I’m going to be really honest with you all. It feels like I have lived in the Bay Area for a minute even though it’s only been three months! As many of you know, it was challenging for me to leave Minnesota. It was a beautiful place to be Hmong and Hmong American.

I haven’t felt a kind of sisterhood of connection to the Bay Area. That is, until I went to the Center for Asian Pacific American Women or CAPAW AANHPI Regional Conference on Sept. 28 in Oakland. There I felt a sense of place, one that helped me realize I had come here for a reason. I was surrounded by the most brilliant women in the Bay Area and beyond and am so humbled by the opportunity to facilitate a fireside chat with journalist, activist, author, and community member Helen Zia.

It was a really amazing day to connect with all the women there and continue to support each other to use our voices in ways that are often overlooked in our places of employment. Please support the work CAPAW is doing to elevate and support AANHPI women in all sectors!

Shout out to photographer Zabrina Deng for these images of the wonderful event.