Meet Emily Wu Truong of Arcadia, CA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Wu Truong.

Hi Emily Wu, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Figuratively, I wear many hats, but the hat I share most often over the last 10+ years is my role as a mental health advocate for trauma-informed care, harm-reduction, and systemic change. As an advocate, I’ve been a storyteller and motivational speaker sharing my life lessons, encouraging others to seek safe spaces for community-driven mutual aid. Then as a support group facilitator, I love being able to provide a safe space for attendees to share from their heart, resonate, and share coping skills.

Then ever since my Dad died in September 2022, my heart went into a very dark place. I initially found it challenging to find grief support resources. Tears constantly fell from my eyes, and reaching out 988, the National Suicide Hotline, was more traumatizing than helpful. Despite my enormous challenges with 988 and beyond, my inner artist eventually woke up. I began to use my artistic abilities to honor my grief for my Dad and create rainbows. So now I call myself a “Rainbow Grief Artist.” I draw and paint rainbows because they represent the hope we can look forward to after experiencing the storms in life. Rainbow art helps me to transmute my emotional pain into beauty.

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?
Life has not been a smooth road. No one prepares you for the multiple heartbreaks you feel in your lifetime. No one teaches you how to practice setting healthy boundaries while you’re growing up. No one teaches you how to navigate power dynamics and push backs. No one teaches you how to cope with rejection and public humiliation. No one teaches you how to learn to love yourself when you feel like no one around you is capable of meeting your needs. No one teaches you how to advocate for yourself because humans train you to become people pleasers – to do as you’re told to keep everyone around you happy at the expense of your own peace. As someone who refuses to be a victim, I’ve had to learn how to be my own advocate – to be an upstander and a cycle breaker when no one around me has the courage to speak up. I’ve almost been disowned for speaking my truth. I’ve had to learn to cut ties to protect my peace and find my family outside my family. I’ve had to endure a 50-hour psychiatric incarceration for sharing my suicidal ideation with 988, the National Suicide Hotline which breaks confidentiality and violates the American with Disabilities Act by calling 911 on individuals they subjectively think are a danger to themselves. So yes, life has been quite the rollercoaster for me, but my heart continues to beat. I still manage to keep thriving, and so I might as well work on my own healing everyday by making rainbow art because this world needs more colors in this dark world.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
It’s challenging to summarize everything that I’ve done over the past 10+ years! As a person with many interests, figuratively, I’ve worn so many hats, including being an independent rescuer to feed my kitten addiction! 😆

Well, as a mental health advocate, I currently serve as the first Asian American board member for the National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery (NCMHR) and a steering member for the National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA) since 2022. This coming September 2025, I’ll even be a keynote speaker for Disability Rights California’s California Memorial Project Ceremony at the Metropolitan State Hospital in Norwalk, CA on September 15.

As a visual and performance artist, I’m known for my vibrant outfits that I wear at community events. Some call it cosplay or drag. I call it being a fashion statement for specific causes, including mental health in lime green 💚 & LGBTQ+ in rainbow 🏳️‍🌈. In 2016, the San Marino Tribune published an article called “Emily Wu Truong Wears Her Passion as a Fashion.” So I enjoy being able to have my own unique sense of fashion because that does set me apart from others. As a “walking art installation,” many people often turn their heads to check out the stylish colors that I’m wearing. Then when I have the energy, I do my own makeup – to draw green ribbons, rainbows & tears on my cheek especially for the local parades and healing drum circles that I join. People know me as “The Rainbow Butterfly.” This is my way of bringing joy to the community. A quote I came across said, “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” So I enjoy being able to use my visual arts, talents of song, dance, piano, & humor this 2025 year!

As for the things I’m most proud of… Ever since my Dad’s death, I’ve accomplished so much! I can say that I had the honor of doing nearly 20 speaking engagements, participating in 3 art shows, 4 parades wearing my rainbow butterfly wings, 3 open mic shows, 2 fashion shows, 1 chalk festival, win 1 art contest, sing for 3 memorials, play the piano for 1 musical show, audition for America’s Got Talent, facilitate 1 creative arts workshop, & perform for 1 stand-up comedy! Then last year, I was named as 1 of former Senator Anthony Portantino’s 2024 AAPI Community Champion and also honored by the New York-based organization Alliance for Rights & Recovery (formerly NYAPRS) for their Unsung Champions of Advocacy Award.

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Growing up, change makers in history like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, Patch Adams, Robin Williams, Harvey Milk and Ruth Bader Ginsburg were some of my role models. I aspired to become someone who remained resilient despite the unfortunate circumstances that were happening during their time. I wanted to become someone who made a difference in the lives of others. So I set out to figure out ways to empower myself.

After I graduated from college, I came across a quote by Manning Marable, who was known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of “Malcolm X.” He said, “Real empowerment begins by learning the lessons of our heritage and knowing something about ourselves.” So I wanted to learn more about my family’s cultural roots. My parents were not storytellers. So I started digging into Taiwan’s history to understand the historical events that took place in my parents’ country to understand what made my parents who they were.

In 2001, I learned about the Taiwan Tourism Bureau’s campaign “Taiwan Touch Your Heart” as a branding effort to promote Taiwan as a travel destination. In 2009, I participated in a local Taiwanese beauty pageant against my parents’ wishes. I received the title of “Taiwan Goodwill Ambassador.” After having done over 10 years of mental health advocacy, I feel that I represent the phrase “Taiwanese American touch your heart.” Although many people in this capitalistic world think that a person’s success is dependent on how much money they make, As Helen Keller said, “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched – they must be felt with the heart.” I feel like people often forget how important it is to be able to touch another person’s heart with positive affirmations and encouragement. I feel that that is the best way you can help others in life.

I think it’s important for everyone to think about this question: How do you want people to remember you?

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilywspeaks/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emilywspeaks/
• Twitter: https://x.com/emilywspeaks
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/emilywutruong