Women’s Organizations

SAKHI for South Asian Women Records

APA Staff
Date Range: 1990 – 2009
Survey Conducted: Tue, 2010-04-20
Creator: SAKHI for South Asian Women

History: SAKHI for South Asian Women is a New York City-based not-for-profit dedicated to ending domestic violence against women. Founded in 1989 by a group of five South Asian women from diverse professional backgrounds, SAKHI, meaning “woman friend,” provides culturally-sensitive and language-specific support to survivors of domestic violence. The organization works to mobilize the South Asian community to actively engage in the movement to end violence against women, challenging the silence surrounding domestic abuse within the community. Their work with survivors includes crisis intervention, monthly support groups, assistance in accessing free or low-cost legal representation, health services, public benefits and housing, and accompaniments and translation assistance in court, during health care visits, and at welfare agencies. Their Economic Empowerment Program assists survivors on their paths to self-sufficiency, providing classes and workshops on basic computer literacy, English communication, resume writing, and internet job-searching. Their Swarna Chalasani Economic empowerment fund provides small grants to qualified survivors to pursue career and educational opportunities. Read more →

New York Bureau of Legal Advice Records

APA Staff
Date Range: 1917 – 1919
Survey Conducted: Tue, 2011-04-26
Creator: New York Bureau of Legal Advice

History: Originating as the New York Bureau of Legal First aid and lead by attorney Charles Recht and feminist Frances M. Witherspoon, the organization was started with a grant from the Women’s Peace Party in 1917. Along with individuals, organizations like the People’s Council, the Socialist Party, the Civil Liberties Bureau and the Workmen’s Council all provided sponsorship (although the People’s Council and the Civil Liberties Bureau soon withdrew support). Responding to the need created by conflict with new laws related to World War I, the New York Bureau of Legal First Aid was the first organization to provide free legal advice and counsel to draft resisters, conscientious objectors, deserters and others who suffered infringements of their First Amendment Rights.

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Womankind

APA Staff
Date Range: 1982 – 2009
Survey Conducted: Wed, 2009-12-09
Creator: New York Asian Women’s Center

History: One of the first organizations in the United States to address the linguistic, social, and economic barriers that prevent many Asian immigrant women from accessing domestic violence services, Womankind (formerly and at the time of the survey known as the New York Asian Women’s Center, NYAWC) aims to empower Asian women to experience their lives free from violence. Founded in 1982 by a group of volunteers led by Pat Eng, Womankind began as community awareness project to educate communities in Chinatown about domestic violence issues. Recognizing the need for an advocacy organization that engaged in direct service, Womankind set up a single-line, volunteer-run emergency hotline for abused women seeking help. Today, the emergency hotline (1-888-888-7702) operates 24-hours a day/seven days a week, provides services in 18+ different languages and dialects including Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Bengali, and receives over 3,000 calls each year. Read more →

Korean American Family Service Center (KAFSC) Records

APA Staff
Date Range: 1990 – 2010
Survey Conducted: Tue, 2010-09-28
Creator: Korean American Family Service Center, The

History: Located in Flushing, Queens, the Korean American Family Service Center (KAFSC) is a community-based, non-profit organization that assists individuals impacted or potentially impacted by domestic violence, and, more generally, “supports and empowers adults, youth and children to lead safe and healthy lives based on dignity, compassion and mutual respect.” Established in 1989 by Sookja Bang, Elizabeth Jo, Heung Soon Kang, Kwanghee Kim, Kyung Hee Na and Sun Sook Oh, the organization was modeled after the Legal Aid Center for Women in Korea, which was founded by Dr. Tai Young Lee. KAFSC was first located in office space donated by the Korean Methodist Church & Institute on West 115th Street in Manhattan.

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Asian Women United Records and Photographs

APA Staff
Asian Women United logoDate Range: 1977 – 2004
Survey Conducted: Thu, 2008-12-04
Creator: Asian Women United

History: Asian Women United (AWU) is a New York City-based collective of Asian American women activists and educators that organized in 1978 when the Asian Women’s Caucus was split into two groups. As their Statement of Purpose says, AWU works “towards a society free from race and sex discrimination through the development of women as community leaders with an understanding of the Asian woman’s issues and concerns.” AWU hosted events that provided services to the Asian American community, including a mother-daughter social, an Asian American concert, and various workshops for Asian American women. AWU also participated in International Women’s Day, the Women Working Together conference, the Coalition of Asian Women’s Groups, and Asian-Pacific American Heritage festivals. AWU also took official stands on issues such as abortion, U.S. Immigration and Refugee Policy, and the Silver Palace Restaurant strike. Members include Goldie Chu, Aiyoung Choi, Liz Young, Susan Louie, Joyce Wong, Sokie Lee, Bonnie Wong, and many others. In 1986 the organization became a social network, adopting a less formal structure with occasional reunions and less formal networks of communication in place of regular business meetings.

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Asian Women in Business Records

APA Staff
Date Range: 1995 – 2010
Survey Conducted: Mon, 2009-02-23
Creator: Asian Women in Business
*Note: As of 2021, Asian Women in Business is no longer an active organization.

History: The non-profit organization, Asian Women in Business (AWIB), was founded in 1995 to provide resources and support for Asian women entrepreneurs. AWIB hosts workshops, seminars, conferences, and networking events to support the development of Asian women in business and since its founding has served over 27,000 women and people of color through its programming. Driven by a desire to increase the number of women and minority owned businesses, AWIB sponsors an annual Procurement Conference, at which minority women business entrepreneurs have the opportunity to establish relationships with corporate and government buyers, as well as an annual Asian Women’s Corporate Leadership Conference and Leadership Awards Ceremony and Dinner. To encourage young Asian women to attend college and assume leadership positions, AWIB awards an annual academic scholarship.
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