Oceanians from the three regions of Oceania - Melanesia, Micronesia & Polynesia, are the fastest growing communities in the Pacific Northwest due to the forces of colonization, capitalism & racism in the Pacific. Most have settled in Pierce & King counties and more recently in Snohomish county in Western WA.

Our infrastructures of care in North America have historically experienced significant chronic under-investment due to data erasure/aggregation that invisibilizes our disparities. When disaggregated as a unique Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islander (NH/PI) group, we see tremendous disparities our people face across social determinants of health factors compared to other racial groups.

Oceania Northwest through our mutual aid partners have provided critical supports to our communities during the Covid 19 pandemic up until now. These provisions include providing food supports, offering community health programs, elder care, youth development and advocacy, and cultural belonging spaces.