Q and A with co-founder of The Brain Trust, Rohan Grover

As a co-founder of The Brain Trust, Rohan Grover is the company’s “Model Minority Modeler,” harnessing technology to help AAPI organizations build savvy, data-driven campaigns for the digital age. Our writer, Derek Mong, is a social justice activist and has worked for non-profit organizations, political campaigns, the federal government, and national civil rights organizations to address issues of social justice, economic disparity, and civic engagement. He sat down with Grover to ask him about his role in The Brain Trust.

DKM: Part of The Brain Trust’s mission is to “make significant change and advance our community’s agenda” and to demand a “seat at the table.” Can you explain what you mean by this?

RG: We believe that we can radically improve the way AAPI communities engage with political issues by wielding digital tools. We leave it to advocacy organizations to set the agenda; we just want to help them achieve their goals. However, the first step is showing up and being heard, and the Internet is a sorely underutilized medium to include and elevate our diverse voices by reaching, engaging with, and mobilizing supporters from across the country. That kind of unified community power will create a seat at the table of national discourse to ensure that an AAPI perspective is heard and that our issues are a priority.

DKM: The Brain Trust seems to work at the intersection of the old and new, using both human relationships and technology to make an impact. Can you share an example on how this mix of strategies works?

RG: Sharing our stories helps us understand abstract policies as intimate priorities rooted in identity politics–and also provides an entry point for other AAPI’s to see themselves in the policy process. Digital platforms give us an accessible public sphere to find ourselves in each other’s stories and then build power by taking collective action on issues that matter to us. While the fundamental concepts here are not new, organizing online is a critical opportunity for AAPI’s since we’re huge consumers of digital media who are spread out across the country.

DKM: Can you tell us a little bit about how you personally got involved with non-profit activism and social justice organizing?

RG: My college years were transformative for me. I’m a very fortunate beneficiary of resources won by campus activists at the University of Pennsylvania, including the Pan-Asian American Community House and Asian American Studies Program. I went in as a business student looking to build leadership skills and left with so much more, including a deeply political identity, a rich sense of community, and a compelling responsibility to organize for political power as a means to uplift and advocate. I’ve identified with a social justice mission ever since.

DKM: We have a lot of younger readers at Asian Fortune who are interested in getting involved in political and civic organizing; do you have advice for activists following in your footsteps?

RG: Seek out mentors and ask everyone for advice. AAPI’s in politics, advocacy, and public service are always looking to strengthen the pipeline of smart, passionate folks in our fields. Everyone got to where they are today with support from those before us and we’re constantly looking to pay it forward. Find us online, ask for help, and own your ambition.

Rohan Grover is a progressive analyst, organizer, and entrepreneur. Based in Washington, DC, he is a founding partner of The Brain Trust, a digital consulting firm that raises AAPI advocacy groups’ capacities to organize online. He is also the Senior Business Intelligence Analyst at Upworthy, a mission-driven startup that elevates meaningful digital content through irresistible social media.  Previously Rohan helped implement data-driven campaigns on Planned Parenthood’s national organizing team. A native New Jerseyan, Rohan is a graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Follow Rohan on Twitter @grohanver.

See our article on The Brain Trust here: http://www.asianfortunenews.com/?p=19431