By Sarah Park, 2025 CLA Intern
During the first week of CAUSE, I attended two different community events with a couple cohort members. Attending community events really helped me see and hear things from a perspective different from my own and it was refreshing to experience. I was able to understand the different methods people use to come together and I was also glad to be a part of a new community and expand my network.
The first community event was Community Care and Decompression at Midnight Books LA. During this community event, we were able to ground ourselves and try to relieve ourselves of the anxiety and stress that has built up from the ongoing I.C.E raids that have affected friends, family, and our community. We were able to meditate and remember the importance of 7 different homecomings. For example the homecomings of my ancestors, community, and myself. As we were doing these exercises, I remembered how important it is to give time to yourself especially when things are rough. We had conversed about how many of us threw ourselves into protest and helping our community to the point where we had left ourselves behind. I think this community event really helped me realize that we should fight for causes that matter to us while also remembering to take care of ourselves.
The second community event was the Pride Flea Market which was a combination of LGBTQ+ businesses raising funds for people detained by I.C.E. During this event, I saw the importance of community and how people were able to come together and advocate for a cause that is important. They had clothes, paintings, and tattoo artists coming together in order to raise funds for the detained individuals and I realized that this is how change comes about. People create ways to help others one step at a time.
The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not reflect the views or positions of CAUSE or the CAUSE network.
The CAUSE Leadership Academy (CLA) for students is a nine-week, paid, internship program that prepares college undergraduates to lead and advocate for the Asian Pacific Islander community on their campuses and beyond.