In this month’s episode, Daisy Astudillo speaks to Vivian Liu, a Chinese-American student focused on Environmental Science and Statistics, who is passionate about affordable housing, labor rights, and racial justice. Vivian, an Emory student, connected with us through their Community Building and Social Change Fellowship, a program designed to present both challenges and opportunities in building stronger communities through the lens of social justice and positive change. Vivian was part of the Buford Highway corridor team last summer, hitting the pavement to listen directly from local immigrant business owners.
In this interview, they share favorite memories of the Lunar New Year, how being a second generation Chinese-American impacts interactions with culture, and gives advice to other children of first generation immigrants on how to handle generational divides, including familial trauma.
We dedicate this episode to the victims who lost their lives and the families and communities grieving from the tragedy that took place at Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay during a time of year where so many Asian communities guard as space to connect to customs around happiness and celebration. We hope that Vivian’s story shines light to how we can all make meaningful steps towards positive change.