Week #1 Reflection

My first week with Rising Voices has been SO awesome, and I know the upcoming weeks will be even better! Initially, I was a little nervous about getting to know everyone and building that connection (especially because I was unable to attend the family celebration a week prior), but once the first meetings began, I realized that it was really no issue.

The reading assigned by Thang and Luna was so insightful and gave me so much key background knowledge of Asian American activism. To me, Asian American means any Asian individual who also embraces American customs and traditions. In my opinion, this doesn't necessarily have to mean being the most patriotic individual out there-- it just means knowing and accepting your American nationality as well as embracing your Asian culture.

If you'd asked me a year or two ago about my experiences with organizing and the extent, I would have been somewhat hesitant. It's not that I didn't want to organize, per se, that was the problem, but rather the fact that it was hard for me to gain the confidence to put myself in such an esteemed role. But as I've grown as a person through my experiences both in school and outside of it, I've realized that although, yes, initializing activism and organizing really any cause CAN feel a bit daunting at times, the accomplishment and pride that I feel in being able to actually make a tangible difference greatly outweighs the fear that I may feel. Now, I embrace organizing causes, because it makes me happy.

Although this isn't necessarily about activism, I recently helped my family organize our Eid celebration this weekend, and it was so fun! If you don't know, Eid is an Islamic holiday that occurs twice a year and its prime meaning is to be thankful and appreciative for who/what you have, so people generally go all out and spend tons of time with loved ones. I attached some photos so you can get a glimpse of what my Eid looked like :)

Image on left: me and my cousin relaxing outside; on right, one of the neighborhood kittens!