history | objectives | core values
The Asian Pacific Islander Community Leadership Foundation (ACLF) is a community-based, nonprofit organization that trains and supports the leadership of Asian Pacific Islanders with a commitment to social justice, community empowerment and public service.
Our mission is to promote social, economic and political justice by training and supporting a strong, sustainable community of civically engaged leaders that reflects the diversity of local Asians & Pacific Islanders.
In December 6, 1998, a group of community leaders from different organizations and government offices met to discuss the need for an organization that could serve a growing need: the ability to train and nurture emerging leaders. These leaders included: Jeffrey Hattori, Michael Latimer, Doris Lock, Akemi Matsumoto, Jill Nishi, Diana Sheythe, Sue Taoka, Kip Tokuda, Trang Tu, and Joan Yoshitomi. ACLF had the intent of nurturing leaders, who embrace values of community and social justice, to affect social change through proactive, principle practice. New leaders often sought out mentors and other people they could go to for advice.
The founding committee adopted a mission statement and began to lay down the ideas that would lead to the founding of the Asian Community Leadership Foundation (ACLF).
ACLF had its first program run in 1999-2000. Since that time, ACLF has improved its sessions in many ways. Board members added sessions to address new concerns and needs in the community. It partnered with Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics (LEAP) to put on a joint leadership seminar. The active board has grown in size and diversity. ACLF hired its first full-time coordinator. The founding members of ACLF have seen their continue to take shape and become reality.
In the future, ACLF will continue to address the needs of tomorrow’s leaders in the Asian/Pacific Islander community.
Mission Statement
December 8th, 1998
The mission of the Asian Pacific Community Leadership Foundation is to build individual and community leadership which:
- Promotes greater economic, social and political justice;
- Develops and mentors ethical, highly-skilled, and caring API leaders; and
- Strengthens the unique and diverse voices of the united API community in the democratic process.
Developed and committed to by:
Jeffrey Hattori
Michael Latimer
Doris Lock
Akemi Matsumoto
Jill Nishi
Diana Sheythe
Sue Taoka
Kip Tokuda
Trang Tu
Joan Yoshitomi
ACLF’s purpose is to provide an environment which fosters the development of individual leadership, community strength, and inter-community unity to promote issues critical to API’s.
The key components of our organization include leadership training, political empowerment, community organizing, and mentorship.
Our objectives are:
- To prepare API’s for leadership positions in the public, private, political, and non-profit sectors;
- To strengthen API influence in the democratic process and;
- To increase API involvement in civic participation.
ACLF is non-partisan and involves any API community interested in participating.
Our core values are:
- A belief in social and political justice;
- Non-discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, age, ability or sexual orientation and;
- Asian Pacific Islanders must be represented in all echelons of business, academics, government, nonprofit and political sectors.
