The Theme of This Issue: Activism
Dear AAC Members & Readers:
The word activism conjures up many images and impressions among many of you. But what would you say If I asked, “are you an activist?”
Many of you probably say, “no.” But if I ask you what you would like to change in the community you live in, you would probably have a lot to say. Being an activist is sort of like that. Paying attention to things that could help improve your community and voicing it to those who have the power to change.
In this issue, we have several articles about activism named Asian Activism. Why name it Asian Activism? Maybe it’s because it’s not in our culture to voice those things we are dissatisfied with. It is our culture to keep harmony with those around us. So, it’s really against the grain of our culture to do otherwise. But this part of our culture doesn’t work well in the United States. It may work well in your parent’s generation, in their country of origin. In this country, we have to learn how to talk about things we are dissatisfied with, and sometimes we have to talk about this publicly– such as engaging in public discourse. You may do this in your classroom, with your instructors and classmates in how to express your opinion publicly. If you are not used to doing so, please read the Resource section of this issue to learn the skills required to engage in public discourse. It is a very much-needed skill. You need it to be a successful student, debater, and influencer if you want to be successful in your career. Most importantly, you will exercise these skills in the areas that matter most to you.
The Special Section on this issue is an example of activism from a group of college students from Brown University. They wrote about an issue that they care deeply about. I want to challenge all of the AAC Youth members. Whether you are in middle school or high school, it’s not too early to be an activist. I want to challenge you to write an article about an issue you care about. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions on how to do so.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Best regards,
Jeannie Salomon
Editor-In-Chief