In January of 2021, SAAPRI’s Executive Director Shobhana Verma joined the 2021 Inauguration Day celebrations virtually on WGN-TV, including the South Asian American community’s voice on the historical day. The 2020 General Election definitely confirmed one thing – Every single…
2020 Impact Report: Learning from 2020 and Looking to 2021
SAAPRI’s Executive Director Shobhana Verma shares reaction to Kamala Harris’ Vice Presidential Election on NBC News
On November 8th, 2020, SAAPRI’s Executive Director Shobhana Verma shared her reactions on the election of Vice President Kamala Harris on NBC News. Seeing a daughter of immigrants parents embracing her biracial roots on her way to becoming the first…
SAAPRI’s Executive Director Shobhana Verma discusses Asian Americans and voting in Chicago
On November 3rd, 2020, SAAPRI’s Executive Director Shobhana Verma, New Yorker staff writer Hua Hsu, and Executive Director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Chicago spoke on WBEZ about how Asian Americans could be the last group of undecided voters and how local groups…
Town Hall: Mental Health and Civic Engagement in the South Asian Community
On May 21st, 2020, SAAPRI held its first virtual town hall event in partnership with UChicago MannMukti. In light of the COVID-19 crisis, the town hall focused on South Asian mental health, civic engagement, and the connection between the two.…
South Asians and the 2020 Census with Northwestern SASA
On February 11th, 2020, SAAPRI hosted a Census education session at Northwestern University in partnership with their South Asian Students Alliance (SASA). SAAPRI appreciated the opportunity to connect with the Northwestern SASA and share how the Census affects college students…
SAAPRI welcomes new Executive Director, Shobhana Johri Verma
SAAPRI would like to thank Dhara Puvar for her years of service as Executive Director of SAAPRI. We are grateful for her years of service and appreciate all the work she has done as the Executive Director of SAAPRI. We would also like to…
Report – Defying Dependence: Impacts of H-4 Authorization Policy on Immigrant Women, Families, and Communities
On February 20th, 2019, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a proposal to remove “H-4 dependent spouses from the class of aliens eligible for employment authorization,” which has been under review for months with an uncertain decision date. Rescinding…
Chicago South Asian American Summit
On July 13th, 2019, the Indian American Democratic Organization (IADO) held its first-ever Chicago South Asian American Summit at the SEIU Healthcare’s Union Hall in Chicago. More than 80 South Asian American elected officials, organizers, and community leaders attended the…
2019 Illinois Municipal Elections
On April 2nd, 2019, there were hundreds of municipal elections taking place across Illinois with elections for mayor, city councils, treasurers, clerks, village boards of trustees, and more. Here is everything you need to know about SAAPRI’s civic engagement work: Phone Banking…