March 21, 2021

During elementary school, a constant question that was asked: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Most of my classmates said they wanted to be a doctor, lawyer or astronaut. None of those quite set my heart on fire.

By the time college rolled around, I still didn’t know how to answer that question but I did know what I excelled at — writing and telling stories. So when I decided that’s the direction I wanted to go, I turned to journalism.

It was during this time I also underwent a personal awakening and pride in my culture, which wasn’t always there before. I talk about this in my commencement address for Asian and Pacific Islander American Studies majors at the College of William and Mary in 2017:

Due to this interest in all things Asian American and Filipino, this led me to the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) — which completely changed the course of my life and which I’m deeply indebted to.

I went to my first AAJA convention in 2002 in Dallas. It was the first time I ever traveled on a plane before. It was one of the first of many life changing moments of my journey. I never saw so many people that looked like me in the career I wanted to be part of all in one place.

I knew nothing about how to break into journalism. I went to a college that didn’t have a journalism major and I didn’t know anyone who worked in journalism until I went to an AAJA convention. Aside from the few Asian faces I saw on local TV news and some bylines in the newspapers, there were few folks that came from the same lived experience.

I didn’t even know what clips were. I didn’t know what it took to get an internship. But ever since I went to that conference 19 years ago I’ve gained something so much more — a community.

Seeing someone who looked like me succeed in this turbulent and disruptive industry has had a profound impact on own career — it’s proof that you’re not alone and you can do this.

Some of the people I met in 2002 through AAJA’s conventions, events and programs, have become lifelong friends, mentors and colleagues at several places.

They’ve become family and a support system as I navigated the journalism landscape. I would not be where I am without them.

My 2013 AAJA Executive Leadership Program (ELP) class.

They hold me accountable. They are the gut check when I question whether what just occurred to me was a microaggression or implicit bias or something more.

Often being the “only” regardless of rank or role in many of the newsrooms I worked at has added an extra layer to what is already a high pressure career.

In many points of my career, I’ve had to fight for stories about Asian Americans only to have my pitch turned down because it wasn’t our “audience” or wasn’t deemed important enough.

It only then became “important” when another publication picked up and decided it was “newsworthy.” Often this has occurred in newsrooms where there were no people of color in higher leadership roles or in key decision making roles that have the power to decide what is “newsworthy.”

But who gets to decide what or who is newsworthy?

Do this instead:

-Empower your AAPI journalists.

-Recognize the value and perspective they bring.

-Invest in them and their development.

The way forward

I started my first full time job in journalism in 2004. And now 17 years later across 10 newsrooms, I’m still very much involved with AAJA.

I’ve served as a local and national board member. I’ve co-chaired AAJA-NY’s Trivia Bowl. I’ve been a convention co-chair and alum of AAJA’s VOICES and ELP (executive leadership program).

And I’m this year’s AAJA convention programming co-chair and community liaison for AAJA’s 40th anniversary.

It’s not to give back but to pay it forward.

I’ve always been a proud AAJA member — for giving me the start and encouragement to keep going.

And in these times, I’ve never been so proud to be part of this organization that is leading the way in making sure our voices are represented, holding people accountable and fostering and cultivating all generations of journalists.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the founding of AAJA. This is a promo video for the 2010 convention in Los Angeles.

Like everyone, I’ve been processing the events of the last week and beyond since the pandemic began a year ago. To be invisible one day and then to have the spotlight on you 24/7 while we are grieving is quite triggering.

Many have asked how they can help support during this time.

Echoing what many have already said:

-Check in: It means more than you know.

-Give us the space and grace to process: We are still figuring it out ourselves.

-Educate yourself: Know the history. Our history is your history. Unfortunately, there’s been a long history of racism against Asian Americans. Look up the Chinese Exclusion Act, the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII, the Page Act, the Rescission Act, Vincent Chin, Watsonville Riots, Joseph Ileto, hate crimes against Muslims after 9/11 and the list goes on.

-Say and spell our names correctly.

-Support through action.

Associations like AAJA are a good place to start.

Support our work. https://aaja.org/donate/

Partner with us. https://aaja.org/programs-and-initiatives/

Leverage our expertise. https://www.aajastudio.org/

Join us. https://aaja.org/become-a-member/new-member-registration/

You don’t have to be Asian American to join. If you believe in the mission to increase AAPI perspectives and representation in newsrooms, media, and storytelling, then you can stand in solidarity and help us amplify those underrepresented stories.

That begins by diversifying your staff and sources (don’t know where to start? Check out AAJA’s Studio speakers bureau: https://www.aajastudio.org/)

The reality is that there are simply not enough of a diverse staff that are in key decision making places. That impacts the type of stores that get told and which ones don’t.

There needs to be more than one lens in which stories are told.

Lastly, our stories are your stories.

We are part of the American story too and the NOT the perpetual foreigners as the long standing narrative that has been told and retold for centuries.

Help us make sure no one’s story is erased and stop the hate.

We belong here too.

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