RAISE is a pan-Asian undocumented group based on the East Coast. Our work is grounded in the intersection of being both undocumented and Asian/Pacific Islander (API). We are part of the collective 1.5 million undocumented API’s in the United States, and we want to use our personal experiences to give visibility to and highlight the humanity of our stories.
Through political activism, leadership development, community education, and coalition building, RAISE works at the grassroots level to reimagine justice and demand liberation for all immigrants in America. We believe that building a future where all undocumented immigrants can thrive requires an approach that takes into account our intersectional identities.
Our fight is not just about us, however; it is about the liberation of all oppressed peoples, which can only happen by dismantling the systems of oppression tied to the political-economic systems of capitalism and imperialism. This is why our movement for immigrant justice in the U.S. is rooted in solidarity with workers, youth, tenants, queer, trans, and gender non-conforming people, womxn, formerly incarcerated people, and other marginalized groups. Only by politically educating, mobilizing, and building the people power of these communities can we achieve full emancipation.
History
Revolutionizing Asian American Stories on the East Coast (RAISE) is based in New York City and Boston, and affiliated with the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF).
Founded in 2012, RAISE was created at the advent of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. DACA, which provided temporary reprieve from deportation and work authorization for certain undocumented youth, catalyzed RAISE’s basebuilding. The victory that accompanied DACA provided an avenue for many undocumented people to come out of the shadows, and provided a testament to how undocumented youth organizing can lead to systemic change.
Our Boston Chapter was formed in 2019 after Trump’s attempt to shut down the DACA program. The group is affiliated with the Asian American Resource Workshop (AARW) and the Asian Outreach Unit from Greater Boston Legal Services.
Acknowledgements
Asian Women Giving Circle
Asian American Writer’s Workshop
DRUM
Global Action Project
The New York Women’s Foundation
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