COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT:
Jake Fitisemanu Jr. BY JENNY HOR
The work of Jake Fitisemanu goes beyond the usual eight-hour workday. From organizing civic engagements to providing keynote addresses, he does it all. And humility seems to encompass all that he offers.
His commitment towards community advocacy seamlessly intersects with his status as a self-described“ regular person.” He once shared the stage with local elected officials addressing a room of Asian American and Pacific Islander students and young professionals. He was one of two individuals not in the political realm but his message was clear: Everyday people are capable of reaching their upper limits to better their community.
Identity is important to Fitisemanu, whose community work is rooted in his Samoan, Chinese, and Korean ancestry. Prior to calling Utah home, Fitisemanu lived in New Zealand and Hawaii.
“ I can’ t pull myself apart from my culture,” he says.“ I love that I can rely and draw on centuries of indigenous wisdom. I reflect back with a lot of happiness. We were an immigrant family.”
His advocacy work also stems from his family. His grandparents passed away from preventable chronic diseases and his work revolves around helping others live long, meaningful lives. He is engaged with the idea of community members working together to empower each other and to“ do it for ourselves.”
He enjoys Utah’ s“ growing diversity” but understands the frequently-cited phrase is a bit of a misnomer.
“ We talk about diversity as a theme that’ s emerging or a new trend, but if we actually look at the history of Utah, white folks have only been the majority for a very, very short time. It’ s important to recognize this growing diversity is not a new idea. However, the immigrant groups coming in are very new.”
Last year, he was appointed to President Barack Obama’ s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. The commission works to establish ties among local Asian American and Pacific Islander communities and federal agencies by focusing on a broad range of issues such as education, economic development, and health.
“ I was actually pretty shocked,” Fitisemanu says when he learned of his nomination. He expressed initial hesitation in serving on the commission because his work doesn’ t put politics first. It’ s the grassroots and community organizing that keeps him grounded.
He dwelled on his decision for a day before agreeing to the nomination.“ The work that we do here affects my own kids and me, as well, so it was an opportunity I couldn’ t say no to.”
As the clinic manager for the Health Clinics of Utah, Fitisemanu is tasked with overseeing the state-owned clinics
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