Christie Soper and Tina Firesheets, co-producers of Pan Asian Voices and Experiences of North Carolina, spoke at McCoy Commons April 20 about their Asian American experiences in North Carolina and what led them to pursue the start-up of PAVE NC.
PAVE NC tells the stories of those who are of Asian American and Pacific Islander descent. PAVE NC aims to let the voices of these North Carolinians be heard and provide their real stories for others to listen.
The intimate discussion included food from Simply Thai and homemade kimchi prepared by Soper’s special guest, her mother. The event started by diving deep into the creation of PAVE NC.
Around two years ago, in the midst of the pandemic, PAVE NC was born. Soper and Firesheets were discouraged by the 2021 anti-Asian attacks in three Atlanta spas, which gave them more than enough reason to fight back, Soper said.
“The attack happened in Atlanta, and we went from, ‘This is kind of a good idea to work on,’ to, ‘We are doing this’,” Soper said. “And so that was the real tailwind that we needed to get us some momentum. And within six weeks, the very first set of stories came out.”
One major topic of discussion from Soper and Firesheets was how they deal with microaggressions and racism. Both women had different approaches, with Firesheets usually dealing with it more passively.
“I'm more like, ‘Let's not rock the boat. I want everybody to get along.’ So I'm one of those people where I think of the perfect response two days later, which is not helpful,” Firesheets said. “Just know you're not alone. I think also, being a woman, I will say that it challenged me every day to continue to be open minded in certain situations.”
Soper finds herself, similarly to Firesheets, almost in shock when confronted with racism. But she said some people are just not worth fighting against — microaggressions and racism speak volumes about the aggressor.
“I can still remember microaggressions from 20 or 30 years ago, and the things I wish I had the capability and the smarts, in the moment, to say or where I wish I would have reacted and stood up for myself,” Soper said. “Not everybody's worth circling back. Frequently, it says more about them than it does about you.”
Both Soper and Firesheets also touched on their experiences in the workforce. As part of the discussion, they advised attendees to pursue what they are passionate about, no matter what people think of them. But at the same time, they have almost no control if something lands the way it lands — the only thing they can do is to learn and change it.
“If you get your foot in the door, and it's something you're passionate about — do a great job, do what you love and take advantage of the opportunity,” Soper said. “And if you sustain it and you grow from it, it was because you did it and not because of whatever label landed you on.”
Firesheets added that passion and eagerness will get people far if they work toward their goals, even if they are unsure of what those exact goals are at the moment.
“It's totally OK to not know, very solidly, why you want to be there. I mean, it's all part of learning,” Firesheets said. “As long as you show an eagerness and a willingness to learn and to get the most out of what that opportunity has for you — that's really the most important thing.”
Firesheets and Soper also stressed their desire to promote and help small businesses. Soper mentioned that acknowledging these owners and providing them with a form of advertising truly makes a difference. But she also said finding allies is something that has been falling short in this process.
“We want to help the business owners locally and help promote them. But one of the things that's been a challenge for us is still trying to get traction in the ‘allies phase’, and garner that interest with people,” Soper said. “They're in their lane, they're doing their thing and they have to lift their heads and look around. But it's hard to get people's attention, get that interest, get that attraction and drive some kind of action out of it.”
Elon freshman and event attendee Samuel Abner said he felt it is vital to shine a light on the Asian American and Pacific Islanders within North Carolina communities. As a non-AAPI, Abner found the speakers inspirational and is motivated to spread more awareness and raise consciousness to those who are unfamiliar with AAPI culture, especially around campus.
“I found them very inspirational. They shed light on an array of various different issues that they experience that I think are often overlooked by the non-Asian community,” Abner said. “I think a lot more awareness has to be portrayed and introduced into society because times are changing, the world is modernizing, and it's just very important to know to understand that this is a necessary step towards our future.”