Ten Year Celebrations

2000 - 2010: Ten Years of Strengthening South Asian Communities

After a decade of building stronger communities through our four program areas of policy advocacy, community outreach and mobilization, leadership development, and partnerships, SAALT now stands at a truly unique moment in our organizational history. In 2010, we celebrate ten years of SAALT’s work.

SAALT’s three-year strategic plan provides an overview of our direction in the years ahead. We cannot move forward without your help. See below for our 10th anniversary initiatives.

Make a contribution to SAALT
Join us for our 10th Anniversary events in Chicago, San Francisco, New York, and Washington, DC. See details below.

Join us for SAALT’s 10th Anniversary Events!

SAALT is holding special events in Chicago, San Francisco, New York, and Washington, D.C. to celebrate the milestones we have reached together with our local partners.

Announcement regarding the DC Celebration: Due to unforeseen circumstances, the event scheduled to be held on the 2nd of September is being rescheduled. Details of the new date will be made available soon. Please check back for further information, or e-mail info@saalt.org.

San Francisco: October
New York: November
Details coming soon!

Previous Events

Kickoff Celebration in Chicago

On May 25th, SAALT kicked off a series of events to celebrate its 10th anniversary with an awards reception in Chicago. Held at the Mars Gallery in the West Loop, the event brought together community members, advocates, and allies from around Chicagoland to highlight the importance of SAALT's work in their communities.

Five organizations serving the South Asian community in Chicago and fellow partners in the National Coalition of South Asian Organizations (NCSO) were presented with Community Builder awards, including Apna Ghar, Indo-American Center, South Asian American Policy and Research Institute, South Asian Progressive Action Collective, and The Hamdard Center. Representatives from the recipients organizations highlighted the important role that SAALT and the NCSO plays in connecting their work to the national policy dialogues.

SAALT would like to extend a very special thanks to special guest, Nancy Ali, and the Chicago Host Committee: *Anita Banerji *Selma D'Souza *Venu Gupta *Maryah Qureshi *Andrea Raila * Jayesh Rathod *Suja Shunmugavelu

Visit SAALT's Flickr page for pictures

From 2000 to Today

A decade ago, SAALT was created by volunteers who were focused on building leadership development programs for South Asian youth. September 11, 2001 marked a turning point for the organization; SAALT organized volunteers around the country to conduct outreach and advocacy to address the unprecedented backlash that faced community members. By 2004, SAALT’s Board of Directors secured a significant grant which led the organization to open up an office in New York City and hire its first two staff members (Deepa Iyer, Executive Director, and Imrana Khera, Program Manager).

In 2005, SAALT moved its office to the Washington DC area, and has been here since. Through the involvement of staff, volunteers, advisors and Board members over the years, the organization has evolved into a strong institution. Today, six full-time staff members and consultants implement SAALT’s programs, while strengthening community-based partnerships with organizations around the country.

With years of experience in organizing and advocating for the community; creating a National Coalition of South Asian Organizations (NCSO); developing a national action agenda that is firmly rooted in the needs of our communities, SAALT has carved a national, responsive, and cohesive presence for the voices and experiences of the South Asian communities in America. (Read more about SAALT’s accomplishments here.)

Make a Contribution to SAALT’s 10 Year Anniversary Appeal Today.

Over the course of the next three years, SAALT will be engaging in three initiatives of significance for our communities. Your support for these initiatives will build leadership skills in community advocates and students, increase civic engagement, and ensure a voice at the table for our communities.

Leaders for Social Change: SAALT is developing programs that will provide college students and young professionals with leadership skills and connections that they need to transform themselves into social change leaders. Your contributions towards the Leaders for Social Change program will help us support twelve summer interns between 2010 and 2012; organize workshops and trainings on college campuses; and leadership seminars for young professionals. Donate Today!

Be the Change: Every October, this national day of service brings thousands of people together for one purpose: to give back. In 2009, over 3,000 volunteers contributed 7,000 hours of service in over 70 cities and campuses around the country. On SAALT’s tenth anniversary, we would like your help to make Be the Change 2010 reach more communities across the country. Your contribution will be directed towards expanding Be the Change 2010 to 100 cities and campuses. Donate Today!

Ten Years Later Campaign: 2011 will mark the ten year anniversary of September 11, a watershed moment for America and the world. South Asians have been deeply affected by the post 9/11 environment. South Asian communities have borne the brunt of the backlash, and misguided discriminatory policies that fail to provide effective safeguards for national security. In order to document the post 9/11 impact on our community and to advocate with Congress and government agencies for policies that respect civil rights, the Ten Years Later campaign will mobilize communities, develop reports, and organize hearings around the country. Your contribution will be directed towards campaign efforts that reach community members, students, and policymakers. Donate Today!

We need your help to achieve these goals.

Please make a tax deductible donation to SAALT today.


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