Asian Immigrant Women Advocates (AIWA)

Asian Immigrant Women Advocates (AIWA) Asian Immigrant Women Advocates (AIWA) was founded in 1983 in recognition of the needs of low-income Asian immigrant women.

AIWA works with women workers employed in the garment, hotel, restaurant, electronics assembly and other low-wage industries in Oakland, San Francisco, and Santa Clara County’s “Silicon Valley”. AIWA seeks to empower women through education, leadership development and collective action, so that they can fight for dignity and justice in their working and living conditions. We developed a leadership

program that empowers immigrant women and youth to develop and take their leadership skills and knowledge to scale. The Community Transformational Organizing Strategy provides immigrant women and youth with the resources, tools and knowledge to be progressively and systematically more involved in AIWA and other social justice work, and be more civically engaged and connected in the community.

We are so grateful to be the 2026 AANHPI Heritage Month honoree for Alameda County District 3! Thank you to Supervisor L...
05/15/2026

We are so grateful to be the 2026 AANHPI Heritage Month honoree for Alameda County District 3! Thank you to Supervisor Lena Tam and her fellow county supervisors for recognizing AIWA. During the recognition, our members spoke about AIWA’s impact and the important need for retirement benefits for our Alameda In-Home Supportive Services workers.

On May 1st, International Workers' Day, we showed up in the streets of Fruitvale to march for justice, respect, and prot...
05/15/2026

On May 1st, International Workers' Day, we showed up in the streets of Fruitvale to march for justice, respect, and protections for workers and immigrants May Day is a day rooted in the global, united celebration and solidarity of workers, honoring the historic struggles that secured workers' rights and the continued fight for fair treatment.

Happy National Women’s History Month! This March, we’re celebrating the incredible immigrant women in AIWA history. Sinc...
03/27/2026

Happy National Women’s History Month! This March, we’re celebrating the incredible immigrant women in AIWA history.

Since 1983, AIWA has worked with immigrant workers employed in the Bay Area’s garment, home care, hotel, restaurant, assembly, and other low-wage industries, as well as low-income immigrant youth in Oakland. Through education, leadership development, and collective action, AIWA women fought and continue to fight for dignity and justice in their daily lives and to improve their working and living conditions.

Over the years, our members have built an extraordinary list of accomplishments — all conceptualized, organized, and carried out by limited-English-speaking, low-income immigrant women. We're happy to honor their work with you. Swipe to learn more!

On December 19, 2025, over 30 IHSS home care workers gathered to speak with Alameda County Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Ba...
02/20/2026

On December 19, 2025, over 30 IHSS home care workers gathered to speak with Alameda County Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas about retirement benefits and holiday pay.

“We are committed to helping women fight for their rights and improve their lives,” peer organizer SoHung said. “We work very hard to take care of our elderly clients without breaks. We want to have reassurance in our future when we cannot work anymore.”

IHSS (In-Home Supportive Services) caregivers provide essential care to those who need it the most, working long hours, overtime on weekends, with little rest, all while performing physically and emotionally demanding tasks. Yet they still do not receive holiday pay or retirement benefits.

Now, it is crucial for us to advocate for fair treatment of immigrant workers, including IHSS workers. Thank you to supervisor Fortunato Bas. Stand with us as we continue to support our caregivers!

Happy Lunar New Year! 🧧 🐎 🎉 2026 is the year of the horse. The year of the horse means a year of optimism, opportunity, ...
02/13/2026

Happy Lunar New Year! 🧧 🐎 🎉

2026 is the year of the horse. The year of the horse means a year of optimism, opportunity, vitality, and perseverance. In these trying times, we'll embody these qualities in the fight for immigrant's rights.

This year, we look forward to furthering our mission of empowering low-income, limited English speaking Asian immigrant women and youth.

Your support has been an essential part of the journey, and we look forward to your continued partnership. If you’re interested in supporting AIWA, visit our website. Wishing you a wonderful 2026! 😊

Thank you to all the wonderful artists, volunteers, and participants that made the Asian American Women Artists Winter F...
02/06/2026

Thank you to all the wonderful artists, volunteers, and participants that made the Asian American Women Artists Winter Fair possible! It was such a beautiful event and we were so grateful to see so many people supporting the wonderful work of Asian American artists and organizers. Looking forward to the next fair!

Featuring Barbara Morita! “As a watercolorist I combine modern/ California colors with a Japanese/ Sumi-e aesthetic to c...
12/11/2025

Featuring Barbara Morita! “As a watercolorist I combine modern/ California colors with a Japanese/ Sumi-e aesthetic to create a uniquely Japanese-American style. Each painting has a story or emotion that reflects the moment I was painting. I also create Japanese-American themed crafts utilizing washi paper, ribbon fish, origami or fused glass. New venture is Japanese fabric table runners.”

The AAW Fair is on December 14, 2025, 12:00-4:30pm at the Asian Resource Center Lobby on 310 8th Street Oakland!

Featuring Mari Rose Taruc! Mari Rose Taruc is an artist and activist based in Ohlone land, Oakland CA. She coordinates e...
12/11/2025

Featuring Mari Rose Taruc! Mari Rose Taruc is an artist and activist based in Ohlone land, Oakland CA. She coordinates environmental justice campaigns on the macro scale, and on the micro scale coordinates flowers into arrangements and botanical fashion. She has 30 years of wedding and event flowers experience, plus 15 years of ikebana practice and teaching. She finds joy in dressing up friends in flower crowns and earrings, leis for graduation, and corsages for special occasions. Using local and sustainable materials as much as possible, she honors the seasons. With a commitment to social justice, she offers sliding scale rates to make her flower offerings accessible especially to lower income BIPOC folks and organizations. Visit her flowery Instagram peopleflower.rose

The AAW Fair is on December 14, 2025, 12:00-4:30pm at the Asian Resource Center Lobby on 310 8th Street Oakland! See you there!

Featuring artist Cynthia Lee! Cynthia Lee has been working with mosaic and fused glass since 2020; during the Covid pand...
12/09/2025

Featuring artist Cynthia Lee! Cynthia Lee has been working with mosaic and fused glass since 2020; during the Covid pandemic, and found she loved working with color and textures. She especially loves to create "memory boxes" and cover boxes with beautiful mosaics designs. She also creates pieces for windows, stepping stones, and small fused glass dishes, and abstract designs. She finds working with this art form to be very meditative and has joined the Studio 9 Mosaic Art Center to work on her pieces. Cynthia also performs as a jazz vocalist locally.

Join us for the AAW Faire on December 14, 2025, 12:00-4:30pm at the Asian Resource Center Lobby on 310 8th Street Oakland!

Today we're featuring artist Edith Ng! Edith says, "I have been making ceramics since 2018. After retiring from my caree...
12/09/2025

Today we're featuring artist Edith Ng! Edith says, "I have been making ceramics since 2018. After retiring from my career as an educator at UC Berkeley, I tried a variety of art mediums, e.g., mosaics, drawing, pastels, to enhance my creativity, but it was not until I took a ceramics class at City College of San Francisco that I found my passion. The imperfect nature of hand- building is a constant reminder to me that life is not perfect and that is okay. My creations are all hand-built, one of a kind and functional. I like making things durable, light and colorful, and that are multi-purpose, e.g., trays and bowls that can be displayed as art and used for serving food, with a focus on affordability." Join us for the AAW Faire on December 14, 2025, 12:00-4:30pm at the Asian Resource Center Lobby on 310 8th Street Oakland!

Address

310 8th Street, Ste 301
Oakland, CA
94607

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+15102680192

Website

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