Counseling Psychology student Tiffany Fang’s OP-ED published in Chicago Tribune

Tiffany Fang, a second-year counseling psychology doctoral student in the School of Education, was profoundly affected when six Asian women were killed by a white gunman in the Atlanta spa shootings. With the anniversary coming up, she knew she had to do something to help others remember and process the event. Too often, our society minimizes the experiences of Asian American women. Writing was her tool to reclaim the narrative and tell the story from her vantage point.

As she reflects on the event and tells her story, she writes "I was working late that night and saw the news when I glanced at my phone. A tingling sensation ran up and down my limbs, with all the blood rushing to my organs. This happens when we sense a threat, and our body kicks into fight or flight mode."

At the encouragement of Dr. Matt Miller, her academic advisor, she wrote an op-ed that was featured in the Chicago Tribune. By engaging the public, she hopes that Asian and Asian American women who read the piece will feel seen in their collective trauma and empowered to express their stories and concerns for safety. At the same time, the piece aims to foster awareness, empathy, and self-reflection in others who may not understand the significance and history of the animus behind the shooting.

"Until you are ready to make space in your imaginations for the magnificence of Asian American women in our fullness, we will be here, getting it done, finding a way, spinning an abundance of love," says Fang.

Together they filmed the piece, narrated by Tiffany herself for SPOKENProject, which is part of the Race, Culture, and Health Equity Lab at Loyola and was created to facilitate healing from racism for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC).

Read the Chicago Tribune op-ed - and/or - watch the SPOKENproject video.