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= Penina Ava Taesali = Penina Ava Taesali, a Samoan writer, poet, educator, and cultural arts activist, was born in 1956. She is well-known for her support of social justice and the arts, especially in BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour) groups. Being Samoan, Irish, and Portuguese at the same time, she has a strong dedication to solving issues like domestic abuse and sexual assault as well as to exploring and appreciating her multicultural background in her life and work.

Early life and Education
Penina Ava Taesali spent her childhood in Yolo County, California, after being born in Pasco, Washington. She began working as a tomato harvester in the Central Valley when she was approximately nine years old. Taesali graduated from the University of California, Davis, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. She eventually returned back to school and graduated from Mills College with a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in writing. Her working-class, ethnically diverse upbringing in a family of Samoan, Irish, and Portuguese ancestry had a significant impact on her outlook on life and commitment to social justice.

Personal Life
After her mother passed away in 2013, Taesali moved to Salem, Oregon, and is now living on the Kalapuyan homelands in the Willamette Valley. She relocated to the Northwest because she needed to recover after her mother's death. She continues to maintain a close relationship with Oakland, California, where she was raised, where her influence as a cultural arts activist endures. Nonetheless, she never stops thinking of Oakland, also referred to as the "Biggity O," as her hometown, and she stays firmly rooted in her heritage.

Taesali, who is now retired, is discovering the value of having more time and space to write, cook, and grow. She lives in Salem, Oregon, with her life partner, John Mattews and her four cats.

Career
Taesali's unwavering commitment to using the arts to uplift underprivileged areas has defined her career. While serving as the artistic director of the Oakland Asian Cultural Centre (OACC), she established the Talking Roots Art Collective and the Asian Pacific Islander Youth Promoting Advocacy and Leadership. She gave hundreds of low-income kids the chance to express themselves artistically and connect with their cultural heritage through her organisation.

Taesali has additionally established the first and only Pacific Island organisation in Oakland, the Pacific Islander Kie Association, which provides assistance with social issues, cultural arts education, and language access to dozens of families yearly. Her commitment to the arts and the community fueled a number of initiatives, including the multigenerational programme "Poetry in the Kitchen," which she co-founded with poet and oral historian Al Robles.

Taesali is a published author of multiple books, notably the memoir-poem collection "Sourcing Siapo," which delves into topics of cultural identity and individual perseverance. Her passion to using storytelling to elevate her community and her literary talents are further demonstrated in her chapbook "SUMMONS: Love Letters for the People".