My 2012 Election Journey

It's amazing how much has happened since my last post. I'm down to about a posting once a month due to my hectic schedule but sometimes I feel like so much happens in my life that I actually don't know what to pick to write about! I wonder if other bloggers ever have that problem....

holding up signs and taking pictures takes up a lot of my time

So there's the big recent news of President Obama winning the presidential election. Was I stoked? YES? Was I surprised? NO! People have been thanking me for my support of the president, but to tell the truth, I really don't know if I did as much as so many others. I have many friends who shipped themselves out to Nevada, Colorado even Ohio for a final election push for our President. I am proud that my mother, back in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania (where I went to high school) went out on her phone and phone banked for Obama religiously. My younger sister was also a super volunteer in Philadelphia, setting up phone banks and getting free buttons. I am immensely proud of both of them. My mother is currently on disability after living a tough life that was rife with very real abuses from the "system" and racist entities, but still she puts herself out there for her civic duties, to work hard for a President she believes in. How can I not be inspired by that?

Go mom and little sis!!

This is not just some pro-Obama post (well it sorta is), but this is also my slice of what this election meant for me. I have never been too involved in any presidential election before this one. Outside of my experiences earlier this fall as a delegate (which I outlined in the previous post), I also did a fair amount of blogging leading up to this election. I started blogging for Hyphen magazine's blog only this past April, but it gave me the opportunity to interview some great people and cover topics that I really care about. It also enabled me to share my writings with so many people through the power of the Internet and social media. Earlier this year, I was elected to be on the board of the East Bay Young Democrats (EBYD), a position I really had no experience with, but I did know that I wanted to bring more diversity to the table with this group, and help them reach out more to membership to be involved in political activities. Around the same time that I joined EBYD, I also helped start up the Black Young Democrats of the East Bay (BYDEB) as a founding board member. I was lucky to be part of an amazing team who wanted to see young Black people have a avenue for involvement, information and activism when it came to democratic politics in Oakland. It was so strange that a place like Oakland didn't have a group like this! Well they have one now =)

BYDEB board with Supervisor Keith Carson

I didn't start 2012 with the goal of being more involved involved with the Democratic party or with the elections. Politics is a passion for me, I just find it so interesting, but I didn't expect all of this. I almost feel like it just happened, and I went along for the ride. It's been a good ride, I feel like I've learned so much - the good, the bad and the ugly. I've also made some amazing memories and friends, so I am grateful for it all. I don't really know where any of this will lead. People have asked me if I ever think about running for office. Well yea, I do think about that, but I also think about running a small goat cheese-making farm one day.

one day....

The point is, I don't know maybe? yes? no? maybe so? I may need a magic 8 ball but as of now I just want to go with the flow and keep learning and experiencing as much as I can when it comes to this world. But I can also walk away from it and I am glad that as of now I still have that space.

Yup, ride away from politics like a badass cowboy in the sunset (probably not gonna happen though)

But more than anything I am so DAMN EXCITED. This election cycle saw some really exciting wins for Congress, especially when it comes to adding diversity to congress and the undeniable impact of minority voters on election results. This is the most diverse Congress ever, with a record number of women now serving in the Senate. There was even a line in the Senate women's bathroom for the first time. For the first time, I think that a line to a women's bathroom is awesome.

The country is getting more and more diverse, I keep citing this fact in other writings, but the 2010 census has already shown that over 50% of children under the age of one in the US are non-Caucasion. I spoke about these developments and statistics regarding women and minorities in a radio interview on APEX Express on the local radio station KPFA, if you are interested in learning more (I come on at the 00:12:20 mark). We're taking over, and you're coming with us....whether you like it or not (hopefully you like it!). We still have a long way to go, but I do believe we can look to improve our society together.

So I am really looking forward to these paradigm shifts, I am excited to not just witness it, but be a PART of it, and be involved and get others to be involved in making sure our voices are heard and that communities are not left behind.

Happy Fourth of July!!!

Ooooh!! Aaaahhhh!!

Fourth of July is here and I am excited to be leaving my home soon to attend a BBQ and watch fireworks in San Francisco. I haven't really watched an Independence Day celebration in the Bay Area yet, I usually go with my mother to watch fireworks every year, it's been a tradition of sorts. I picked up an intense love of fireworks from my mother, who excitedly took me to any 4th of July fireworks show she could find as I was growing up. My family and I moved often, but regardless, my mother would find those fireworks and she would add her own "ooh, ahhh!!" soundtrack every time the lights burst above us.

I can't..too cute...Mongolian Baby!!

On the Fourth of July, I am reminded of the cultural diversity that the United States encompasses, because to me that is what the United States is about. Yes there is controversy regarding human rights issues found in immigration and in the racial inequities of our criminal justice system; but there are also aspects of hope, beauty and yes freedom within the United States. An example of this was this past Saturday, when I attended a Mongolian Naadam Festival in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Naadam, as a participant explained to me, is a summer festival that is a big part of Mongolian culture. The day was pretty epic, with people walking around in beautiful, extravagant outfits and a skit taking center stage with masks, dancing and booming music to go along with the action. I took lot of picture of cute babies in traditional clothes, and ate some amazing roasted lamb and traditional fried dumplings called buuz which were ridiculously good.

::gasp:: Get in Ma belly!!

As I watched the festival, I reflected upon how lucky I was to be in a diverse place like the Bay Area, to learn directly about different cultures that I had been unfamiliar with before (seriously, I really didn't know too much about Mongolian culture till that day, so it was great learning experience!).

My days with the Bengali Students Association at Rutgers University, @ our annual cultural show Tigerfest

My old home, the NJ/NYC Metropolitan area was similar in this respect as I learned of so many different cultures through my friends and during my time at Rutgers University, where I would attend cultural events representing many different areas of the world.

Aztec dancers at CA state capital on Immigrant Day 2011

We are lucky to have this in the United States. Here, people can have festivals, wear cultural clothes and dance and worship in the way they choose. Yes it's not perfect, yes there is xenophobia, Islamaphobia and bigotry, but we can still practice and express our cultural identities. That is a wonderful aspect about being an American. There are so many other areas of the world where this kind of expression is unheard of or even illegal. In Saudi Arabia for example, you cannot enter the country if you are Jewish (or ride planes going through the country for that matter), and women cannot move freely outside of their homes. In China, there are severe crackdowns on many different groups whom the government deems as undesirable or culturally subversive.
Mongolian festivals, Burmese Festivals, Bengali cultural dance performances, Aztec dancers and so many other examples of cultural expressions that I have seen and experienced make me feel very connected to my fellow human beings. I cherish this and I cherish that we have the freedom to show off our cultures and integrate into American life as well. It's not always perfect, but it can be there for us to appreciate.

Happy Fourth of July!!