SAYA Youth Learn About Asian Women Pioneers Throughout History

On Saturday, December 21st, young women from SAYA’s leadership programming attended an event centered around Asian women pioneers in history, held at the New York Public Library. The event - “She Did, I Will Too! Asian Women Pioneers & their Journeys to Freedom,” was hosted by HelloProsper and focused on women who shaped the path of feminism but due to discrimination, were not given the recognition they deserve. 

“The day included learning about Asian-American history, starting with the Asian Exclusion Act which occurred in 1882. We were shown drawings of some of the many Asian women who made their marks on humanity through their intellect, perseverance, and courage, including Kalpana Chawla, Harper Lee, Merle Oberon, and Thelma Garcia Buchholdt. 

Afterward, we broke into groups and did an activity where we ‘created’ our names by drawing a picture of what we think our names should represent, not what the dictionary tells us or how our parents have described it. We also made diagrams of our own characteristics we admire, and wrote down words that describe who we are and how we truly see ourselves. At the end, we were given time capsule cards as a souvenir from our experience. 

Overall, this event was extremely different from many of the other empowerment events that we have attended due to the fact that it hit closer to home by focusing on Asian-American women. As young women of color from places like India, Bangladesh, and Mexico, we really connected with what we were hearing, and were able to add our own perspectives to the discussions.”
- Diya