Coming from a non-traditional background in the arts and community organizing meant that I have always defined power in smaller ways, mainly making equally small impact on communities. I separated this work from politics because I thought that the people with real power operate on orders of magnitude larger than what I do. Through my upbringing I was always taught to distrust large authorities that I cannot directly speak or interact with. This fear stems from how far removed I thought they were from the people they serve. One person cannot fully understand the outcomes of what they are writing into law, or speak directly to all of the people that are being affected. This created distance which I am uncomfortable with; because when people’s hardships are compounded and unique, how can authority figures be sure that nobody is left behind or hurt by the laws they make and enforce?
In my last week at CAUSE I was able to hear such people in power speak: legislative directors, campaign operatives, and people who worked alongside major political actors. But I was able to put a face to a name, and sit a few yards away from them. After hearing their stories and understanding what they believed in, it eased my fear that having power removes your humanity. In fact, political power gives you the agency to bring your humanity to the forefront of your work. Recently the cohort was able to meet Sophia Kwong Kim, the Chief of Staff for Assembly Member Mike Fong. I heard passion for education and how she truly loved what she was doing. It was also reassuring to hear that paths in the political field are not as clear cut as I originally thought: one works for their agencies or officials while also following personal goals. Kim spoke on how she was moving between different officials and committees, while also staying true to her passion in education policy. I was under the impression that government work removes your identity and agency, but seeing Kim follow her own goals and keep her identity was inspiring and reassuring.
Sophia Kwong Kim (left), and Jesse Duong (right) speak on their experiences working at the state capitol
Last week I also saw a tone shift in how I viewed political power. Bill Wong, a veteran campaign strategist, spoke on how one can use power in politics to exert one’s identity. He said that power is the agency to make moves on our own accord, because nobody will speak for us but ourselves. He said, “Systematically you are always going to be at a disadvantage, the only equalizer is politics. If you do well academically and economically, that isn’t power; because status is not power. If you really want change, you need to be in politics.”
What Wong said changed how I thought about power, because we were all taught that if we did well in school and made money, we would have the agency to do what we wanted. However, that is only falling in line with the systems that hurt millions of people. Being successful will not change how systems of power re-entrench oppression or harmful mindsets, it only changes where we stand in that system. If I want the power to change my environment, I have to take that power, because it will never be given to me. This definition of power as agency shifted how I approach my own work in the arts and community organizing: if I want to see change, I need to push for it louder and make my voice heard. I was always taught to keep my head down to ensure success, but it neglects the fact that success on its own does not create change.
Seeing these two speakers manifest their Identities within politics was equal parts surprising and inspiring. I originally thought that identity and politics were mutually exclusive, but seeing practical examples of how to do both blew me away. A big takeaway for me is that these people who have political agency felt human when I met them for the first time. They were several feet away from me, talking to us like people, and being human.