“Rarely if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion.” – bell hooks
As we close out another tumultuous year, I am filled with deep gratitude for what we have achieved in 2021 despite the daunting challenges that AAPI communities have faced.
With our many partners and allies — and with your support — we provided critical assistance to those hardest hit by the ongoing ravages of systemic inequities exacerbated by the pandemic. We offered community-centered solutions in response to the grief and anger following the surge of anti-Asian hate. And we expanded access to information and public services, ensuring that all communities have a say in matters that affect them.
I am also grateful to you and the many others who stood with us every step of the way. As much as the pandemic has kept us apart, in some ways I have never felt more connected to you and to the communities we share. In our calls for meaningful change, I continue to be inspired by the ways in which we have taken care of each other with compassion and empathy.
As the late bell hooks said, “Rarely if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion.” She also wrote, “Hope is essential to any political struggle for radical change when the overall social climate promotes disillusionment and despair.” These words have never rung truer. This sense of togetherness continues to drive me, as it does all of us at CAA, to keep up our fight for social justice.
We hope that this time is restorative and healing and that you can experience peace in the world and in your hearts.
In community,
Cynthia Choi
