Other Group

OPAWL – Building AAPI Feminist Leadership

Website:

www.opawl.org/

Type:

Advocacy Group

Formation:

2016

Project of:

Ohio Voice

Co-Directors:

Jona Hilario and Tessa Xuan

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OPAWL – Building AAPI Feminist Leadership (OPAWL, formerly Ohio Progressive Asian Women’s Leadership) is an activist organization of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women and “nonbinary” individuals in Ohio. 1

As of 2024, it was a fiscally sponsored project of the left-of-center advocacy organization Ohio Voice. 1

Background

OPAWL – Building AAPI Feminist Leadership was founded in 2016 as “Ohio Progressive Asian Women’s Leadership” and has since dropped its original name for the abbreviation. It is rooted in the pursuit of a “strong intersectional feminist community” with the aim of “building power and progressive leadership” in the state of Ohio. 1

As of 2024, it had locations in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, and Dayton. It claims to be a “multi-ethnic, multigenerational, intersectional feminist” community organization that endeavors to help “immigrants, refugees, and adoptees; women; and queer and trans individuals.” It makes a formal declaration of the “different indigenous tribes and nations” that once controlled the territories it operates in, saying that “acknowledgement is just the first step of repairing broken relationships caused by genocide, broader oppression, and unrecognized sovereignty.”  1

Purporting to be a grassroots community organization, as of 2024 it was a fiscally sponsored project the left-wing advocacy organization and voter mobilization group Ohio Voice. Ohio Voice is in turn the Ohio branch of State Voices, a national coalition of similar groups focused on election advocacy and environmentalist initiatives. 1

Activities

In 2024, OPAWL was running two advocacy campaigns: “Educating for Ohio’s Future” and “Love Has No Borders.” The former campaign pushes for House Bill 171, which aims to change the public-school curriculum “to reflect all Ohioans’ backgrounds and histories in order to help our kids understand the world, build empathy, and create better futures.” 2 The latter initiative is a “storytelling campaign” about those who have been affected by the “U.S. immigration system.” 3

In July 2024, OPAWL, the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless (NEOCH), a German citizen living in Cleveland, and a Canadian citizen living in Silver Lake brought a federal legal challenge against the state of Ohio regarding a campaign finance law that prevents foreign nationals and holders of “green cards” from contributing financially to state ballot-initiative campaigns. Represented by law firms Elias Law Group and Cooper Elliott, the plaintiffs argue that the new law violates the First Amendment. 4

The law, HB1, was signed by Governor Mike DeWine (R) on June , 2024 and was set to take effect on September 1, 2024. It was included with another bill to ensure incumbent President Joe Biden would be on the ballot that November despite the timing of the 2024 Democratic National Convention. According to an article from legal news site New York School Talk, HB1 came as a result of Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss’s ties to organizations that put money behind several Ohio ballot measures in 2023, including some related to abortion and legalizing marijuana. 4

Leadership

OPAWL is led by statewide co-directors Jona Hilario and Tessa Xuan. 1

References

  1. “About.” OPAWL. Accessed July 5, 2024. https://www.opawl.org/about/.
  2. “Educating for Ohio’s Future.” Educating for Ohio’s Future. Accessed July 5, 2024. https://www.educatingforohiosfuture.org/.
  3. “Love Has No Borders.” OPAWL. Accessed July 5, 2024. https://www.opawl.org/advocacy/love-has-no-borders/.
  4. Hernandez, Irena. “Lawsuit Challenges Ohio Law Banning Foreign Nationals from Donating to Ballot Campaigns.” New York School Talk, July 1, 2024. Accessed July 5, 2024. https://newyorkschooltalk.org/lawsuit-challenges-ohio-law-banning-foreign-nationals-from-donating-to-ballot-campaigns/
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