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Beverly Yip

2003

Activist

Beverly Yip was a creative, pioneering leader and founder of the 1974 Union of Pan-Asian Communities. Her vision of bringing different cultures and generations together created a multi-program organization that continued to grow. From its creation, it met the economic, social, psychological, and physical needs of San Diego's Asian and Pacific Islander population. Yip was not just concerned about Asians, but cared about the plight of all immigrant families. In 1990, UPAC implemented the Refugee Personal Counseling Service to extend its programs to Ethiopians, Iranians, Eastern Europeans and Soviet Jewish immigrants. She also was a member of numerous San Diego boards and commissions: the city's Housing Commission from 1979-1986; the county's Task Force on Services to Older Minority Persons from 1981-1982; and the Board of Overseers of the University of California, San Diego.

Yip resigned as executive director of UPAC in 1990, when she discovered she had liver cancer, and died the following year. UPAC's services continued and helped San Diego's diverse new immigrant population, serving thousands of people annually. The vast array of programs she implemented benefited access to health services, economic development, youth prevention services, senior services, and community development. Several focused outreach programs operated within each field, such as those addressing domestic violence, youth mentorship, healthcare access, and employment. Beverly's compassion, strength, and vision formed the foundation for UPAC. The essential human care services offered to those in need illustrated her deep sympathy. Her strength created an organization able to deal with changing health, social, and economic problems faced by San Diego's immigrant populations. Inspired by a diversifying community, she unified organizations and cultures from communities across sectors.

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