AAOP has been a young person-led, mostly femme and queer-led organization since 2016 and while you may have met staff and young leaders in community events, while volunteering for canvassing or even in the past, who are the people behind AAOP? Over the next few weeks, we’ll be re-introducing AAOP staff! Get to know who is part of AAOP, our likes and dislikes, experiences and stories.
Next up is Vang Xor, Leadership Development & Movement Director!
Favorite Part of Your Role: There are a lot of things that I love about my role as Leadership Development & Movement Director. I love working with other young Asian leaders and being able to see the transformation that folks go through in our Organizing Fellowship program. It amazes me every time I see young people taking up space and claiming their identity as they continue to organize around issues that impact them directly. I also love the community building aspect of my role; I love creating a space for other young Asians to build with each other and seeing how those relationships extend outside of the program and even after the program ends. Additionally, I also love working with organizations to sustain the momentum of the movement. One of my favorite moments in working with partners as a funder is seeing the grantees grow and expand their involvement in civic engagement each year.
Least Favorite Part of Your Role: N/A
What inspires your work? I’m inspired by queer activists/organizers and mentors that I’ve been privileged to connect with. I’m also inspired by the framework of co-creation efforts especially in the context of youth and young people leadership development. I think youth and young people know exactly what they need to create change, we just have to trust and be willing to support those visions. I’m also inspired by organizing that’s not often seen through the lens of activism, literacy and political theories. For example, my parents and relatives all grow their own food whenever and wherever they can. Most of the time when it’s time to harvest, they will bring the abundance and distribute it to others as a gift. I see this as existing and living under the context of capitalism while combating it at the same time. It reminds me of the time before I understood currency and commerce as a child.
Life motto or quote that inspires you: To know what is possible you have to test the impossible.
Share a story or a memorable moment that happened while at AAOP: In 2018 when we were canvassing at Sun Food in Brooklyn Park, I talked to an elder Hmong woman about the election. She shared her story of her involvement in civic engagement efforts. She told me that she remembered being in the capitol and demanding that the rest of the Hmong refugees in Thailand be welcomed in MN. At that moment, it felt like everything came full circle as I shared with her my story of being one of the last wave of Hmong immigrants from a refugee camp in Thailand. Because of her and many others demanding that Hmong immigrants settle in MN, I was able to immigrate to MN and now continue the effort of civic engagement. It was a lovely moment for us to connect our story and for me personally experiencing the passing of the torch to continue to fight for equity.
Testimonies from other staff:
May be the youngest of the crew but wise beyond his years. Would love to hire him as my trainer to workout at 6 am 4x a week. – Jeffrey
I can always rely on Vang Xor to come up with solutions to challenges that come up in our day to day work. He is really creative and great at coming up with ideas for the best ways to move forward! There are so many times in our work that I would have been lost without the suggestions offered by him. – Clara
Vang Xor is a critical thinking and problem-solving leader. His thoughtfulness and commitment to provide leadership development and empower young people power is infectious. – Linda
Xorr’s experience and commitment to movement building and leadership development is unparalleled. I admire his ability to develop guiding questions and build young leaders. He has been an incredible support to me as the newest staff member. – Michelle