As the elevator to the CAUSE office opened, I wondered: Would I like the people in my cohort? How will the program shape my summer? Who will I be at the end of these ten weeks, and more importantly, how will I change?—as a student, advocate, and member of my communities?
Program coordinators Steve and Shanahan presented a mock political campaign for Assembly District 49 (AD-49), currently represented by Assemblymember Mike Fong, a long-time community advocate that I have met at political events across Los Angeles. AD-49 is also the district I grew up in, so I was immediately eager to dive into a project centered around the issues of my hometown. From hosting real community events and field outreach to engaging with local leaders, I’m excited to learn more about the issues predominantly Asian-American cities are grappling with. Finally, I’m also eager to dive into the work of my host office placement, the Office of Congressmember Ted Lieu, as I consider future pathways on the Hill and in public service.
The best part of this first week was getting to know my fellow interns. At our retreat, watching people present their Life Maps and learning about all the lives we have each lived before crossing paths through CAUSE was particularly inspiring. We shared our motivations, aspirations, and values with each other and came out of that room at the end of the activity feeling a little more connected to one another. And of course, through two long and fun game nights, my cohort also “taught” me how to play Mafia (I still don’t get it).
Playing a Kahoot to learn about our shared histories!
But it wasn’t just my cohort I got to meet; over the course of the week, we also connected with friends of CAUSE: board members, community partners, and program alumni. Beyond the interesting and meaningful conversations we shared, I left each interaction with a comforting understanding that I was now part of a vast and expansive network that both supports and leans on each other in this critical work. The friends of CAUSE work in different sectors—from public offices to private companies to community-based organizations—uniquely motivated by personal beliefs and experiences but all with the same enthusiastic, thoughtful, and honest commitment to social change.
Over this summer, I’ll be grappling with one primary question that was raised on the very first day: will I commit to change within the system or outside the system? I recognize that our systems are not built on class or gender solidarity, but rather color lines that necessitate the manipulation and oppression of racial minorities. I recognize that Asian-Americans play a unique role in this system, weaponized as the Model Minority when it is convenient to the ruling group and as the Perpetual Foreigner when it becomes convenient to the reproduction of white supremacy and racial capitalism. I also know that my roots in community work are planted and continue to center around CAUSE’s important values of civic engagement and the political empowerment of Asian-Americans. How will Asian Americans pull up chairs to the decision-making table, shatter the bamboo ceiling, and achieve the visibility and people power we deserve, all while dismantling and rebuilding a system that affirms Asian-American presence and well-being?
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.
Written by Emma Chen, Leadership Academy 2023 Intern.
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.