Tea with the People

In response to the pandemic and the resurgence of anti-Asian racism, APIENC, an organization that builds queer and transgender Asian and Pacific Islander power, set up phone trees and virtual healing circles to check in with its most vulnerable members. We speak with Sammie Ablaza Wills, director of APIENC, about their approach to unlearning oppression and relearning abundance, and why it's so much better (and sustainable) to do the work with your friends.

In response to the pandemic, the family behind La Morada, an undocumented, family-owned Oaxacan restaurant, has been feeding and delivering hot meals to the most vulnerable people in the South Bronx community. We speak to Yajaira Saavedra, an activist and one of the owners, about the uphill battles being working class and without status and about the power of community and mutual aid in times of crisis.