Today we’d like to introduce you to Connie Chiu.
Hi Connie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My story is never mine alone, but a constellation of those who came before, during, and after me. I think often of my family and mom for the story of how I got to where I am today — their tender yet fierce love, their will to survive abundantly, their undeniable commitment to a future when the past hasn’t always been so kind. Departing Laos as refugees and arriving to the United States through crisscrossing pathways and pitstops feels like the beginning of my story, though I know there is much that comes before too.
Through this lineage, I think of myself now as a “former DEI practitioner” who is in the process of evolving and experimenting my way into being a healing justice practitioner. While my passion and praxis has always anchored me to racial justice, the healing is a newly rediscovered practice. My lifelong experimentation and visioning led to launching the and/now collective with my co-founder, Dena Scott, where we “seek to build a radical collective for revolutionary wellness and collective rising through the prism of racial justice and social healing.”
I also consider myself a lover of words — reading and writing — and hope to carve out some space in the world for the constellation of stories swirling inside of me.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’ve learned that easy is relative! There will always be struggles and challenges, but who would we be without them? Looking back on my journey, things feel smooth more often than not. I’ve been both privileged and lucky with the resources, opportunities, and supports throughout some of my toughest moments.
Most of the struggles I remember sharply along the way were self-imposed — Can I do this? Am I worthy of doing this? What if I fail? What if people see right through me? Will I succeed?
Maybe it’s imposter syndrome or maybe it’s how I’ve been conditioned in a racialized society to always second-guess myself, to doubt my qualifications, to minimize my possibilities as a Southeast Asian woman. The pandemic has forced me to be curious about these self-imposed critiques and insecurities while also learning to trust myself through and through.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My co-founder and I are two women of color living and working within the equity, justice, and community mental health space for over a decade. Our manifesto embodies our experiences, stumblings, and learnings — written by us, for us, and the radical collective we seek to build. We’d love to share our manifesto with you all:
1). Keep your sights on the north star. Everyone has their own version but focuses on inclusion, equity, and justice. Remember, diversity is merely a starting point. Don’t get complacent. This world needs you now more than ever.
2). Invest in DEI, even when it hurts. Shift the mindset: DEI is not a nice-to-have but a need-to-have. Investments often feel like sacrifices to those now inconvenienced but many of us — people of color — have been sacrificing. Invest in us by any means necessary.
3). Understand the deep loneliness and pain that comes from living this work. Everyone lives this work — the question is how. Don’t let us shout into the void on our own. Shout with us. Show up. This particular kind of loneliness is best described by poet Nayyirah Waheed:
you broke the ocean in
half to be here.
only to meet nothing that wants you.
— immigrant
4). Understand also the deep beauty and love that comes from this work. The really hard moments are wrapped up by the really good moments. There are countless affirming and humanizing things so full of wonder, joy, and small wins that actually feel huge. Yes, we broke the ocean in half to be here — see us, we’re here. Look for these moments and lift them up.
5). Practice shine theory. I don’t shine if you don’t shine. Give credit generously, especially to those who are often silenced or ignored by the dominant culture.
6). Break the barrier, then get out of the way. Trust our lived experiences as evidence enough. Don’t be colorblind; see color and center race. Believe in all of our infinite capacity for radical transformation and healing.
7). Stop beating the odds and start changing them instead. It matters how we position ourselves in this world, especially when it feels safer to build up walls and close our gates. Stay open. As Rinku Sen says, “If you have some privilege, risk it.”
8). Fly in a V. Yes, like geese. As each goose flaps its wings, it creates an “uplift” for those following behind. And when the lead goose tires, it rotates back with the next one moving up — no questions asked. It turns out we all need moments to fall back — the question is, does the formation support that falling, that healing? Take care of yourself and build a structure that takes care of each other.
9). Be patient with people but not with systems. This work requires building, rebuilding, and more rebuilding. Systems are designed to produce the results they get. Stop doing the same things over and over, expecting different results. Begin to see the expansiveness of change as starting with us.
So, find you’re and/now, let’s begin.
How do you define success?
Simple: by the people and relationships you keep and those that keep you back.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@and-now-collective.com
- Website: and-now-collective.com
- Instagram: and.now.collective
- Other: https://revolutionorreform.buzzsprout.com/
