How I Support Community Growth Through Activism

I do a lot of activism. I like to go to protests and stuff. At my school, I’m part of a student organization where we advocate for an Asian American studies major on campus.

I also do other protests. I attended a protest after the election, I went to Defend DACA protests. There are also a lot of protests I’ve had to miss because of school.

There are a lot of Black Lives Matter protests that I’ve unfortunately been unable to attend. When the Muslim Ban was passed, I was out of the country, so I couldn’t attend those. I think that people should be treated equally and they’re not.

In my high school years, I used websites like Tumblr a lot. That exposed me to a lot of things like feminism and LGBTQ rights. I feel like the first time I really felt a push to attend a rally or something was when Michael Brown was killed.

In my everyday life, I don’t feel like I can express my opinions on things. I feel like sometimes my views on different political issues are controversial.

In activist spaces, I’m surrounded by people I know I’m safe with, my opinions are safe with. I can express my opinions freely.

It’s not just that I feel like I can express myself through my opinions, either. I also feel like I can dress however I want. I don’t have to shave.

When I’m in these spaces, people won’t say anything. They don’t judge.

In these kinds of spaces, it’s nice to meet people. In the club that I’m part of at school, I can meet other Asian Americans that are socially active.

At other spaces, I’m able to meet other LGBTQ people and people of color. People I know I can feel comfortable with.

It’s a different type of relationship when you’re meeting someone who knows these things about you. Instead of being friends with someone first and not knowing what kind of politics they have.