Sipra Jha receives Leadership Award!
Minneapolis, MN. October 3, 2024 – AWUM’s interim Executive Director Sipra Jha has been named a recipient of the 2024 Asian Pacific Minnesotans Leadership Awards, which is presented by the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans. Along with four other Asian Pacific Minnesotans & one non-profit organization, Sipra will be recognized at the 2024 Asian Pacific Minnesotans Leadership Awards Dinner on Friday, October 18, 2024.
Among the six sub-categories of the awards, Sipra will be receiving the Lifetime Service Award which recognizes her work to advance systemic social, economic, and educational justice for Asian Pacific Minnesotans.
As AWUM’s Shelter Director since 2009, and currently also as AWUM’s interim Executive Director, Sipra carries into her work a deep belief in the nobility, strength, courage and self-agency of every human being. She brings a collaborative spirit, deep commitment to defend the rights of those most vulnerable, dedication to preserve human dignity, and devotion to lift up women as she works daily to advance AWUM’s mission to end domestic violence.
“My main work has been advocacy and fighting for justice for those who have been left out of the system and looking to live free of violence and fear.” - Sipra Jha
Sipra was born in India and earned a master’s degree in political science, international law, and women’s studies. She spent most of her early years doing intervention work, including working with Tibetan refugee women and children in Dharamsala, India. Woven into her advocacy work, she sought to bridge the gap between academia and activism. Sipra’s leadership extended beyond AWUM, including having served on the boards of Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women (now Violence Free Minnesota) and SEWA-AIFW (Asian Indian Family Wellness).
The Asian Pacific Minnesotan Leadership Awards Dinner, a long-standing tradition of the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans, brings together members from more than 40 Asian Pacific communities across the state to celebrate and honor through a nomination process the creativity, empathy, and vision needed to collaborate across these communities. It is an observance of the human spirit, and serves to recognize our shared histories, geographies, and chapters of existence.
AWUM Board of Directors and the entire AWUM staff joyfully congratulate Sipra Jha for receiving this Leadership Award & for being recognized for her service in the community!
For media inquiries or further information, please contact Nancy Wong at 612-724-0756 or nancy@awum.org
To learn more about the Oct. 18, 2024 event: mn.gov/capm/2024awards
Asian Women United of Minnesota’s mission is to end domestic violence by promoting safe and healthy relationships within the Asian-Pacific Islander community and beyond.