Kroc Alum Reflects on AAPI Identity, and Way Forward for a More Peaceful Future
Following a string of crimes targeting the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community in the United States, Kroc School Master of Science in Conflict Management and Resolution student Zoya Sardashti connected with Kroc School alum Dominique De Leon ‘19 (MS), who identifies as AAPI, to get her reactions to these recent events.
In their insightful discussion, De Leon speaks to her own experience as a victim of micro-aggressions, the importance of stepping out of the shadows as a fearless peace activist, and the inspiration she has gained from the courageous actions of others. She also explains what she’s hopeful for as she looks to the future.
“I want to try to be vocal about it and also support others in their fight against oppression. Leaning on, supporting, and amplifying the work of other BIPOC communities because I feel like that’s the only way we can really dismantle and disrupt the system,” De Leon said.
Below, please find an excerpt from their larger conversation:
Interview Participants
Dominique De Leon ’19
MS in Conflict Management and Resolution
Speakers Bureau Associate, Peace is Loud
Zoya Sardashti
MA in Performance & Creative Research
Artistic Director of Home Soil Projects
Candidate MS Conflict Management & Resolution
Kroc Ambassador
About the Author
The Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice (Kroc IPJ) launched in 2001 with a vision of active peacebuilding. In 2007, the Kroc IPJ became part of the newly established Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, a global hub for peacebuilding and social innovation. The core of the Kroc IPJ mission is to co-create learning with peacemakers — learning that is deeply grounded in the lived experience of peacemakers around the world, that is made rigorous by our place within a university ecosystem and that is immediately and practically applied by peacemakers to end cycles of violence.
