OUR TEAM
Dante Comet
Dante Comet (she/her) is a racial justice advocate based on the unceded, ancestral lands of the Munsee tribe of the Lenni Lenape people traditionally known as Manahatta (colonially known as Manhattan, New York). Her passions lie in actionable mutual aid and combating systemic oppression. More personally, she focuses on exploring "mixed" Asian advocacy and identity as well as the modern feminist movement. In the future, she hopes to work on building bridges between oppressed communities to strive for shared liberation.
AAJIL has been one of the strongest drivers in my social advocacy journey. It is the first space I felt free to question, to unlearn, and to dissect the uncomfortable. I cherish AAJIL's level of accessibility and commitment to community.
Elaine Chiu
Elaine Chiu (she/her) is an educator, facilitator, and community builder. Elaine has an educational background in Early Childhood Special Education, as well a second masters in Intercultural Studies with an emphasis on Asian American contexts. With her extensive experience as an elementary school teacher for 16 years, she is currently a co-director at AAJIL. Elaine’s lived experiences and work in the education field has led her to dedicate her studies and efforts into rethinking and reimagining curriculum and historical narratives, not only for her students, but for the community at large. As a lifelong learner, her commitment to learning fuels her dedication to studying, researching, and informing others, while fostering partnerships and communities who desire to make meaningful change.
I appreciate the space and support AAJIL has given me to explore my own identity as a Chinese American and to also be a part of a community of people who are dedicated to social and racial justice work. I’ve been deeply moved by the stories and experiences of the individuals in AAJIL and grateful for the opportunity to be on this journey with them.
HâN NguyỄN
Hân Nguyễn, LMSW (she/her/quýt) is a queer, cis-gender woman and identifies as part of the Vietnamese Refugee diaspora. She was born in the Philippines Refugee Camp and raised in Southern California's Little Saigon. She likes to take walks with her corgi, Lychee and enjoy live music and concerts. Hân is a lifelong anti-racist organizer, educator, and licensed social worker based in New York City. Hân is dedicated to dismantling systemic racism, advocating for mental health in Asian communities, and creating collective liberating spaces.
AAJIL gave me the opportunity to be curious and creative. I was able to experiment and co-create space with Asian identified folks in such a deep, reflective and vulnerable way.
jess tsang
Jess Tsang (they/them) is an independent scholar and former Special Education teacher from Tkaronto. They are currently based on Cession 286, the land now known as Los Angeles. Their interests lie in decolonizing and revolutionary pedagogies, teacher education, and the reimagining of new, hopeful, decolonial possibilities in education. Past publications include Humber College’s Resource Guides on Career Conversations for Learners with Disabilities, Disrupting the Colonizing Gaze and Mobilizing for Systemic Decolonization: 2020 World Events and the Curriculum of Critical Consciousness (2022 with Dr. Ardavan Eizadirad), and What’s Love Got To Do With It? Radical Self-Love as an Activist Pedagogy for Educators (2023 with Yara Kodershah).
I love AAJIL because it was the first time I started hearing my innermost thoughts, hopes, and dreams being articulated outside of me.
dr. Nat h.n. Low
Dr. Nat H.N. Low (they/them) is a queer marine ecologist and data specialist. They were born and raised in Singapore and are currently located on the central coast of California, on unceded territory of the Awaswas-speaking Uypi Tribe, currently stewarded by the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band. Nat is part of Bitter Cotyledons, a queer and trans Asian American collective in Santa Cruz centered around ancestral foodways, food growing, and community as creative resilience.
I am always inspired by the way the AAJIL community strives to live out the values of emergent strategy in our work. This is a community that consistently helps me believe that we can collectively build the just and loving world that we dream of.
Reiney Lin
Reiney Lin (she/her) is an organizer, trainer, and consultant with the Racial Equity Institute and the Groundwater Institute, where she serves as the lead Asian American trainer. Reiney has an institutional background in public health with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and in higher education with the Center for Race, Ethnicity & Diversity Education at Elon University. She is honored to be a part of the AAJIL team and contribute to collective learning spaces essential to organizing and the movement for racial justice.
The magic of AAJIL is having a space where we can give ourselves permission to be curious, to be authentic, and to sharpen our own analysis no matter where we are in our personal journeys.