Interviewer: Siena Iwasaki Milbauer
This Asian Heritage Month, we’re speaking with Minnesotan Asian activists about how their heritage influences and motivates their organizing work. Check out our previous interviews, with Tri Minh Vo of The SEAD Project, and Nicole Ektnitphong of MN350 and Training for Change.
Today, we share a conversation with Jennifer Nguyễn Moore (she/they). Nguyễn Moore is an environmental and community organizer. We previously spoke with Nguyễn Moore in 2019 about their run for elected office in St. Paul, which you can read about here. In this interview, Nguyễn Moore shares her experience growing into her pride as a Vietnamese person and mother, and how that has motivated them to fight for broad BIPOC racial equality.
Please introduce yourself
My name is Jennifer Nguyễn Moore, she/they pronouns. I’m an environmental and social justice activist, mother raising an anti-racist child, environmental educator, connector, and amplifier.
Please describe your heritage in your own words
I am Vietnamese, born and raised in the United States.
How does your heritage influence who you are as a person?
It is a major part of me now. However, because of white supremacy, racism, and capitalism, I did not embrace where my family came from. I wasn’t ashamed, but my family and I “assimilated” as Americans as a mechanism to survive.
Assimilation didn’t work for me, I wasn’t able to be my authentic self. When I had my child, I realized the need to become more connected with my Vietnamese heritage. Where I came from represents a lineage of strong and resilient people. It represents so much joy, heartache, pain, and pride. This encouraged me to practice more of my culture: language, food, history, and share it with my child. She and I are proud of being Vietnamese.
Can you share a bit about your organizing work and what that looks like?
I strive to shift systems, policies and practices to become more racial equitable so that disparities are reduced and eliminated. I use my lived-experiences to convince and encourage institutions to improve working conditions and culture for BIPOC staff and the people they serve. The change I push for supports protecting our natural environment while keeping people healthy and well. It is my goal to inspire others to take action by amplifying community issues and celebrations. The more we tell our stories, the more chances we’ll invoke positive change.
How does your heritage influence your work? In what ways does it motivate and shape your organizing?
From my experiences navigating through my community, I faced a great deal of adversity in education and in the workplace. These encounters of trauma created hurt and anger which ultimately moved me to action. These lived-experiences inspire me to break the cycles of oppression so that others don’t have to go through so much pain.
I see many BIPOC groups suffering on an individual and collective level.
I truly believe that my liberation is tied to others. The work I do in embedding equitable systems not only helps my communities, it breaks the cycle of oppression for others.
Organizing gives me hope, gives me a purpose, a sense of belonging, and the satisfaction of helping others. This is a gift I have to share with others.
What does Asian Heritage Month mean to you?
Quite frankly, I didn’t know about Asian Heritage Month until the last few years. In the predominantly white circles I navigate through, I’ve felt invisible, I never felt the acknowledgement of my heritage or Asian Heritage Month in these circles. Since I’ve been on my journey to reclaim and embrace my culture, I’ve been more interested in learning more about Asian American history and activism. It’s also been a great opportunity for me to uplift local Asian artists, organizers, healers, community members, and organizations.
Asian Heritage Month is the time when we can educate others of our existence and how beautiful our cultures are. The Asian culture is not a monolith. It’s important to recognize that the Asian community includes folks who identify as Asian, Asian American, Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian, etc. We come from various countries, have varying customs, eat different delicious food, and experience inequities with different intensities.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Don’t let anyone ever take your right to reclaim and embrace where you came from. Take the time to learn about your ancestry and how that makes you a unique and special person. Keep shining and I see you!