Hello Folks! My name is Tammy Truong and I am a Students for Economic Justice Fellow this year.
As a daughter of Vietnamese refugees escaping war-torn Vietnam, I grew up hearing the many stories of the challenges my parents had to endure, such as assimilating in the U.S. and working low-income jobs to sustain a living in San Diego. Through my academic and personal experiences, I faced the negative impact of the model minority myth in the API community and I noticed how little representation and participation of Asian-Pacific Islanders there are in the political sphere, all of which inspired me to join the SEJ fellowship program.
Being a part of SEJ helped confirm my passion for fighting for the working class and for economic justice. Coming from a family that works several low-income jobs, I wanted to focus on the policies that would help the majority: working people. Through this program, I was able to discover other issues that affects the labor movement, such as racial justice, immigration rights, and education. I wanted to bring these injustices to light and give a voice to those who cannot. I hope to remind others that these issues are interconnected with each other, and to emphasize that even if one group is free, it does not mean that all are free.
Not only did this program helped me stay true to my values, but it also honed my research and organizing skills as well. In addition, I was able to understand the importance of advocacy and policy which helped me build connections with others. I hope to use what I learned at SEJ to become a future organizer and to influence others to make a change in their community.
I am writing this because I would further like to give back to the SEJ program to support those who have the same dreams as me in helping work toward equity in our community. The goal I hope to achieve is $300 and all donations will be vital in the preservation of this amazing program. Thank you for your support!
Read more about Tammy Truong and the rest of the #SEJ2017 Cohort at: http://buff.ly/2sPQhmE