I have always been a strong believer in the power of learning and legacy in activism. If we do not look to the strengths and weaknesses, the successes and failures of our predecessors, the hurdles before us become that much more difficult to surmount. Whether we fight for feminism, anti-racism, LGBTQ activism, or workers’ rights, the work before us is a continuation of the battles that have been fought, imperfectly but valiantly, in the past.
As such, spending the last year working to document the histories of the amazing women who founded the first South Asian-focused anti-domestic violence advocacy organization has been nothing less than transformative for me. Learning about the motivations, strategies, and passions behind creating Arizona South Asians for Safe Families (ASAFSF) has taught me that community can be the greatest asset and that the most difficult part of making a change is getting started.
None of the founders of ASAFSF were social workers by trade but felt compelled to help the vulnerable women in their community who were otherwise shamed and silenced. They created an organization that, in the years since its inception, has helped countless women, both within and outside of the South Asian community, due to their dedication to not being bystanders. And they too learned from other South Asian organizations and general anti-domestic violence organizations. When they began, their mission was born from the legacy of other incredible women. Now that most of the founders have retired, their names have been added to that legacy.
When I left the Community-Driven Archives team after graduating in May 2021, I knew that there was still so much that I wanted to contribute to ASU’s archives work. Since rejoining the team shortly thereafter (this time as a community archivist), I am thrilled to share that the oral history interviews of ASAFSF’s founders along with associated photographs, flyers, and more will form the Navneet Kaur Memorial Archives. Named in remembrance of an Indian woman murdered by her husband in 2007, the collection will document the work of South Asian anti-domestic violence advocates in Arizona to ensure that their efforts are celebrated and preserved for researchers and future advocates alike.
This project has cemented for me what the future of equitable community archiving work looks like. It is not simply about collecting stories but about sharing them, learning from them, and being inspired by them. By rectifying the historical exclusion of minority communities in institutional and community archives, we are helping to bridge the gaps between past and present movements. We are providing the resources to help reunite individuals and communities with legacies that otherwise could have been lost or destroyed because of the same institutions that we now use for change. We are shifting our focus and shifting power dynamics. It is powerful work and I am grateful to be a part of it, both as an archivist and as someone who aspires to honor these legacies.