Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC)

Empowering Pacific Islander Communities–also known as EPIC–is a pro-Black, pro-Indigenous and anti-racist national organization based in Los Angeles that was established in 2009 to advance social justice through culture-centered advocacy, leadership development, research, and narrative change. EPIC is a fiscally sponsored project of Community Partners.

EPIC was established in 2009 by a group of young Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander (NHPI) leaders who recognized the urgency to address the growing needs of NHPI families. With experiences ranging from grassroots organizing to higher education administration, the founders prioritized building a strong and unified advocacy voice for Pacific Islanders. They set out to accomplish this by collecting and publishing disaggregated data to illustrate the needs of NHPI families; and establishing a pipeline of strong leaders who can be advocates and influencers in, and on behalf of, the community.