Lailan Sandra Huen
Lailan is a strategist, facilitator and storyteller with over 20 years in education, youth development, public institutions, campaigns, and community organizing. She specializes in racial healing, progressive education policy reform, youth-led participatory action research, targeted equity strategies, and culturally responsive practices. Born and raised in Oakland in a Chinese American family with roots in the Gold Rush, Lailan is a 6th generation Californian and holds a Bachelors in Asian American and Urban Studies from Columbia University and a Masters in Media Education from The New School. She is a doctoral student at the California Institute of Integral Studies working on her PhD in Cultural Psychology. She has spent decades working with local and national community-based organizations, multiracial coalitions, and women of color alliances to build solidarity and ensure equitable voice in state, local and national systems change. Her work to preserve Oakland Chinatown is featured in the award-winning documentary Alice Street, a story of cross-racial solidarity, cultural resilience and belonging in urban communities.
Experience
Researching racial healing, belonging, beloved community, transformative somatics, and Asian American Studies at the California Institute of Integral Studies East-West Psychology PhD program.
Serving as a Racial Healing Coach and facilitating OUSD’s Racial Healing Fellowship and racial healing professional learning programs.
Worked in the Oakland Unified School District Office of Equity, founding Antiracist Learning, Racial Justice & Healing, Ethnic Studies, and Asian Pacific Islander Student Achievement programs.
As the Senior Field Representative for California State Assemblymember Sandré Swanson on education, housing and youth development, Lailan served as a liaison for constituents and leveraged state resources to make government work better for families and students.
As the Community Development Manager for the National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development (National CAPACD), Lailan published the Our Neighborhoods report documenting anti-displacement strategies and advocating for equitable community development policies for Asian American and Pacific Islander communities on Capitol Hill.
Trained in Youth-Led Participatory Action Research with Youth In Focus, Lailan worked with student leaders across the Bay Area to present their research to decision-makers for policy and practice change.
As part of SG&A, one of California’s top political consulting firms, Lailan developed media strategy to win progressive community campaigns across the state.
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