What cultural factors encourage or discourage activism?
These include parental pressures, societal pressures and confusion. My parents wanted me to become a doctor, or a medical professional at least. They didn’t understand how I could make a living doing what I am doing. They just don’t understand the system very well and are scared that if I take a risk, then I’ll be losing a lot. They would rather have me be safe. I, though, am a person who takes risks and is okay with trying new things. In order to be where I am today, I had to disobey my parents and communicate with them clearly about what I wanted to do. That’s a difficult thing for anyone to do- to not have that support from your parents to do what you want is tremendously discouraging for Asian American people. Being a Vietnamese American woman, in a society that is still dominated by white privilege, hierarchy, and power, it took me a long time to understand where I fit in, what my unique contribution was, and what my own privilege was- to overcome and make effective change. I enco
