What clubs or organizations are you involved with on campus, and what are your roles in them?
I’m Assistant Proximity Director, so I help plan and run the Proximity Vespers every week. I help create new events and opportunities for students to get involved, and I look for speakers and people to pray. I’m also the Cultural Vice President of the Korean American Student Association. I help with different events put on by KASA but my focus is making sure that Korean American culture is represented on our campus. I plan and work with others to educate others about our heritage.
What motivated you to help create the “Stop AAPI Hate” event last Monday?
I realized that this kind of forum and discussion was necessary for our campus which has a large Asian American community. I wanted to create a safe place for us to speak our voices and share our experiences. I wanted to make sure that the school recognized the Asian community on campus and valued our feelings and thoughts on the recent events happening across the U.S.
Behind the scenes, what was the process for you to plan this event on such short notice?
Vice President Nixon reached out about having a discussion, then I reached out to some of the Asian Cultural clubs that I knew would love to get involved. We had a short meeting discussing what this forum should look like, and I communicated with the Club Presidents behind the scenes and created a short survey for people to fill out and to share their stories anonymously.
Ultimately, how did the “Stop AAPI Hate” event go, and what do you think was the most productive part to come out of it?
I think the fact that this event happened in the first place is already a huge step forward. It was the first time that I saw the campus recognize our struggles as Asians in America and value our stories. Our community is not used to speaking up about our experiences, but this event pushed many of us to finally say what was on our minds. I believe this forum allowed us to come together as an AAPI community in a way we hadn't before.
Why do you think that events like the one you hosted are important for people?
As I said earlier, it gives us a safe space for Asian students to come together and talk about the racism and discrimination we have faced here in America and even specifically at Andrews. It also allows others to be educated about how to be culturally sensitive to our differences. For the Asian community, it is crucial for us to come together, and to focus on our similarities rather than our differences and the tension that might have existed between our separate clubs and communities before.
Ultimately, do you feel that there has been sufficient support for the AAPI community on the Andrews campus since these events have occurred?
Yes, I have been given the privilege of being part of the AAPI weekend we are planning for next week. There will be a Thursday chapel with an official forum about the anti-Asian racial bias, and an AAPI Heritage Proximity Vespers on Friday. But we shouldn't stop here. We need to continue to come together to talk about these issues as well as celebrate our heritage. I hope that this will set precedent for years to come.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.