AAJA - Philadelphia

AAJA Philadelphia (aka AAJA Philly) is the Greater Philadelphia chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA). Founded in 1995 by Mark Angeles of the Philadelphia Daily News (now Philadelphia Inquirer) and Siani Lee of NBC10/Telemundo 62, our chapter proudly supports Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) journalists and our communities in the Greater Philadelphia region.

Since 2022, AAJA Philly have shifted our framework to design and deliver programming that centers community building with and for local AAPI communities and the AAPI journalists that serve them—our members. We have been very intentional about embedding AAJA Philly's presence in local AAPI spaces and supporting local AAPI and other communities of color organizations and businesses. Some activities to highlight:

1. In May 2022, we held a panel event with WHYY (Philadelphia's NPR affiliate) with guests featured in the WHYY Special series, Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders: A Philadelphia Story.
2. We worked with local AAPI photojournalist and AAJA Philly member, Hannah Yoon, and provided free headshots to AAJA Philly members at a local AAPI nonprofit, Asian Arts Initiative. We extended the opportunity to other local affinity groups (e.g., PABJ and NAHJ Philly) and community organizations that work with AAPI youths (e.g., VietLead, Asian Americans United, etc.).
3. We offered a two-part workshop series that explored trauma and journalism that was open to all AAJA members. We worked with an amazing duo of mental health practitioners and educators, Ibis Team, introducing trauma-informed-care in journalistic practices and for professionals in this industry.
4. Formed in August 2022, we are part of the Journalism Accountability Watchdog Network (J.A.W.N.) Coalition, a newsroom accountability network formed by Free Press, AAJA and NAHJ Philadelphia chapters, and PABJ. Collectively, J.A.W.N. advocates for diversity, equity, and inclusion within the media landscape in Philadelphia.
5. We collaborated with friends at NAHJ Philly and Al Día News to highlight the shared history, culture, and solidarity building across Filipino and Latinx communities.
6. With Philly Asian & Queer, we co-hosted a community conversation about AAPI media representation (including local news and journalism) from the perspective of consumers and AAPIs working in this field.

AAJA Philly invites you to support local storytelling with and for AAPI communities, by AAPI journalists by making a contribution to our campaign!