Water Links Home, Body, and Community: Fania’s Story
Community organizer Fania Sipili at Be'er Sheva Park in Rainier Beach. Portrait by Chloe Collyer.
“My name is Fania (you can call me Nia for short). I am a case manager at Utopia Washington, which stands for the United Territories of Pacific Islanders Alliance. We create a safe space for queer and trans Pacific Islanders.
As Pacific Islanders we have a long history with water, and growing up, always being around the water, I feel like it’s always been a part of me.
Water moves with you, right? Regardless of the different location. I like to think that the same rainwater that hits the top of your head is the same raindrop from when you were like five years old in an island somewhere when it was raining. That’s why there’s always this feeling of wholesomeness every time I’m around a body of water, no matter where I’m at. Especially here in Washington, it’ll instantly remind me.
At Utopia Washington we have a climate justice program and we want to make sure that we continue to highlight on our platform that water is crucial.
As long as you’ve had water, you’re good to stave off hunger for a little bit, but still be able to move forward and to live your best life to the next day. Water pollution is not OK and clean water is very important. And I know there’s people out there that go days without clean water. ”
Community organizer Fania Sipili at Be'er Sheva Park in Rainier Beach. Portrait by Chloe Collyer.
Fania Sipili (she/her/he/him/they/them) is a native of American Samoa that found their way to the vast Pacific Northwest through their journey of self-discovery.
“As one of the care managers for UTOPIA Washington, I call on the experience they have navigating the fluctuating temperatures of the social waters as a free-roaming social butterfly. Since moving to Washington in 2014 and joining the UTOPIA Washington circle, they have definitely found themselves in a nurturing environment that fostered fellowship, community, and self-love above all else.
When I first heard of the Shape Our Water project, I took interest in it immediately because I was a bit homesick, and it led me to think about my connection with water. Water has always been an important part of the lives we lead, especially as islanders. For the longest time, I always felt a bit of disconnect since my moving here, but after having these discussions, it was nice to circle back to my roots and remember that as the child of the sun, I am also a child of water.”
Community Partner Spotlight: UTOPIA and Alphabet Alliance of Color
United Territories of Pacific Islanders Alliance, also known as UTOPIA, is a queer and trans people of color-led, grassroots organization born out of the struggles, challenges, strength, and resilience of the Queer and Trans Pacific Islander (QTPI – “Q-T-pie”) community in South King County. Since 2009, UTOPIA has worked with QTPI leaders to create a safe, welcoming, supportive, and vibrant space for members of our community to address basic needs, build pathways toward new expanded career and life opportunities, foster a sense of common purpose, and advocate for social justice, education, and overall wellness among members of the Pacific Islander LGBTQI community. UTOPIA is led and founded by women of color, identifying as transgender and/or fa’afafine. Fa’afafine is a cultural gender identity native to Samoa translated as “in the manner of a woman.” Since its inception, UTOPIA has worked to build power and help community members access resources, employment, stable housing, higher education, culturally competent healthcare, and more.
UTOPIA is part of the Alphabet Alliance of Color (AAoC), an organizing alliance of two spirit, black, brown, disabled, femme, gender non-conforming, indigenous, pasifika, queer, trans, people of color who are healers, caretakers, dreamers, organizers, and community leaders. AAoC centers people who share these identities, serving an intersectional community experiencing racism, violence, transphobia, and economic violence. AAoC gathers community together, builds capacity, organizes, heals, and collects and archives stories of survival and resistance, in an effort to tell and collect its stories, build and change systems of healing and power, shift culture, and create the fullest version of a collective liberation story.
