BIPOC Womxn Archives | South Seattle Emerald

by Juanita Tamayo Lott

(This article was originally published by the International Examiner and has been reprinted with permission.)

This anthology, edited by Shirley Hune and Gail M. Nomura, is a timely contribution to acknowledge, understand, and document the rich complexities of Asian American and Pacific Islander women in the 21st century. It is a fitting sequel to the pioneering 1971 Asian Women, (Asian Women, U.C. Berkeley) and the 1989 Making Waves: An Anthology of Writings by and about Asian American Women (Asian Women United of California). While the former gave voice to pioneering Asian American women — Chinese, Filipino, Japanese and Korean — the latter included South Asian, Southeast Asian, and mixed-race women. Our Voices, Our Histories is even more expansive with the formal inclusion of Pacific Islander women.

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by Shasti Conrad

In 2020, we saw people across the country make their voices heard with an urgency America hasn’t witnessed in decades. We marched in cities from coast to coast to express the need for social justice in our country. We advocated for change, pushing for more equity and inclusion.

The core of our chorus in protest after protest, “Black Lives Matter,” is a demand for action — an insistent call to finally tend to the overdue work of elevating Black voices and centering Black experiences.

That call was heeded at the ballot box here in Washington State, with more Black candidates elected than ever before.

Now that we have transitioned into 2021, it is more important than ever to keep building that momentum beyond electoral politics. We must continue to lift our voices and advocate for change throughout our society.

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