About us

We are a Washington State Employee Business Resource Group for Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian, and Asian employees and their allies. 

Mission

HAPPEN’s mission is to improve lives by increasing ANHPI representation in leadership and general state employment and advocating for policies that promote anti-racism, equity, inclusion, diversity, and belonging in the workplace. We work to build a culture of inclusion and belonging that gives voice to the Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander experience.

Vision

A Business Resource Group for Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian, and Asian employees and their allies that transforms the state’s narrative of oppression, inequity and exclusion, and gives an identity and voice to current employees. We strive for a culture that allows all to fully participate and be their authentic self at work.

Values

Our values are:

  • Antiracism
  • Equity
  • Diversity
  • Inclusion
  • Belongingness

We are firmly committed to these values. The organizational culture they create will dismantle bias and discrimination. We commit to each other, our communities, our allies, and to transforming our workplaces. We will continue to amplify and center the voices of the communities we represent. Through this representation we work towards a state government that eliminates discrimination and increases equity and justice for all.

Charter

Our charter and bylaws includes the reasons for starting the group, how meetings are conducted, how decisions are made, and information about committees and how positions are elected:

Goals

Goal 1: Advance pro-equity and anti-racism by cultivating a culture of belonging throughout all levels of state government.

  • Provide and encourage safe spaces while working towards brave spaces for Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian, and Asian voices by hosting meetings and events accessible to all state employees.
  • Increase awareness of the experienced trauma and marginalization of Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Asian communities.
  • Amplify the voices of Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander state employees through empowerment to be active voices in policy development and meeting the state’s business needs.
  • Provide information, strategies and recommendations to state executives, management, employees, and the Governor’s Office regarding the perspective of the Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Asian communities.
  • Recognize, honor and elevate Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian, and Asian history through activities that promote cultural awareness and understanding while addressing assumptions and myths about Asians, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (combat implicit bias, dispel the model minority myth, identify microaggressions, stereotypes, etc).

Goal 2: Recruit, retain, and nurture a diverse and equitable workforce.

  • Increase annual retention rate of Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Asian state employees respectively by fostering a sense of belonging across the enterprise.
  • Increase representation of Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian, and Asian state employees respectively so that it is reflective of Washington state’s citizenry.
  • Educate employees, managers, and executive leaders to acknowledge, understand, and address awareness and effects of violence and microaggressions in the workplace.
  • Plan and advertise outreach and networking events for future state employees.
  • Advise state human resource leaders on recruitment and hiring practices, such as reducing biases in job posting, application review, interview, salary offer, and onboarding.

Goal 3: Enhance equity by providing and identifying professional development, advancement, and leadership opportunities.

  • Cultivate Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander leaders by leveraging members’ lived experiences, strengths, and skills.
  • Recruit and mentor Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian, and Asian state employee leaders.
  • Increase visibility, respect, and recognition of the significant contributions made through public service by Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and Asians.

Goal 4: Identify, explore, and address disparate barriers to advancement through analysis of disaggregated data, particularly for disparities facing Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Asian state employees.

  • Advocate for the disaggregation of data to accurately portray the disparities facing our Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander state employees.
  • Identify barriers to state employment and promotions. Work collaboratively with human resource leaders to reduce identified barriers.
  • Support and encourage state agencies to work towards equitable representation of ANHPI in all levels of management.
  • Address disparities related to colorism for Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Asians that are untraceable using traditional data tracking and analysis.

Goal 5: Support enterprise-wide efforts to support equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging and PEAR (Pro-Equity and Anti-Racism) initiatives, strategies, planning, and implementation.

  • Support alliances and initiatives that promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging across Washington State agencies.
  • Collaborate with other Business Resource Groups, the Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs (CAPAA), the Office of Equity, the Office of Financial Management, and other partners.
  • Foster an environment where all Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) employees feel valued and can be their authentic selves in the workplace.
  • Integrate our diverse cultural experiences, history, purpose, and values into the backbone of the Washington State government.