Our Mission
The Banyan Tree Community Center creates inclusive spaces where people explore South Asian histories and cultures alongside the stories of other Bay Area communities of color, building the cultural knowledge, authentic relationships, and organizing skills needed to create a more just society. We bring people together to reclaim the stories, wisdom, and practices that processes like colonialism, immigration, and assimilation pressure have made less accessible, while developing the community connections and leadership skills necessary to fight for liberation and justice for all.
Our Theory of Change
We believe lasting social change happens when people move from isolation to authentic community to collective action:
Breaking Isolation Across Difference → When people move from isolation to authentic community through shared stories, cultural exploration, and meaningful experiences, they begin to build a village of support.
Building Village → As people develop genuine relationships, learn together, grow together, laugh together, and practice mutual care together, they create the trust and skills needed for collective action
Creating Change → Communities that know their histories, maintain strong relationships, and practice care for one another can fight for the needs of their community and those around them, and in turn, transform systems to build a more just society for everyone.
Our Values
We believe that the most precious inheritance we can pass onto the next generation is unconditional love and the strong values we received from our elders. We are inspired by the South Asian communities around us. Our 5 Core Values inspire how we conduct ourselves and engage with every person who walks through our doors.
Care — Have you eaten? Do you need anything? We lead with radical care, ensuring every person who enters our space feels welcomed, supported, and valued.
Respect — We honor every religion, region, culture, caste, identity, and story. Our strength comes from understanding our diversity and building solidarity across differences.
Celebration — We use festivals, holidays, and historical events as an opportunity to gather, learn our history, have fun, and build inclusive, respectful communities.
Action — We carry forward our ancestors' legacy of fighting for freedom and liberation through organizing, advocacy, and building the world we need for future generations.
Excellence — We encourage everyone in our team and community to discover their unique gifts, to pursue them with commitment, and to use them to inspire lasting change.
Our Program Pillars
Every event and program at the Banyan Tree is built around 5 program pillars that honor our history while preparing our community for the future.
Know Your History — Discover how personal stories connect to broader historical contexts. We support our communities in understanding the parts of our past that have been overlooked or excluded in mainstream American education and media.
Express Yourself — Whether through the arts, language, food, community organizing, or career transitions, we provide programs for our communities to experience authentic self-expression, and to find the courage to pursue their dreams (big and small).
Imagine the Future — From climate change to immigration rights, there are a lot of things the next generation will need to address about our world. We encourage people to combine ancestral wisdom, critical thinking, knowledge of the past, and imaginative thinking to build a world that supports all living beings in thriving.
Serve Your Community — Practice seva (service) through cooking food for our neighbors, organizing for immigrant rights, or helping us create a program. We raise leaders who understand that individual success is only possible through collective liberation.
Build Your Village — Create deep intergenerational connections through mentorship, storytelling, and shared learning. Our elders create support systems for our youth, while young voices teach us how to reimagine tradition for today.
our Curriculum
Our programs fulfill our values and principles through careful curriculum design. When you come to a Banyan Tree event, class, or camp, here’s what you can expect to experience:
Hear a Story — Listen to a short, compelling story from someone in our community as they share their lived experiences, insights, and wisdom in their own voice
Connect Present to Past — Discover how these stories reflect deeper historical currents, and how the currents of history shape our world today - from the story behind a grandmother's sari to the organizing strategies that won our immigration rights
Try Something Hands-On — Learn by creating through fun, guided activities - from cooking, to playing a sport, to practicing language, to engaging in a community project
Build Our Village — Form new connections and strengthen existing relationships through thoughtfully facilitated conversations that honor different perspectives and experiences
Share Food — Gather around chai and snacks because we all grow together when we are nourished together