The Asian American Pacific Islander Civic Engagement (ACE) Collaborative is part of a statewide, non-profit organization called New Virginia Majority. We work to build the community and political power of the AAPINH (Asia American, Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian) working-class population in Northern Virginia. Our agenda is rooted in racial, gender, environmental, and economic justice. It is one that calls for not just inclusion and tolerance, but an unapologetic embrace of democracy, justice, and progress.
Campaigns
The ACE Collaborative continues our work through campaigns – multilayered long-term issue-focused projects to improve conditions or meet the needs of communities/community members. ACE Campaigns are determined based on the current political climate, interactions with our communities, and in tandem with the hopes and dreams of those we represent.
If you are interested in becoming involved with one or more of our campaigns, feel free to email any of our organizers with your information. If you have questions regarding information about our campaigns specifically or wish to incubate a campaign with ACE, also please don’t hesitate to reach out. Additionally, the ACE Collaborative engages in relational organizing with other organizations and community groups to uplift, support, and empower adjacent-oriented campaigns.
Civic Engagement
The ACE Collaborative engages in civic engagement work through grassroots voter contact, engagement, and education programs. Our civic engagement work includes door-to-door canvassing, multitouch voter engagement, outreach programming, and focused social media content aimed at uniting voters of the AAPI community toward building electoral power. Through this work, we seek to strengthen the political voice of the AAPI community and platform issues that affect us.
The AAPI community in the United States is one of the fastest-growing voting-eligible populations and has demonstrated the capacity to shape elections throughout the history of the U.S. With issues such as the ongoing pandemic, AAPI hate, and political instability, the ACE Collaborative hopes to motivate voter turnout, agitate the current political powers, and elevate AAPI candidates to represent our communities.
Barcroft Tenants Group
Located in Arlington, Virginia, the Barcroft Apartments community is considered one of Arlington’s most diverse housing communities both culturally and linguistically. Barcroft has 1,334 units and has provided housing for many immigrants and their families for decades.
In December 2021, Barcroft Apartments was sold to Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners using loans from Arlington County and Amazon’s Housing Equity Fund. As per the deal, Jair Lynch was allowed to raise rents 3% per year starting in 2023. The problem is that most tenants living at Barcroft make below Arlington’s Area Median Income (AMI). This means that with the 3% rent increase every year, Barcroft apartments will no longer be affordable to low-income working-class families.
Tenants fought during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to cancel rent. Now, tenants are banding together to fight against the proposed 3% increase and demanding a rent freeze. Additionally, tenants are calling for Arlington County to guarantee adequate rental subsidies to all Barcroft Tenants in need to protect them from displacement.
ACE has been working with tenants to build collective power and ensure that Barcroft remains truly affordable. On August 2, 2022, ACE sent a letter to one of the investment associates at Jair Lynch, Mark Hannan. The letter was signed by many tenants of Barcroft and advocated for a meeting with Mark Hannan to discuss the current housing situation.
How to Get Involved
Membership - The ACE Collaborative engages in base-building work to support the work that we do with our campaigns and day-to-day activities. The ACE Collaborative encourages individuals interested in our work to join our General Body to see how they can best assist us and our communities. ACE members are individuals who regularly attend our activities, assist us with campaign work, and advocate for our organization in community settings. ACE hosts monthly General Body Meetings via Zoom and keeps connected with our members via the group messaging app Signal. If you are interested in joining ACE’s General Body, please contact an organizer today!
Volunteers + Volunteer Hours - Individuals interested in volunteering with ACE or those requiring volunteer hours are encouraged to reach out to Mitchell Yangson. Volunteers may be individuals who assist us in our work once or a few times. The ACE Collaborative can provide engagement opportunities for individuals that need volunteer hours.
Partners - The ACE Collaborative is always looking for other organizations or groups doing adjacent work to partner with. If you or your group is interested in working with us further or on specific issues/projects, please reach out to an organizer today!
Staying Connected: Be sure to be informed about the work we are doing through our social media.
Instagram: @Ace_collaborative
Twitter: @ace_collab
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/acecollaborative/
For additional questions or to contact us, please email us at [email protected]. Also, be sure to ask how you can get added to ACE’s Monthly Newsletter!