Marilou Carrera
Based in Portland, OR, Marilou Carrera is a health equity advocate by day and art adjacent by night. Her experiences as a Filipina and Japanese woman who immigrated to the U.S. as a child, as well as her time practicing as a registered nurse, advocating for communities of color, and promoting public health have long persuaded her of the importance and imperative of sharing stories. She co-developed We Carry Oceans, an online collection of stories about accessing reproductive health within Asian / Pacific Islander communities. Marilou is currently establishing a creative writing practice to share her own stories of negotiating intergenerational space in the context of diaspora and gender / reproductive justice.

Joe Jiang
Joe is a filmmaker and musician based in North Portland. His films have been shown at film festivals around the world and he is active in the Asian-American film community both as an artist and an organizer. Joe also tours internationally as a guitarist and singer-songwriter.

Candace Kita
Candace Kita is an enthusiastic arts and cultural worker committed to connecting people of color with creative opportunities. Born in Chicago to Japanese American and Swedish American parents, she has been an artist and arts enthusiast for as long as she can remember. Her multifaceted artistic practice has spanned illustration, sculpture, graphic design, typography, book arts, writing, and performance.

June Karen Reyes
June is passionate about forests, oceans, and words. She believes art and creative expression is critical for social change and participates in the Arts and Media Project at the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon to elevate underrepresented API voices and re-write dominant culture narratives. She works at United Way of the Columbia-Willamette bringing together community partners around systems change to break the cycle of childhood poverty. When she’s not working, you might find June playing the guitar or violin, reading, or shooting hoops.

Jessica Yen
Jessica Yen is a Chinese-American essayist and novelist whose work focuses on the intersection of identity, culture, family, and memory. Her personal essays have appeared inOregon Humanities and The Drum Literary Magazine, and she was a finalist for the 2016 Fourth Genre essay prize. She is an alumni of the Voices of our Nations Arts writers workshop, the only multi-genre writers workshop for writers of color, and of the Independent Publishing Resource Center’s certificate program. She spent nearly a decade working in non-profits before transitioning to a career as a freelance writer/editor.

Graphic Designer, Shannon Paine
Shannon Paine is a graphic designer and illustrator based in Portland, Oregon.  She uses her freelance design work to create graphic design solutions that help build community in for-profit companies and advocates for marginalized communities for non-profits. You can see more of work at http://www.shannonpaine.com/.

Videography & Photography Support, Nikki De Leon
Nikki De Leon is photographer based in Portland, OR. and an organizer with the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns. Her aim is to use art as a platform to connect our thoughts and our actions by curating visuals and platforms that educate, organize, and mobilize her community. You can view more of her work on her website at https://www.nikkideleon.com/.

Digital Coordinator & Production Assistant, Lokyee Au
Originally from Los Angeles, California, Lokyee is a second generation Chinese American, whose roots go back to Hong Kong. She is also a first-generation college graduate, having recently completed two masters degrees from the University of Oregon: Environmental Studies and Community and Regional Planning. Her work within social justice intersects with her background in environmental justice, policy, and communications. Lokyee also serves on the Board of the environmental justice organization Beyond Toxics. In her spare time, Lokyee enjoys drawing, singing, sloth videos, wildflowers, and intersectional feminism.

Digital Coordinator (Crowdfunding campaign), Lilian Ongelungel
Lilian is a multifaceted cultural worker, artist, and communication professional born in Portland, Oregon.  She is passionate about social justice and education equity.  When she isn’t busy at her day job as a marketing coordinator or supporting Nonprofit Web Series as a Digital Coordinator, Lilian enjoys creating art, writing, reading, dancing, indulging in the local food scene, laughing at memes, and the occasional karaoke session.