Pasifika Strong, a multi-national census of Pacific Islander community organizations in the continental US, created by Kevin Lujan Lee in his doctoral work. There are over 400 organizations already in the census.

The census data will be anonymized, aggregated, and released back to us in the community next year in December 2023. To facilitate the timely release of this public-facing report, organizations who will be reflected in the census need to respond by January 31st, 2023 for folks in the continental US and July 15th, 2023 for folks in Aotearoa/NZ.

Organizations can go to https://bit.ly/pasifikastrong to take the census which is looking for churches, community centers, civic clubs, sports clubs, and advocacy organizations directed by Pasifika community leaders. They intentionally serve Pasifika communities, that is Micronesian, Melanesian, and Polynesian populations that are not Native to the Continental US and Aotearoa/NZ. Kevin can also be contacted at kevinjl@mit.edu.

Kevin credits inspiration for this project in part from the wise words of Saina (elder) Frank Rabon, a master of Chamoru dance in his home island of Guåhan (Guam). He asked: “Are you Chamoru with every breath that you take, or do you ever decide to stop being Chamoru as soon as you step away from our island?” Pasifika Strong is part of how he stands with ALL of our people to celebrate our languages, cultures, and future.