The (Activist) Hats I Wear

A Reflection on Positionality and Justice by @joycming

A visual summary with a light purple background featuring an Asian-American woman wearing green (researcher), pink (worker), and blue (person) hats. There are short explanations of each of the hats and she also has a thought bubble with questions about how these hats are balanced.

The following is a description of the text contained by the visual summary.

My background in industry makes me wary of just building it and waiting for them to come. As a

Researcher

I wonder about the best balance for me between:

• THEORY: creating knowledge & influencing how others build/design tech) vs.
• PRACTICE: interacting with people & seeing tangible impact)

My research actually has me advocating for

Worker

rights & voice for frontline health workers in NYC & India

But also around me, I see opportunities for solidarity

• UNIONIZING: the Google Walkout and Cornell Student Union
• ORGANIZING: social justice manifesto @ CHI, with other researchers
• SUPPORTING: opportunities for students to connect and support each other

And even around me as a

Person

there’s so many causes & areas I’m learning a lot about

• SUSTAINABILITY: just transition & integrated approaches to planet health
• FAITH & ACTION: different ways that faith communities mobilize and act
• ABOLITION: how to integrate the mindset with other causes
• WELLNESS: promoting dialogue around mental health and wellness
• LOCAL POLITICS: galvanizing the local community to vote & act

I wonder how to balance all of my different hats…

• What do I prioritize?
  How do I integrate different parts of me?
• What type of impact do I want to make?
  What type of impact can I make?
  What is the best way I can leverage my different identities and positions?

I’m hoping to learn from other scholars & community members.