PARTNER HIGHLIGHT

Partner Highlight: Nicolette Ardiente (Asian Texans for Justice)

May 18, 2023

This May, in honor of AAPI Heritage Month, the SLSV Coalition caught up with Nicolette Ardiente from the incredible Asian Texans for Justice organization. ATJ serves the more than 1.9 million AAPI community members in Texas and Nicolette leads their community engagement work. Read on to learn a little more about what she’s up to these days, what she loves about this work and how you can support their efforts to uplift and fight for AAPI communities.

What’s new with you? What are you working on these days?

I’m excited to share that I have transitioned into a full-time employee with Asian Texans for Justice. My previous role was a part-time capacity working on mobilizing the San Antonio and youth AAPI communities. And now, I get to fully devote my time and ENERGIES to all things ATJ through community engagement statewide!

How can others support your work or get involved?

Please follow us on social media! @AsianTexansforJustice where you can find all the amazing things that our team is doing to uplift the AAPI Texan community. Most importantly, we’re having AMAZING events in celebration of APAHM that you do not want to miss!

What’s been the most surprising thing about your work since you started?

The amount of love and friendship in the organizing space for all organizations centered on racial / social justice and equity, to work together to build something so amazing for their respective communities. It shows our strengths to work together for a better future for all, to empower and uplift one another, and most importantly – take care of each other.

Have you read any books lately? What are you doing when you’re not working?

I started reading an amazing book called “Permission to Come Home” by Dr. Jenny T. Wang that connects the AAPI community and mental health in a way that has never been seen before. Above all, she offers permission to return closer to home, a place of acceptance, belonging, healing, and freedom.

Finish this sentence: In a perfect democracy…

The right to vote is recognized as a human right and no entity, no establishment, no person – would ever get in the way of that.

Ways to stay connected:

First and foremost – @asiantexansforjustice on Instagram & @asiantexans on Twitter.
Me personally? @nicredible on IG, that’s where you’ll see this minion IRL serving AAPI Texans centered in care & community.

The SLSV Coalition is the national hub and largest nonpartisan network in the United States dedicated to increasing college student voter participation. The Coalition convenes and connects partners, campuses, and students with each other and with resources and programming towards achieving a vision of ensuring that every student has easy and equal access to participate in every election. They use data, relationships, celebration, and easy-to-follow planning structures, to help campus and local leaders register and turnout more student voters every year. The SLSV Coalition is a project of NEO Philanthropy. NEO Philanthropy is strictly nonpartisan, and does not support or oppose any candidate or party.