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Hi John,
My name is Kelly Choi, current college student and board member of March For Our Lives. Today is the last day of AAPI Heritage Month, but it takes more than just a month to learn, and unlearn, in order to be a better advocate for Asian American and Pacific Islander lives. I’ll state upfront that I can only speak from my own experience and the various components of my own identity.
Identity is something I’m constantly evaluating and reevaluating. AAPI is a complicated label. I am a member of the Korean American community born and raised in Houston, TX. Growing up in predominantly white spaces, I was always acutely aware of my non-whiteness. Asia is the largest continent with over 40 countries and nearly 2,300 living languages. But in America, we’re grouped together and our individual experiences are reduced to a common identity, seen as perpetual foreigners.
This intentional othering has been present in our history for decades. We saw it in the 1800s with the Transcontinental Railroads, during WWII with Japanese internment, and again during the COVID-19 pandemic. Media outlets today are full of anti-China rhetoric and negative stereotypes, then they use tragedies in Atlanta and Indianapolis to generate huge ratings. You might be hearing “Stop Asian Hate,” but the fact is, it took physical violence and loss of life to get many people to start caring.
When I joined the March For Our Lives community at the age of 17, I got to work helping organize one of the largest marches in Houston history. I started to truly understand how intersectional and marginalized communities draw their power from being in solidarity with each other. I started to realize that knowledge is power, and we can’t win unless we know what we’re up against. I wish I knew a lot of these things growing up. So today, I want to empower you with the knowledge to start understanding this, too.
Much of AAPI history is untold, but I believe if people learn it and engage with it, there would be so much more understanding. Today I’ll leave you with a few resources that I think are a great place to start.
📚 If reading is your thing, check out Making Up Asian America by Erika Lee [[link removed]] .
🎙️If podcasts are your thing, listen to these Code Switch episodes about the deadly shooting in Georgia [[link removed]] and the story of Vincent Chin [[link removed]] .
🎥 If you prefer movies/shows, consider centering Asian American characters in your watch list by adding things like Minari [[link removed]] , Never Have I Ever [[link removed]] , The Farewell [[link removed]] , and The Namesake [[link removed]] . (Or catch this TEDx Talk [[link removed]] I did.)
Lastly, practice extending love and grace for others who have a different lived experience. We’re all in community with each other somehow.
There’s so much more that I wish people knew about AAPI culture and history. So many more people. So much beauty. I love being Korean, and I wouldn’t want to be anything else.
Thanks for taking the time to read this, and to hear about my story firsthand. You are appreciated.
In solidarity,
Kelly Choi
Board Member
March For Our Lives

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