Biography
Vivian Chang (she/her/hers) is the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants and grew up in Columbus, Ohio. She is the Executive Director of Asian Americans United where she organizes multiracial coalitions to oppose a billionaire-backed arena threatening Chinatown, and stewards historic programs on youth leadership development and cultural preservation. She previously worked as a Civic Engagement & Racial Justice Director on voting, redistricting, immigration advocacy, political engagement, and racial justice. Vivian has led successful AAPI voter outreach campaigns in Nevada, Georgia, and virtually to support progressive candidates at the federal level. She previously worked in federal science policy, and worked for two years as an AmeriCorps VISTA in Philadelphia, Pa., and Moline, Ill. She is dedicated to advancing social and economic justice informed by the collective power of communities. She holds an MPA from Princeton University and a B.S. in Biological Physics and B.A. in Hispanic Studies from Carnegie Mellon University. Vivian lives in North Chinatown, Philadelphia, with her partner.
Articles, Publications, and Appearances
Articles:
- Chinatown residents brainstorm different ideas for Fashion District instead of proposed 76ers arena
- He lobbied Gavin Newsom to veto historic caste law. Who is Ramesh Kapur?
- Organizing for Change
- Exploited Esthetics: How Asian American Beauty Workers are Organizing
- The Asian American Activism You Won’t See On Instagram
- Violence Against Asian Americans Prompts Organizers to Take on Disinformation
- What Bigotry Looks Like During Social Distancing
- Asian Americans are seeing unprecedented outreach — but campaigns could still do better
Publications:
- M. Loo and V. Chang, “The Future of Work Must Include Asian American and Pacific Islanders: Harnessing the Power of the Fastest-Growing Working-Age Population in the Labor Movement.” Asian American Policy Review, Harvard University (2020).
- Power Concedes Nothing: How Grassroots Organizing Wins Elections, interviewed for chapter on AAPI electoral organizing. Edited by Linda Burnham, Max Elbaum, Maria Poblet (2022).
Appearances:
- Princeton University, Students and Alumni of Color conference (2024), Sustaining Movements: Creating Harmony from Discord. Panelist alongside speakers from ACLU and Center for Countering Digital Hate.
- Friendship Place (2023), Anti-Racism Training: Global Perspectives: Asian American Issues. Featured speaker.
- EMILYs List (2022), AAPI Women Leading the Way. Panelist alongside speakers from NAPAWF and Asian American Power Network.
- NextGen America (2022), AAPI Power Hour. Panelist alongside speakers from Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC and OCA.
- Princeton University, Students and Alumni of Color conference (2021), Alumni Panel: Transformative Justice. Panelist alongside speakers from Loyola University, Vera Institute of Justice, and Progressive International.
- UNAVSA (2021), An Introspective Look into Labor Rights in North America and Asia. Featured speaker.
- National Immigrant Integration Conference (2020), Census 2020: We Count. Panelist alongside speakers from Arab American Institute, CASA, Advancement Project, United We Dream, and CHIRLA.