Earlier this year I participated in an event hosted by Lisa Harris and Anahita Champion, to hold space for Asian American or Pacific Islander women who wanted a supportive space to share their feelings and experiences as the incidents of hate continued to climb and worsen in our communities.
One of the women that evening, bravely shared personal accounts of racism and discrimination. She told an account of how her grandfather who fought in a war for the United States endured people telling him to go back where he came from, not knowing the sacrifice he made for this country.
She also shared how she had received hateful and harmful verbal attacks on her ethnicity and culture. In closing she shared words that continue to ring in my ears, “They don’t know what’s in my head and in my heart.”
In that moment there was a fire ignited in me - those words, how true. Most of us do not know what is in each other’s heads and each other’s hearts, especially those who appear different from ourselves. We sure do make a lot of assumptions though and they are often not whole or kind.
Today I want to give you the opportunity to share... What's one thing you wish those around you knew about what’s in your head or in your heart? Tell me, what do you want us to know?
Shelby M. Wagner
This very question inspired me to design a creative way for people to explore their identity, together. I’ve found that some people find it challenging to answer with words, but through this workshop we use imagery first which allows you to find the words later. If you’re interested in the Identity Mosaic workshop you can find more details here.
