Community to Capitol Advocacy Framework: State-Level Advocacy for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Students in Higher Education
by Cirian Villavicencio and Kirin Macapugay
ABSTRACT: This essay introduces a practitioner framework, Community to Capitol, to guide advocates on making legislative changes that benefit Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) students at the statewide level. Sparked by the Stop AAPI Hate movement and building on the movements behind Assembly Bills 1460 (requiring ethnic studies courses for California State University undergraduates), 1040 (requiring California Community Colleges to offer ethnic studies at each college), and 101 (requiring ethnic studies in California public schools) to recognize the need for ethnic studies requirements in California, the historical and pivotal California AANHPI Student Achievement Program is the first state higher education program in the United States to serve low-income, first-generation, and underresourced AANHPI higher education students. This paper describes the impetus behind the equity movement in the U.S. and recounts chronologically advocacy efforts behind the AANHPI Student Achievement Program, from its inception in 2019 to its enactment in 2022 enshrined in California’s Education Code. This case study includes a reflective analysis to better understand the successes of the overall advocacy effort, weaving best practices including strategic leadership from public representatives, community to institutional partnerships, coalition building, and cross-stakeholder collaboration to formulate the Community to Capitol advocacy framework as a guide for future state-based advocacy.
Article Citation: Cirian Villavicencio and Kirin Macapugay (2024) Community to Capitol Advocacy Framework: State-Level Advocacy for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Students in Higher Education. AAPI Nexus: Policy, Practice and Community: 2024, Vol. 21, No. 1 & 2.