Reflection from Nikki Chau after the PIVOT YVA retreat in San Jose one week ago:
If you saw this pic you’d see smiling, joyful faces of young Vietnamese Americans.
You might not think of all the ways we have experienced trauma: post-war trauma, refugee trauma, intergenerational trauma.
You might not know all the ways that our families were separated: through mass incarceration, displacement, inefficient immigration process.
You might not see all the things we do to heal ourselves; and to make the lives of those around us better, to make the society we live in a little kinder, a little more just, more equitable, a little more fun.
When I think about everything that my family and families like mine have been through, I’m reminded that fighting racist, sexist, oppressive systems and government isn’t our first rodeo, it’s in our DNA.
Inside our bodies and minds there's also post-war resiliency, refugee resiliency, intergenerational resiliency, and human resiliency.
Knowing our stories can keep us trapped in a certain narrative and hold us down. Knowing our stories can also give us strength and liberate us. So we keep on rising. Here’s to our resiliency. ✊
