​The first week of Rising Voices was more of an adjustment period, getting to know the schedule, understanding what needs to be done, and the curriculum in general. I was introduced to a new book called "Contemporary Asian American Activism."

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Learning about the origins of why Asians label ourselves as Asian Americans, I believed it to mean just someone of Asian descent living in America. While this is true, the political origin of this label is" a political strategy to resist anti-Asian racism, rather than a framework to unify diverse cultures, histories, languages, and religions." 

When it came to labeling myself, I always went with just saying I'm Japanese in my mind. I thought Asian Americans did not fit me. Before learning the origin, I believed it to be a phrase made by white Americans to put onto Asians in an effort to whitewash them. As I have learned, I think that when asked about my race, I will be more comfortable saying I am Asian American.

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Before this program, I believed to know a lot about Asian activism. In truth, I have a lot to learn. When introduced to this program, I was informed of the role I would partake in as an organizer. What is an organizer, or more generally, what is organizing? According to a quick google search, organizing is to "arrange into a structured whole; order."  But, in this case, I would say organizing is more profound than simply arranging something. For example, organizing a protest. You bring together like-minded individuals connecting with them and turning several singular voices into one. Organizing is a connection, an agreement. I can't wait to grow my skills and improve!

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