The Asian/Pacific AIDS Coalition (APAC) was originally formed as the Asian/Pacific AIDS Task Force in 1987. APAC, like the Black and the Latino Coalitions on AIDS, was part of the second wave of People of Color AIDS groups in San Francisco. It served primarily as an advocacy group and a bridge between various Asian political, healthcare, and other organizations. It also helped numerous AIDS-related groups to secure emergency funding and to develop organizational skills. Its demise in June of 1996 was due in large part to its success in nurturing other groups. The APAC records document these activities thoroughly.

The Asian Pacific AIDS Coalition (APAC), founded in 1988, was originally called the Asian AIDS Task Force. It coalesced to address the gaps in education, prevention, and direct services to Asian and Pacific Islanders affected by HIV. Like several similar groups organized around specific communities (African-American, Latino, Native American, Women, Sex Workers, Transsexuals, etc), APAC came into being because the needs of the people it addressed were not being adequately met by the larger, more general AIDS service providers such as the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and Shanti. The Coalition started with five institutional members. These were The Asian AIDS Project, Asian American Communities Against AIDS, Filipino Task Force on AIDS, and Gay Asian Pacific Alliance's Community HIV Project, all from San Francisco, and Asian Health Services HIV/AIDS Project in Oakland (about 15% of Alameda county's population is of Asian heritage). One of APAC's most important contributions was the identification of unmet needs and the creation of programs aimed at meeting them. After their creation, these programs were transferred over to the appropriate member agency. APAC's other major emphasis was in the realm of Public Policy. In the long run, however, the constituent member groups were seldom actively supportive of the Coalition, leaving APAC staff feeling isolated and frustrated. During 1994-1995 this ongoing contradiction was discussed repeatedly at Board meetings and retreats. Finally, in August of 1995 a motion to dissolve the organization was passed by the APAC Board. The last several months of activity were spent meeting prior obligations, finishing projects, and closing down the office as well as the organization. The Board was perceptive enough to spend some of their last funds to have their records processed by a professional archivist familiar with community-based AIDS organizations, and the resulting collection was placed in the GLBT Historical Society Archives.

4.75 linear feet (2 manuscript boxes, 3 cartons)

Copyright to unpublished manuscript materials has been transferred to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society.

Collection is open for research. This collection has been digitized through a partnership with Gale/Cengage. Contact the GLBT Historical Society Archivist for information regarding access to the digital collection.