Elizabeth Kari

Elizabeth (Liz) Kari, daughter of immigrants, was born and raised in the Western suburbs of Chicago, she moved to New York City to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics, a minor in Business Studies and an Associate’s Degree in Liberal Arts from New York University.

She has been working in the Fashion Industry for 14 years and is currently a Senior Director of Merchandising for a luxury Italian house.

On March 29, 2021, Elizabeth’s mom, Vilma, was brutally attacked in NYC while walking to church. The footage of the incident garnered international attention not only for the vicious attack but also for the unresponsiveness of the main bystanders in the video (doorman video).

In light of the increased attacks on the AAPI community since the onset of the Covid19 pandemic and the deep emotional outpour of love and support that Vilma and Elizabeth received following the attack, Elizabeth was inspired to create a platform called AAP(I belong)®.

AAP(I belong)® is a safe and anonymous platform where AAPI community and allies can share stories of encounters with anti-Asian hate or words of encouragement. Its mission is to showcase the collected stories in pop up exhibitions around the country with the intention of sparking self-reflection, community conversations, and general AAPI education to the public.

In 2021, AAP(I belong)® received IRS 501(c)(3) tax exempt status as a non-profit organization. The organization has been featured at the MOCA museum, New York Yankees collaboration, Nasdaq, JetBlue JFK Terminal 5, and has been mentioned in Good Morning America, Nightline episode, Elle.com, CNN, Time Magazine, and the White House 2022 United We Stand summit.