Hope you are all recharged after some time off for the holidays and Happy New Year! 2019 was a whirlwind, wasn’t it? I am appreciative of so many things but especially your support in keeping our #ThisIsAmerica movement going. A heartfelt thanks for your invitations to present our series, to engage in discussion, and to produce new stories that shine a light on our unique experiences, including The Ugly Model for the ABC OTV Localish platform. I am also grateful for the awards that recognized our work in the areas of race and culture in America. Those honors belong to all of you.
2020 is bound to be another tough year for our country. I remain committed to doing what I can to amplify the voices of the underrepresented, to telling diverse stories in an effort to move in, and to uncovering and investigating injustices. To that end, I pitched many new ideas, roles, and stories last year. I will keep pitching because I am passionate about this work and optimistic that we can make progress if we persist in our efforts. But we have to do this together.
So please continue to send me ideas and opportunities to collaborate and partner. Please also watch and share not just my TEDx Philadelphia and Speakers Who Dare talks from 2019 but the talks from all of my fellow speakers by going to www.tedxphiladelphia.org and www.speakerswhodare.com. Each of their voices opened my eyes to a new experience and point of view and I am richer for each one. They further confirmed my core belief that if we approach each other with genuine curiosity, first finding and focusing on the ways in which we are alike, we can open up a space to dialogue about our differences. To crack open connection, we have to talk with people, not at them. To find common ground, we have to dare to step out of our common echo chambers. And instead of clamming up or clapping back, we have to consciously choose the harder road. What does the harder road look like for you? For me, it means standing up and speaking out firmly and thoughtfully. It also means LISTENING. It means staying up at night and figuring out how to make sure ALL of our stories get told.
A special thanks to TEDx Philadelphia, Pearl S. Buck International, Speakers Who Dare, the National Association of Asian American Professionals, AAJA, the World Woman Summit, the Philadelphia Inquirer, US PAAAC, and so many more for helping advance #ThisIsAmerica and diversity and inclusion with your recognition in 2019. Cheers to forging ahead in 2020. We have a lot of work to do so let’s get to it!
All the Best, Nydia
