Dr. Kani Ilangovan

Dr. Kani Ilangovan is a child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist based in Princeton, New Jersey, whose career integrates medicine, education, and social justice. Ilangovan's expertise as both a clinician and community organizer shapes her perspective on the intersection of education, identity, and mental health. Her personal experiences as one of the few students of color in her school inform her commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion in educational settings.

In response to the Atlanta spa shootings, Ilangovan founded Make Us Visible New Jersey, a grassroots coalition of teachers, students, parents, politicians, and community members dedicated to integrating comprehensive Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) history into New Jersey's K-12 public school curriculum. What began as an email to a local Asian American reading group evolved into a statewide movement. Ilangovan and her group authored an open letter advocating for AAPI studies in New Jersey public schools, translated it into multiple languages, and collected 1,500 signatures within two months.

Leading a coalition of more than 60 organizations, Ilangovan played a central role in the passage of legislation mandating AAPI-inclusive curriculum in New Jersey, making it the second state to require AAPI history as part of its public school standards. The law also established the Department of Education Commission on Asian American Heritage. Following the legislative process, Make Us Visible New Jersey focused on implementation, mobilizing its grassroots network at school board meetings and developing a free, on-demand professional development course for teachers in partnership with the New Jersey Education Association. Ilangovan has also organized events such as the Black-Asian American Solidarity Professional Development Hybrid Conference, which brought together 135 educators from 50 schools, districts, and 10 universities.

As a psychiatrist, Ilangovan addresses the lifelong impact of racial trauma and the effects of anti-Asian hate on children and communities. In addition to her advocacy, Ilangovan is an author and a board member of The E Pluribus Unum Project, which advances pluralistic education advocacy nationwide. She has written three books—"Mindful Writing: Embracing Transience," "Mindful Gratitude," and "Mindful Relationship"—which extend her clinical work into mindfulness, resilience, and self-reflection. As a keynote speaker, Ilangovan draws on her medical background, lived experience as an AAPI woman, and coalition-building skills to address topics such as grassroots organizing, inclusive education, and the importance of representation in the classroom for both justice and public health.