Natalie Bui is a first generation, Vietnamese American educator, artist, and activist with a background in social and racial justice policy and organizing. Her acclaimed presentations are highly engaging and interactive, providing participants with concrete tools for sustainable transformation.
Natalie’s work with a range of organizations informs her insight into the complexities of Asian American identities and communities with their different immigrant experiences, privileges, histories, and needs. She has worked on voter education at Planned Parenthood, immigrant rights at the ACLU of San Diego, and policy advocacy at Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Los Angeles. She is a co-founder of SHIFT, a women of color-led collective offering racial and gender equity education and consulting.
Natalie’s social justice advocacy is also reflected in her work as an artist who sees the power of the intersection of art and politics. She draws on her background and experiences as an Asian American and social justice activist to create art that uplifts and centers communities of color. Her art is often used to engage and educate the public around campaigns and policy work by groups such as Planned Parenthood,18MillionRising, Advancing Justice Los Angeles/ ALC/ Atlanta, The National Women’s Law Center, MomsRising, the DNC, Google, and more. Her art has also been seen in galleries throughout Southern California and she has done artist residencies for grassroots nonprofits such as Power California and the Southeast Asian Resource Action Center.
AAANHPI: The Complexity of our Identities
The term AAANHPI was created to be inclusive – to build political power, influence, and community over shared experiences of exclusion. Today the term has washed our communities into just ONE category, glossing over our different immigration experiences, privileges, and histories as well as what our unique communities may need. By discussing the lasting impacts of the model minority myth, colorism, and uplifting historical contexts that our distinct communities face, how can we look further into our identities and explore what other stories need to be told? What does it mean to be AANHPI in this day and age? This
Asian American Solidarity with Other Communities of Color
Asian Americans share complex experiences within the United States. With the rise of anti - Asian hate, there has been an increase in anti-Blackness within our communities as well. But to be in solidarity with one another requires we have honest conversations and understand our differences too - and the ways we have been pitted against one another - even in our communities. This means understanding that the historical context of our immigrant experience has led to different privileges and different challenges to build intra-group solidarity, and what responsibility we have to do that as Asian Americans - as it relates to Free Palestine, Black Lives Matter, and more.
Using Art to Activate Ourselves and Our Communities
Natalie will share her background and experiences as a movement artist, share past work projects, and how she draws from her experiences as an Asian American. She’ll share how this has helped her heal through taking up space, getting political, allowing imperfection, releasing history, from drawing new futures and more. She’ll talk about different ways she’s worked with advocacy organizations and different campaigns to incorporate creativity and her pathway to doing this work.
