With the rise in Asian hate crimes, people have started to participate and earn recognition in the activism world. Whether it’s attending marches or posting on a social media platform, any and all ways of spreading awareness can have an effect on the current movement. One activist striving for systemic change is Manjusha Kulkarni, the Executive Director of the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council (AP3CON). Kulkarni also founded Stop AAPI Hate, an organization that has significantly contributed to spreading awareness about the rise in Asian-hate crimes. Pursuing law in college, Kulkarni immediately found her passion in public interest law and civil rights and later became a racial justice attorney. She gained experience in the law environment by working as a Staff Attorney at the Office of the Civil Rights Monitor and later as a contributor to the National Health Law Program (NHeLP). Currently, Kulkarni is the executive director of AP3CON, an organization that not only teaches leadership development but also promotes civic engagement especially among South Asians.
Speaking up about the discrimination that South Asian women face today, Kulkarni is an influential activist of the feminist movement. Many South Asian women are stereotyped to be “reserved” and “not as outspoken,” but Kulkarni emphasizes the importance of not giving into these cultural prohibitions, especially when they are so normalized. Subsequently, she has promoted and been involved in various leadership programs that teach the importance of speaking up and being bold in the work environment. As a result of her persistence in the activism world, she received the White House Champions of Change award in 2014.
Kulkarni’s advocacy for rights is one of the many examples of how speaking out can influence a society, especially one that requires change. Today, Kulkarni is an inspiration to many students and teen activists who strive for the same goal as Kulkarni: to fight for the rights of minority groups.
- Michelle Peng