I had a great 2018. It was busy. Twelve months filled with all the things I love to do: photography, writing, creative community-building, artivism. I’m humbled, also grateful and proud. As I’ve said before (and as many of you know) it’s not easy sustaining this work. Spiritually or financially. Artivism is inspiring and fulfilling, at the time it is fraught, emotional, and often not lucrative. Sometimes it’s hard to see the big picture. There were many moments in 2018 when I wanted to give up. I was in low spirits this holiday season. But pulling out my calendar and looking at the roads I’d traveled, left me with a positively different feeling.
Throughout the year, I was fortunate to do quite a bit of speaking and facilitation. I gave parent talks on race at Green Lake Elementary, Salmon Bay K-8, Whittier Elementary, and youth talks at The Center School and Orca K-8. I helped launch the first FOCS Multiracial Families Group, did a North Seattle College early educator training on mixed-race families, and facilitated a multiracial caucus for staff and faculty at South Shore K-8. The highlight of the year was going to The Facing Race Conference in Detroit to present a workshop with Families of Color Seattle, “Mobilizing Families of Color for Racial Justice.”
In the winter and spring, I did a ton of photography. It was so fun. Taking pictures is one my favorite creative outlets. I got to travel with the Alliance for Gun Responsibility to Olympia, make a video of my photography for the Breaking Barriers: Girls Empowerment Summit, and see my photography published in the seminal book Teaching For Black Lives. I also shot for API Chaya, Senator Rebecca Saldaña, the Progress Alliance, Artists UP, and Families of Color Seattle. As an activist photographer, I shot Women’s March 2.0, BLM at School National Week of Action, The Deep End Podcast, March For Our Lives, Seat At the Table, International Working Women’s Day, Families Belong Together, and Indigenous Peoples Day.
In the fall, I stepped back from other efforts to focus on touring my new book Hapa Tales and Other Lies. I released the book September 15. One hundred twenty-five people attended a beautiful launch at Elliott Bay Book Company. I then traveled to Minneapolis, Ann Arbor, Oakland, San Francisco, Los Angeles for equally uplifting events. At every stop I met with so many incredible Mixed people, artists, and orgs including Midwest Mixed and Multiracial Americans of Southern California. I didn’t get to tour my first book very much, so the Hapa Tales tour has been special for me. My last event is this Thursday, January 10, 7:00p at Third Place Books in Seward Park, Seattle.
And now, I’m looking forward to a great 2019! I will continue speaking, facilitating, and community work. I missed taking pictures these last couple months and am thrilled to get back to photography starting this month. My writing goals are to blog regularly, produce cool content for my Patreon, and finish my third book on Asian American women. Last, I’ve resolved to be more creative overall. I just published my first vlog on Patreon which I had a blast making. I’ve been thinking too about ways to incorporate more music into what I do. It’s exciting to dream big. At the moment my eyes are on the sky and I’m turning those calendar pages with determination for the year ahead.
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MY 2018
January 2018
- January 15—Photographed Alliance For Gun Responsibility in Olympia
- January 16—Launched first FOCS Multiracial Families Group
- January 20—Photographed Seattle Women’s March 2.0 (wrote an essay about it)
- Last year facilitating Multiracial Caucus for Staff & Faculty at South Shore School
February 2018
- February 5-9—Photographed BLM At School National Week of Action
- February 25—Photographed The Deep End Podcast
March 2018
- March 1—Photographed API Chaya Vigil
- March 8—Photographed International Working Women’s Day
- March 20—Parent Talk: Greenlake Elementary, “Talking With Our Kids About Race”
- March 22—Youth Talk: The Center School, “Mixed Race Identity”
- March 24—Photographed March For Our Lives
- March 28—Photographed Progress Alliance
- March 29—Educator Talk: North Seattle College, “Mixed Race Children and Their Families”
April 2018
- April 3—Parent Talk: Salmon Bay K-8 School, “A Parent Conversation About Race, Activism, and Community”
- April 16—Photography published in Teaching For Black Lives
- April 22—Photographed Seat At the Table
May 2018
- May 20—Photographed Senator Rebecca Saldaña
- May 21—Photographed Alliance For Gun Responsibility Luncheon
June 2018
- June 2—Photographed FOCS Arts Fest
- June 4—Equity Training: FamilyWorks (also 7/12)
- June 9—Photographed disAbilities MIXER by Artists UP
- June 16—Breaking Barriers: Girls Empowerment Summit Video
- June 21—Photographed Families Belong Together Vigil
- June 30—Photographed Keep Families Together at SeaTac Detention Center
July 2018
- July 12—Equity Training: FamilyWorks
- July 16—Launched Patreon
August 2018
- August 23—Appearance On Hartford Community Leaders
September 2018
- September 5—Podcast Interview: Parenting Forward
- September 15—Hapa Tales released!
- September 19—Elliott Bay Reading
October 2018
- October 8—Photographed Indigenous Peoples Day
- October 14—Moon Palace Books Reading, Minneapolis MN
- October 17—Youth Talk: Orca K-8 School, “Race and Racial Identity”
- October 20—Photographed API Chaya GenFest
- October 22—Hugo House Reading
November 2018
- November 8—Bookbound Reading, Ann Arbor MI
- November 8—Facing Race Conference, Detroit MI
- November 15—Parent Talk: Whittier Elementary, “Talking To Our Kids About Race”
- November 17—Wing Luke Book-O-Rama (first!)
- November 30—Oakland Asian Cultural Center Reading, Oakland CA
December 2018
- December 2—Howard Zinn Book Festival, San Francisco CA
- December 8—Multiracial Americans of Southern California Reading, Los Angeles CA