MassLive recently asked readers to identify people who are leaders from the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community throughout the state, working to make a difference in politics, education, business, the arts or another area of interest.
Profiles of these leaders will be published through AAPI Heritage Month in May. These are people our readers have identified as inspirational, who may be doing good acts for their communities. They are being recognized for their accomplishments, leadership and commitment to inspire change.
Amihan Matias is a leader in the AAPI community.Amihan Matias
Amihan Matias
Age: 60
Community: Springfield
Her story: Amihan Matias has a long history of community activism within Asian American and Pacific Islander communities and beyond across the state.
She is a founding board member of the Massachusetts Asian and Pacific Islanders For Health, serves on the board of directors of the Asian American Resource Workshop and the steering committee of the Asian and Pacific Islander Women’s Social Justice Project and helped found the Jasmine Asian Women’s Giving Circle in collaboration with the Boston Women’s Fund and the Haymarket People’s Fund.
Similarly, Matias has served in roles like being the Senior Director of Community Partnerships at the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts, being founder and principal of KAPWA Racial Equity Transformation and facilitates a six-month leadership forum for women of color and gender-expansive BIPOC called “And Still We Rise,” among others.
Matias told MassLive the reason for her impressive work is a deep passion for social justice, racial and gender equity and the liberation and wholeness of marginalized communities.
“I do this work because I want to help create a world that sees and values BIPOC in the fullness of our humanity, a world where we can access what we need to thrive, soar and contribute,” she said.
Matias was born in the Philippines and immigrated to the U.S. with her family as a child. While living in the U.S., she said her family experienced many forms of racism, including having belongings damaged and experiencing physical assault.
Experiencing racism toward herself and her family, Matias witnessed marginalization of people and communities of color around her.
Having been exposed to all of this, Matias was compelled to immerse herself in anti-racism/racial justice and equity work, which she feels honored to be a part of, she said.
In her words: “This work needs to be done collectively, in community. Kapwa is the Filipino word for community. It means shared identity, equality and being with others in a way that recognizes our common humanity. It is the recognition of the self in others that honors and celebrates the inextricable link that connects us to one another. This recognition is at the core of racial equity transformation.”
We’re always open to hearing about more inspiring people. If you’d like to suggest someone else who should be recognized, please fill out this form.
