DELEGATE PERSPECTIVE: Why Platform

Growing up as the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants in the U.S., I have been very concerned about the recent anti-immigrant sentiments in the U.S. The institutionalized racism and xenophobia and its intersection with sexism subtly (and often times not so subtly) guides the way young brown women like myself are treated in the U.S. in regards to health, educational, and work opportunities.

As someone studying public health, I'm eager to see specific political movements and legislation addressing young immigrant women's health and well-being, and I'm eager to play a role in that vision. I spent too many years quiet and ashamed for who I am as a young, Asian-American woman, simply because I wanted to fit into a society that didn't allow me to embrace my cultural heritage and my gender unapologetically.

Platform, in it's call to young women in every corner of our country, centers these hidden, lost, and silent voices in order to demonstrate that the personal is political. I'm tired of being complacent and accepting the oppressive status quo as "normal". I am ready and excited to challenge the American perception of normalcy.

I am searching to build the skills and connections to raise my voice and amplify it on a political platform so that other women with similar stories as me may also share their stories, in return shaping our country, our lives, our bodies, and our freedom.

Platform is the first step in encouraging solidarity and allyship among all women who need to come together and listen to eachother in a supportive and creative process so that we may lead our country towards justice and equity for all women