The Quiet Light of Peace-Building We All Have to Share

Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month was different for me this year. This time, across the Pacific Ocean, I celebrated in Asia. This year, I had the privilege to explore and learn from the origins and motherlands of just a few of the countries that our AANHPI communities immigrated from.

Our communities immigrate for numerous reasons. Whether it be global politics and international conflicts, climate change and natural phenomena, to aspiring for a better, safer life for families with a brighter future in mind; The term ‘Asian Americans’ culminates experiences navigating the courage and resilience needed to leave the only homes we have known, grappling with what parts of our cultural heritage we hold on to and share, and what parts we need to ultimately lose to assimilate to the new worlds we enter. 

The month of May was chosen to celebrate AANHPI Heritage Month to recognize two pivotal milestones of the many for the AANHPI community: The landing of the first Japanese immigrants to the United States on May 7, 1843 and the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869 which relied heavily on Chinese immigrant labor.

For over 15 years, I have had the privilege and opportunity to learn and work with our beautiful AANHPI communities in San Diego. I found my home in frequenting neighborhoods like the Convoy District that grew to become a Pan Asian Cultural and Business Innovation District stemming from the hard work of mom and pop shops in the 1980s and 1990s. I created ways to discover and contribute as a community member and leader to various cultural organizations in college and later countless nonprofits and grassroots organizations in the community through my work in event production and community organizing.

I realize everyone is not always afforded this same opportunity to get to know other cultures, but I implore and challenge everyone to do so because it truly opens your world to the beauty and perspectives of what the world and its people have to share.

This Spring 2026, I had the deep honor of being selected to attend the Kroc China Practicum: “Engaging with Others: Peacebuilding & State-Society Relations in China”, led by Dr. May Farid with organizational support from Associate Director Jessica Wilson of the SOLES Global Center as part of my University of San Diego Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies graduate degree pursuit.

Our course goals were to look at how our work as peacebuilders can engage with nondemocracies (which a majority of the world’s populations live under) and how we can gain insights exploring China’s government, society, and global impact. Our group gained insights into the centralization of authority in practice with localized discretion, foreign policy, decision-making processes, shifting economic structures, to global peace building, aid, and investment.

My original perception of China and its culture was limited to the various mediums of film, tv, books, and news narratives shared in the U.S. Like many, I grew up watching Jackie Chan and Jet Li as phenomenal martial artists from China who bridged our country to this exoticized land of Asia. These movies offered a glimpse to the people and culture, but often remained the only view people could draw upon before the internet expanded access to information. Today, Western media outlets primarily focus on the communist party system, international security, and the juxtaposition of freedoms we have in comparison.

With these narratives and limiting perspectives, Asian Americans, like other minority communities, often have to grapple with being ‘perpetual foreigners.’ Despite having deep generational roots and building foundational infrastructure in the United States, many are never treated as fully American. The media tells us so much, but we must critically ask ourselves, ‘Who is writing the story for others?’ and ‘What can we learn from people telling their own stories?’ We answered these questions in many ways through this trip by meeting the people who could share their own stories and insights beyond what Western media tells us about them.

This practicum brought us to spaces I could only dream of accessing: The International Labour Organization (ILO) office for China and Mongolia in Beijing, The Center for China and Globalization (CCG), Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, The Forbidden City, the Hangzhou XiXi Wetland Park, and so much more.  

As academics, we learned about the work of Professor Dr. Zhang Qian (Associate Professor School of Government), Professor Yang Tuan (Institute of Sociology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences) and Professor. Zhang Qiang (School of Government) at Beijing Normal University, the Sociology Department of Tsinghua University, and Law School of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and their Jiaoda Law School and Smart Justice Lab.

In addition to the phenomenal work of these leaders in organizations and education, we also learned from entrepreneurs, corporate social responsibility (CSR) consulting agencies, NGO leaders, global startups, and journalists/ media organizations like Mr. Zhao Jun, SynTao Co., Ms. He Xiaohong of the Moral Education Research Association, Booster Robotics, Mr. Ben Norton, Wave Media, Pangyang Hu of Nightfly, and Deep Principle.

One of the most symbolic moments of this trip for me was when our group realized we were going to be in China during the highly anticipated visit of the United States President Donald J. Trump and his pack of billionaires to meet with China’s President Xi Jinping and other powerful political, economic, and diplomatic figures. As peace and justice students, the duality of understanding we all represent varying levels of American culture and values during turbulent times sank into the core of why I am pursuing this work. I recognize that each of our interactions and bridges (whether forged or with authenticity) are built on the foundations and layers of others. Instead of focusing on our differences, where can we align in building something stronger? We have a deep role to play with our cross-border peace structures and risk prevention and this takes shape in long-term thinking and actions we build on together. 

As the trip progressed, one speaker loosely introduced the phrase “韬光养晦 (tāo guāng yǎng huì” which translates to “Sheathe the light, nurture the darkness.” Following the Tiananmen Square tragedy, Deng Xiaoping’s foreign policy strategy for China in the 1990s instructed their people to develop China’s role in the world through avoiding global conflict and focusing quietly to build their internal strength (economy, technology, and military) until it was no longer vulnerable. Nearly three decades have passed since this countrywide strategy was enacted and I came to see and understand the significant advancements China has quietly made in infrastructure, wealth, technology, and geopolitical advancements. 

Throughout these experiences, I found myself constantly reflecting on how society supports the working class and protects their basic human rights and dignity. This trip opened up deep personal insights in how many approach that responsibility. The Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences showed me the perspective of, 'This is not charity, rather it is coordination and cooperation,' reminding us that peace is a daily practice, not a static ideology. Ms. He Xiaohong of the Moral Education Research Association beautifully connected this to the next generation, asking, “How we can inspire students on their spiritual and personal journeys to better serve their communities?” Ultimately, Mr. Jun Zhao captured the ultimate goal of these efforts over lunch: “The warmth and desire for harmony is in hearts around the world. Our relationships can transcend languages, our actions, and our intentions.'"

There is still so much to process from all of these experiences and conversations. Our group had one last beautiful dinner and debrief before we went on to our next adventures. Professor Farid left us with some thoughts that summed the trip perfectly. “We can learn good aspects of good systems without buying into the whole system. We have not reached peak human ingenuity… The world has moved a lot, we have new forms of communications, we have new forms of technology, and ways to think about the world… We don’t need to choose sides, it’s up to us what we do with that knowledge and know we can do more.”

This trip was truly transformational for me. It affirmed that learning and bridging with each other is the way back to our humanity and how we can navigate through crises. The ways we learn theories and practice social change are interwoven and dependent on our courage to go out and explore and connect with people in this world through like-hearted visions. Building connections with others we don’t yet understand is the deepest way we can explore and celebrate our cultures and their deep impacts on the places we bring them to. 

My reasons for celebrating AANHPI Heritage Month are expanded now thanks to this experience. My education, studies, and practice as a student of the University of San Diego Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies is truly a privilege I am learning to bring back to the communities I serve. As my learning deepens, it further fuels my work with Social Artistry to dive deeper into the connections and dialogues needed for a future we imagine and can ultimately bring to life together.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UDqOsp6Prg