ANNIE MOUA (she/her/hers)

Annie Moua is a senior at Patrick Henry High School and was previously the Youth Organizer at the Coalition of Asian American Leaders (CAAL). As a Youth Organizer, Annie helped advocate for the investment of Hmong language and history courses that were cut from the Minneapolis Public School (MPS) District. Annie is also a youth leader in Becoming Organizer Becoming Advocates (BOBA) where Annie has helped coordinate and facilitate a weekend long retreat for Asian American youth. In BOBA, the youth co-create a safe and brave space to discuss current political issues, uplift the experiences of Asian American youth, and work together to find solutions. Annie believes that youth voice matter not only because youth are the future, but also because youth are the present and their voices belong at the table. Being a queer Asian American woman who believes in Christianity has made her face many challenges, but has also helped her find her spark.

JAE HYUN SHIM

Jae Hyun Shim is a queer, nonbinary, transracial/transnational adoptee from South Korea. They are a resident of South Minneapolis and organize around food justice, inclusive athletic and art spaces, and police abolition. Last summer, their synchronized swim team, The Subversive Sirens, brought home gold and silver in the International Gay and Lesbian Aquatics Championship during World Pride in New York City. You can hear Jae Hyun talk about swimming and equity in a recent MPR video postcard and read a roundtable published this spring in Open Rivers: Rethinking Water, Place & Community, a journal published by UMN Press.

Jae Hyun has been appointed time the Minnesota State Board of Behavioral Health and therapy for the past four years as a public member and currently sits on the Diversity Committee and the Complaints Resolution Committee. They also chair the Diversity Committee of the Health Professionals Service Program. They also organize with Reclaim the Block, MPD150 and sell art and food at the Support Local Hustle pop-up markets.

Jae Hyun’s most joyful moments are spent in the water, on their bike, eating or making food, and in the company of friends. They also enjoy reading budgets and setting up conditional formatting in a spreadsheet, especially in the name of funding true solutions to community safety.

ASMA MOHAMMED

Asma Mohammed completed her undergraduate degree in Political Science and Legal Studies at Macalester College in St. Paul. After graduating, Asma worked on a successful US Senate reelection campaign in Minneapolis, and spent 8 years as an educator—supporting hundreds of Minneapolis students and families. She is active in movements for survivors of sexual violence and justice for people of color. As Advocacy Director for Reviving Sisterhood, Asma regularly works to make sure Muslim women are included in all levels of the political process.

HOANG MURPHY

Hoang Murphy is the Founder/Executive Director of Foster Advocates, a social venture that aims to improve the child welfare system in Minnesota by providing advocacy, policy, and organizing with former foster care recipients and impacted communities.

A former high school English teacher and debate coach, he has seen the importance of amplifying student and family voices. Hoang also has had the honor of serving as the Public Policy Fellow with the United States Department of Education in the last year of the Obama Administration. As a former foster care recipient he knows that children and families must, and absolutely can, have a seat at the policymaking table. At Foster Advocates, he works to ensure that those most impacted by current inequities have a voice in making decisions and crafting solutions.

Hoang is a proud first-generation college graduate, with a B.A. from Syracuse University, where he majored in Policy Studies, and a M.S., Ed. from the Johns Hopkins University. In his spare time, he likes to brag about the Eastside of St. Paul, cook, and lament about the Minnesota Timberwolves.