Jul 29, 2024
Embracing My Otherness In many AAPI cultures, we are conditioned to be quiet and to assimilate (into the) dominant culture for the sake of “fitting in.” That was certainly my experience growing up in a Filipino household in San Jose. My parents, who had...
Jul 10, 2024
In the new episode of The DialoguePodcast, we’re featuring ALF Senior Fellow Usha Srinivasan of Class XLII. Usha shares a reading of her contribution to Making Waves—AAPI Voices, a project of ALF Silicon Valley’s AAPI Caucus. Through this project, the...
May 8, 2024
In honor of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) Heritage Month, we are thrilled to share a reflection from AAPI Senior Fellow Margaret Abe-Koga (Class XXII), Mountain View City Councilmember. Through the stories of incredible leaders like...
Jul 13, 2023
For Senior Fellow Vandana Kumar (Class XXXIX), storytelling is integral to life. From the stories told to her by her maternal grandmother about protecting their property under the British Raj to her mother’s telling of the non-violent resistance formed in her...
Jul 12, 2023
Journey from Vietnam All of us are called to be of service to others, and in the best of worlds, our story—our own life—leads us to career choices that allow us to make that happen. This is my story, a story with messages of love, trauma, hope, resilience, and joy. I...
Mar 2, 2023
My Personal Story A Book of Life contains many chapters written by our experiences – I’ll give you a Spark Notes version of mine: We spent our winter vacations with my dadi (paternal grandma) in our ancestral home in a small village in rural India. With no...
Jan 11, 2023
Dear America, Do you see me? I am a daughter of a single mom who made tremendous sacrifices to bring my siblings and me from Vietnam to the United States so we could have better opportunities. My mom wanted to further her education but was pulled out of school after...
Dec 1, 2022
Letter To My Father Editor’s note: Steve Nakano shared this letter with his brothers and nephews, which opened up new learning and sharing among family members across generations. This holiday season, we invite you to consider what letter you would like to write...
Nov 2, 2022
What Does It Mean to Me to Be an Asian-American? I was asked to write a “Board Boast” when I joined the California Judges Association Executive Board. This was to be published in the association e-newsletter to help people know me better. I am currently...
Oct 31, 2022
Race Relations. It has been more than 30 years, but I remember the details clearly. I was in Southern California for a job interview at the Los Angeles Times. The paper had flown me in a day early and put me up at the Westin. I had been a columnist for the San Jose... 
