With support from The Asian American Foundation, Interfaith America has embarked on a research endeavor to increase awareness and understanding of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Specifically, our work examines their complex religious, spiritual, and secular identities; explores the role of religion in fostering AAPI solidarity and belonging in the United States; and identifies promising practices for engaging AAPI communities in bridgebuilding work across racial and religious lines. This initiative also provides a unique opportunity to showcase as-yet-untold stories of AAPI leaders in different religious, civic, and professional sectors.
Featured Research Participants
Natasha Akery
Natasha Akery is a secondary language arts teacher in North Charleston, South Carolina. She is a biracial Korean-American woman.
Anu Gorukanti
Anu Gorukanti, MD (she/hers) is a public health practitioner, pediatric hospitalist, and co-founder of Introspective Spaces, a social venture committed to building reflective space and community for women in healthcare. She is also a member of the Sacred Journeys and Witness fellowships.
Lisa Doi
Lisa Doi (she/her) is a PhD candidate in American Studies at Indiana University and a community organizer with Tsuru for Solidarity, a Japanese American abolitionist organization. Lisa grew up in a Jodo Shinshu Buddhist community--a place where her faith and ethnic identities combine.
Suraj Arshanapally
Suraj Arshanapally, MPH is a Health Communication Specialist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He is Agnostic and Culturally Hindu. Suraj holds an MPH in Social and Behavioral Sciences from Yale University and a BS in Public Health from Saint Louis University.
Yanan Rahim Melo
Yanan Rahim Melo (he/him) is a writer from Cagayan de Oro, Philippines, currently pursuing his M.Div. at Princeton Theological Seminary, where he studies race, ecology, Asian American theology, and American religious history. His research has been featured on Christianity Today, Sojourners, Inheritance Magazine, the Institute for Studies in Asian Church and Culture, and more.
Tahil Sharma
Tahil Sharma is the Regional Coordinator for North America at the United Religions Initiative (URI), the world's largest interfaith network of grassroots communities, dedicated to establishing cultures of peace, justice, and healing in the world. Tahil's Hindu and Sikh background inspires his work for education, pluralism, and justice, working in local, regional, and international spaces for over a decade.
Derek Wu
Derek Wu is a PhD student in the Department of Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley (Designated Emphasis in Global Metropolitan Studies). Derek researches religion, race, displacement, and residential segregation in the S.F. Bay Area, where he grew up as a second-generation Taiwanese American. Derek received his B.A. in Bible and Theology from Biola University and M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary, earning a certificate in Black Church Studies and the Asian American Ministry Award.
Eishna Ranganathan
Eishna Ranganathan is a graduate of Swarthmore College and an incoming student at MIT Sloan, where she will pursue a Master of Business Analytics. As an undergraduate student, Eishna was an interfaith intern on Swarthmore’s campus and participated in many of IFYC’s events, such as the annual ILI in Chicago and a keynote address by Eboo Patel at the College.
Aroona Toor
Aroona Toor is a DrPH student at the George Washington University and an Office of Minority Health Fellow at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Aroona’s professional experiences have included leading the Health Policy and Advocacy work of American Muslim Health Professionals, serving as a Project Manager for Health Equity at the American Cancer Society, and serving new Americans at CG Immigration Law.
Read the Series
Stories published as part of this initiative offer key findings from the research and spotlight AAPI changemakers across different religious, civic, and professional sectors.
