In partnership with the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC), FIRM will be part of the statewide Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Boys and Men of Color coalition. This group includes other AAPI serving organizations from throughout California that will work together to ensure that the AAPI perspective is included in legislative issues, both at a state and national level. FIRM will work in conjunction with the team to work on issues such as education, mental health, criminal justice and more. To kickoff the coalition, SEARAC convened the participating organizations on May 24 in Long Beach to discuss a strategy for the coalition. FIRM Executive Director says, “It is an honor and privilege for FIRM to be part of this coalition and to join some of our state’s most effective AAPI serving organizations. There is a lot of work to do to ensure that AAPI young people have a voice when it comes to legislation that directly impacts their lives, but this is a great start to these efforts”.