Last semester at college, I took a course called Asian American Women’s Experience, which covered a lot of topics relating to AAPI feminism following the onset of the pandemic and the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes. In one of our classes, we were tasked with looking up AAPI organizations in the area and the work that they did. At the time, I remember hearing about Stop AAPI Hate’s initiatives to track and respond to hate crimes, and so it was incredibly cool to hear Kiran Bhalla talk about the organization’s story in person.
Something I’ve been able to reflect on a lot during these past few weeks at CAUSE is each and every person’s unique story that has brought them to where they are now. Our orientation retreat offered a chance for each of us to share our own story, from how families immigrated to how we ourselves ended up here at CAUSE. This week, on the other hand, has been more about listening rather than talking. I’m grateful for the opportunities we’ve had to hear from our guest speakers— from Nancy at CAUSE, James at Cafe Dulce, and Kiran at Stop AAPI Hate. Nancy’s story especially reminded me that figuring out what to do and where I fit in as someone who wants to be more involved in AAPI activism does not have to be a linear process. Community organizing happens at large and small scales, and I found myself especially drawn to Nancy and James’ story about working with businesses in the Little Tokyo area to feed the community.
And on the topic of Little Tokyo, I loved getting to go on the tour. Even though it’s been a year since I first came to Southern California, I’ve never really gotten to know the history of Little Tokyo like I did on the tour. In fact, before the CAUSE program, I had only ventured into Downtown LA a few times because of the long commute. My first impression of Little Tokyo was that it felt like a hub for tourists, so learning about its history was meaningful and eye-opening. I was surprised to hear that the neighborhood used to be three times as expansive before World War II, and it definitely gave me a bigger appreciation for being able to work near the area with CAUSE. It was also the first time I’ve learned about the Japanese American community in LA in so much depth.
As we go into week 3, I’m starting to become more and more aware of the options that are available to me for someone with my interests. Of all the guest speakers, I will admit I’ve been most surprised by Dan Schnur and how thoughtful he was with his advice. I especially took to heart his talk on personal vs professional vs political experience. When I first came to CAUSE, I was honestly a little nervous because I don’t have a strong background in politics or campaigning, and Dan emphasized that we each have a lot to offer with our own personal stories regardless of our previous involvement with electoral politics. I also found it so incredibly thoughtful that he went and asked everyone about their interests during lunch, and also made the effort to respond with genuine, personalized advice.
I’m really grateful to be learning so much every week, and I am most looking forward to meeting community members in Alhambra on Friday! I’ve done demographic research on Alhambra and the San Gabriel Valley in the past, but I’ve only visited a couple times, so I’m excited to be there in person! Another really valuable part of this program for me has been the ability to become much more familiar with lots of communities and regions within LA county, which I’ve struggled to do within the past year.