Asian Refugees United (ARU) builds intergenerational and interethnic power for positive lasting changes through sharing art, healing, culture, and political engagement. In 2016, leaders from the Vietnamese and Bhutanese refugee community came together in solidarity to fight for fair labor rights for nail salon workers in California. From this, ARU was founded to continue centering the voice and leadership of Asian refugees who’ve resettled in Oakland, California. Asian Refugees are thriving, healthy community leaders who have the knowledge, voice, and power to be active agents of change in their neighborhoods, alongside marginalized African American, Latino, and other immigrant communities.

ARU’s mission is to address the shared struggles of refugees resettling in East Oakland. Our populations struggle with high rates of mental and physical health issues – diabetes, depression, suicide. We also struggle with identity. ARU helps refugees resettled in Oakland reach their full potential by working in tandem with a coalition of social service organizations to unite refugee communities by utilizing a holistic approach towards healing and growth.

Our programming improves the health and well-being of Asian immigrant and refugee communities specifically through intergenerational leadership development, political education, community organizing, social movement building, storytelling, artistic and cultural practices, and cross-cultural communications.