MAKING ABSORPTION REAL:  STRUCTURES & PRACTICES THAT BRING PEOPLE IN AND KEEP THEM

Lai Wa Wu is a leader and coach dedicated to creating transformative spaces that center healing, justice, and community empowerment. Born in Hong Kong and raised in the Midwest, Lai Wa’s work focuses on empowering BIPOC communities through community organizing, leadership development, organizational support and coaching that fosters levity, joy, and ease. Most recently, Lai Wa served as the Policy and Alliance Director at the Chinese Progressive Association (CPA). During her tenure at CPA, she led their Our Healing in Our Hands campaign, securing $1.5 million to expand access to culturally competent mental health services for youth of color in San Francisco. This victory was part of a broader vision to create schools that are safe, supportive and welcoming for all students. Prior to her work at CPA, Lai Wa worked with Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN), AFSCME, and the Student Immigrant Movement, where she deepened her commitment to advancing racial and social justice through base-building organizing. She remains dedicated to building organizational capacity and coaching spaces that empower working-class BIPOC communities to thrive and lead.

David Haiman (he-him) is a principal and co-founder of Movement Matters. His 25+ years of experience in movement work has led to a deep understanding of racial and economic justice, transformative facilitation techniques, and the mechanics of popular education and movement-based community organizing. These skills and perspectives have helped to develop Movement Matters into an effective and dynamic capacity building organization. David has worked with grassroots organizations like Detroit Action, ROC-DC, and Young People for Progress to develop their member engagement structures, support strategic campaign development, and build movement oriented organizing cultures. This work combines deep relationship building and accompaniment of individual staff members along with an understanding of how to build needed organizational infrastructure and capacity. As part of this organizational infrastructure building, David has also initiated and led programs to recruit and train board members for grassroots organizing groups. His extensive work at the organizational level has led to David’s strength in working with coalitions. He has anchored training, planning, and strategy development processes for local, state-wide, and national coalition groups, ranging from the DC Cancel Rent Coalition to Virginia's Climate and Equity Working Group to the national Communities for Public Education Reform network. In these roles, David has brought visionary thinking grounded in practical application to allow coalitions to connect immediate, implementable steps with a long-term vision of radical transformation. ​In addition to working with grassroots organizations, David has also led work to strengthen the way foundations and philanthropy support work grounded in racial equity and systems change. Through one-on-one consulting, training, and the development of reports, he has worked with small family funds and larger endowed foundations to shape both what they fund and how they fund it. As part of this work, and alongside other members of the Movement Matters team, David co-created a “Community Organizing for Funders” training designed to give philanthropic staff the knowledge and understanding they need to better support and grow organizing work. David has also co-led the establishment of Movement Matters’ nationally recognized training program. He has co-developed the curriculum and led the training of hundreds of participants in Movement Matters' weeklong Community Organizing and Popular Education Institute and Advanced Trainings in Facilitation Skills for Organizers, Strategic Communications and Media Development, and Advanced Popular Education. In addition, David has adapted Movement Matters’ training curriculum into a weeklong Immigrant Youth Organizing Institute.

Estrella is a dedicated organizer and leader with over a decade of experience in grassroots organizing, community engagement, and leadership development. As the Deputy Director of Organizing at the Center for Popular Democracy, she shapes organizing strategies, supports large-scale outreach efforts, and creates tailored training programs to boost organizational strength. Estrella has trained hundreds of organizers and leaders nationwide, focusing on building strong people’s organizations and leading impactful campaigns that challenge existing power structures. Her commitment to social justice and racial equity is deeply personal, driving her passion for empowering people and fostering transformative leadership.

MJ has worked with social justice organizations for 20 years doing facilitation, training, and organizational development. They live in Oakland, CA and spent the last 14 years at Causa Justa :: Just Cause, building people-power to challenge gentrification and criminalization. They are passionate about growing movements that can win powerful systemic change and be spaces of connection and joy. MJ loves using leadership development and political education as tools to help groups and movements thrive.