSU history from PSU leadership and Global Diversity & Inclusion. After these presentations, the next session featured a panel of PIAA community-based organizations and leaders who responded to discussion prompts, including what they would say a thriving future looks like for PIAA communities. After lunch, the afternoon sessions were composed of four breakout groups, where facilitators guided the discussion through various prompts. The convening wrapped up with report backs from those breakout groups and completion of evaluations.

Related Materials:

Five affinity-based convenings:

• Latiné Futures Convening
• Convening on the Future of Black Thriving & Joy
• Convening for a Thriving Future for Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian, Asian, and Asian American Communities (PIAA)
• Convening for a Prosperous Future for Middle East, North African and South Asian Community (MENASA)
• Native Leaders Roundtable

"Time to Act" Events:
The Future and Thriving of BIPOC Communities: A Time to Act Macroconvening
(Affinity groups met in-person November 2022)

Time 2 Act: Continuing Action for a Just and Equitable PSU
(Video - Winter Symposium 2021)

Time to Act: Envisioning and Creating a Just and Equitable PSU
(Video - Virtual Equity Summit, October 30, 2020)

Equity Plan:
Time to Act: Plan for Equity & Racial Justice 2021 - 2024 (PDF - Report, 2021)