Champions of Change Blog

Movement within a Movement

Catherine Eusebio is being honored as a Champion of Change for her efforts as an AAPI Women leader.

I’m not a minority. I’m a movement.

I came of age at a time when it was dangerous to be an undocumented student. In the early stages of the immigrant youth movement, the ever-present risk of deportation forced only the bravest of us to meet in secret as we sought to support each other in our pursuit of higher education. But since then, this movement has evolved. Not only are we more powerful and organized, but this movement also challenges the notion of belonging and worth in America as immigrants and more broadly as people of color.

But within this movement, I often experienced being the only Asian American – a “minority within a minority.” Among other barriers, my community expressed a pronounced, paralyzing fear for deportation that could result from political involvement. While many youth were interested in participating in efforts advancing immigration reform, their families pressured them to avoid taking the risk. Therefore, I devoted myself efforts that would engage Asian American communities. At the same time, I encouraged immigrant youth-led efforts to be more sensitive, and inclusive of non-Latino community members.

But with those priorities, a gendered lens took a back seat. I often noticed in which women were hard at work, behind the scenes. Men, on the other hand, would be the most visible or more often regarded as leaders.

This is why I’m proud to lead Dream Summer with the support of UCLA Labor Center and Asian American/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy. Dream Summer is a national internship program that is led by and for immigrant youth. Not only are we raising the visibility and uplifting the voices of Asian American and Pacific Islanders within this movement; we are also intentional about the inclusion and visibility of LGBTQ and women leaders.

Now in its third year, Dream Summer has proven to create hundreds of champions of change, each one making an impact in their local community.

I am honored to be recognized as a Champion of Change. As women and as members of the Asian American community in particular, we must continue to fight, challenge, and build opportunities for those coming after us.

Catherine Eusebio is a Social Justice Fellow as Asian American/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy and a board member of United We Dream.

Fostering Allies and Advocates through Developing Empathy

Karen L. Suyemoto is being honored as a Champion of Change for her efforts as an AAPI Women leader.

I initially became a clinical psychologist to help heal individual pain through psychotherapy. Now I use my skills in my scholarship, teaching, and mentoring to help people tolerate and move through the pain of understanding social inequities in order to transform that pain into social justice action. As an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology and Asian American Studies, my work focuses particularly on empowering Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to resist oppression and on developing coalitions across privilege, not only to enlist allies in the movement for racial justice, but also to address the ways in which we may enact discrimination within our own AAPI communities.

In my teaching and my research, I aim to foster understanding that everyday moments in our lives are choices that either compound the pain of injustice or contribute to healing. This understanding is particularly important in educating human service professionals, where the positive or negative effects of such choices are magnified through their effect on service provision, teaching, modeling, and organizational policy.

In my work, I collaborate with students and professionals to dismantle the “armor of ignorance” that sustains injustice. Together, we explore and validate the pain of discrimination. Simultaneously, we engage in a painful and difficult journey of coming to know the "other," to see ourselves within them and them within us, to care for and about them, and to see and share the pain of injustice. This is a process of understanding and feeling the everyday realities of oppression and privilege, along with the practical and relational costs of these inequities.

Dismantling the armor enables the development of true empathy. Empathy is the ability to feel with another, not just for another. Empathy involves the willingness to hold another’s pain alongside one’s own. This kind of empathy forms the basis of authentic relationships and motivates the transformation of pain into action. As (then) Senator Obama said in 2006: “Empathy is a quality of character that can change the world—one that makes you understand that your obligations to others extend beyond people who look like you and act like you and live in your neighborhood…. it’s not always easy…. But I hope you don’t do what’s easy. I hope you do what’s hard.”

My scholarship and teaching encourage doing what is hard by illustrating the personal and relational benefits of choosing that path. In my experience, as you come to understand the personal responsibility inherent in your choices, you become empowered to transform pain into action that reduces the negative impact of racism and social injustice.

Everyday, I am impressed by the courage my students show in removing their armor to realize their desire to be good, just people. Continually, I am inspired by the ways that they use their learning in everyday actions that challenge oppression in their roles as human service providers, community organizers, faculty members, clinic directors, researchers, community leaders, and engaged citizens. My nomination as a White House Champion of Change is particularly meaningful to me because it was initiated by some of these courageous students and supported by so many students and colleagues. I am deeply honored and humbled by being selected. That others recognize the value in what I do makes me believe even more strongly in the ripple effect: together we can change the world.

Karen L. Suyemoto is an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology and Asian American Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Boston.