Ed Note: This opinion piece is part of our new series, Underground Good, which focuses on providing a window into the mindsets of ordinary people doing good work in their community. It’s written by sociologist, coach, and evaluation consultant Sharon Brisolara. You can find the rest of our Underground Good series here. Want to nominate someone? You can do that here.
Karen Lee serves as Director of Programs and Development at Level Up Norcal, “a community-based organization whose mission is to improve and promote the health, well-being, and advancement of ethnic minorities, through education, support, and advocacy.” Throughout her career, Karen Lee has worked to create opportunities and ensure access to services in ways that are inclusive and that support a sense of belonging. She is also deeply attuned to the important role of culture in individual and community well-being. But her commitment to serving the community is also deeply personal, and much of what she does happens outside of her professional responsibilities.
In this interview, she shares her reflections on community, the role of respecting elders in Iu Mien culture, cultural preservation, and what it means to navigate different worlds. Her expansive definition of community is one that resonates deeply with me.
How long have you lived here in Shasta County? If you moved here, like me, what brought you here?
My family has been here since 1984. This was a kind of stopping point for us from Southern California up through Oregon. My parents really love the mountains and lakes, and it reminded them of home. At some point through their travels, they decided that they really loved Redding and wanted to move here. Then they found out that there were a couple of other Mien families here. To be able to live in a community that reminded them so much of home and then having people who spoke their language was helpful; they were still trying to assimilate and learn the language at that time.
I have basically lived here my entire life, other than moving away for college. I really love it here and wanted to come back and raise my family in Shasta County. The sense of community is great. I’m still running into people that I went to elementary school with; being able to see them and catch up with them is really wonderful.
Where was home for your parents?
My parents were of the hill tribes of Laos and Thailand and they had gained asylum here during the Vietnam War. My family helped the U.S. government during the war, navigating U.S. soldiers through the mountains to ensure that they were safe. When the war was over, my parents got asylum and they moved here with my brother and my sister.
We were actually brought over here by a church in Atascadero. They lived there for about a year with the church and the people there helped them navigate the culture, get a job, and learn the language. During that period, they had found other Mien community members throughout California and in the Oregon area. They had been traveling through the Redding area to get to Oregon to meet family that they hadn’t seen for a few years and that’s how they stumbled upon Redding. Having grown up in the hill tribes, Shasta County offered fishing, farming, and hunting and it reminded them of home. They’ve been here ever since.
Before the internet, how did they learn about where people were living?
It was difficult because everything was done through snail mail. Most of the conversations were still going back through Thailand or Laos. They were talking to family members there and passing on the information that there is a community in a particular area. They didn’t necessarily know exactly where, but the hope was, we are going to get there somehow and find our community.
How do you describe what you do?
I think there’s a lot of intersection in what I do for my paid employment and what I do with our community on my own, volunteer time. Growing up I noticed the struggle that individuals who are first-generation face trying to understand things that are simple for people who read and write English. When I was young, a lot of people would show up at our door, saying, “ I got this letter,” or “I need to enroll my kids in school,” or “I got this job, but I need to fill out this paperwork, and I’m not really sure how to do it”. I remember being seven or eight, just helping people read I9s and W4s and trying to help them complete forms – doing paperwork so that their kids could be enrolled in school so that they could get a better education.
That’s something that I’ve done as far back as I can remember and it’s something that I’ve continued to do. When I go to my parents’ home, they will have friends there waiting for me, because they know I’m going to be there. They’ll have a stack of mail they need me to look at and make sure that it’s legitimate mail, that they’re not going to be scammed, or if it is a form they actually have to complete and return. A lot of it is having an understanding of what is happening in their world. That’s why I said there’s a lot of intersection in what I do for my paid employment, but people can’t just walk into my job and have me help them.
The other thing I’ve noticed as our communities have assimilated, our culture is being lost. Our community elders have been actively working on local preservation of our culture. Shasta County is where a lot of people within our Mien community have called home; they gain an understanding of what it is like to live here and also work to keep our culture, customs, and traditions alive and passing those on to our children. I spend a lot of time helping them with the processes they need so that they continue their work.
What are some examples of how you support elders in your community?
We have a group of women who do jewelry making, it really is a lost art, very few people know how to make their own traditional jewelry. They get together quarterly and are open up to community members to come in to learn more about the costumes and jewelries. They are able to share with individuals the meaning of a piece of jewelry and what it is used for. They provide all the supplies and teach anyone who wants to learn. People can take what they make home and have it as part of their own collection.
I work with the group of ladies that do this, and have them go through the process with me while I write down the steps and list the things that they will need. I help them streamline and ensure that they have enough material for those who have signed up, media for community members who don’t speak the same language, and have steps written out so that they’re able to communicate with people about what they need to do even if there is a language barrier.
Our community elders also have an annual friendship event and they invite communities from all over the U.S. to participate. They do a really good job of organizing and setting everything up. Last year they called it the Friendship Reunion. When they wanted name tags and signage, I helped them create those things and gave my free time to show them where the documents they need are stored so that anyone can access the information on their own to support the event and help the next generation navigate.
What do you find that people who are not members of your community don’t understand or fully appreciate about the role of elders?
One of the big things to understand about our community elders is that respect is really big in our communities. There are a lot of things that happen or don’t happen depending on whether our community elders agree or disagree with them. We work with them to accomplish things as opposed to going off on our own to do it. Cultural preservation is also important and they’re the ones with the most knowledge and skills; it’s beneficial for everyone to have them participate. If our end goal is to provide cultural preservation and educate the community, who best to do it than the people who brought that culture and community here?
And it’s not just about respect for elders, but respect for our community. Many of these things are unwritten, and it goes back to the knowledge and the skills that our elders bring. My parents, for example, supported me, helped me, educated me; it’s important for me to recognize these efforts. Part of the respect that I have for our community elders is understanding that what they’re doing is not just for us, it’s being done by our community, for our communities. Such things are not generally done by an individual.
How do you define community?
For me, community is when a group of individuals come together, regardless of differences, for a common goal. When they gather for a greater good and try to do something. That could be my Mien community, my work community, or my community here in Shasta County. I have all three of those, you know. I grew up here. I have a community of people that I know, and a network that I feel can support me.
What are some of the factors that influence your idea of what it means to do good?
I think really seeing the impact of little things making such a great change to someone’s life. I go back to the fact that my family is first generation. My family struggled with assimilation and with language. Growing up, I saw my parents helping other family members struggling with the same things and my parents were able to help them navigate, assisting them with paperwork and things like that. Those are such little things, to be able to help people by saying “Let me just read this form for you and explain what this means.” Or, “Let me translate that for you so you have a better understanding of what’s going on,” or “Let me communicate with this teacher for you so that you understand what the teacher is trying to convey.” Those are little things, but they make such a big difference.
What other challenges do elders in your community need to navigate?
This is probably something you’ve heard me say, before: equal access doesn’t always mean equitable access. Understanding what equal and equitable mean is important. Just providing that little something extra for an individual so that they’re able to access the same services as everybody else. It could be something really simple – giving them an additional pamphlet or providing a little extra support. This goes beyond just individuals with cultural and linguistic barriers; it’s across the board. Having that compassion and understanding that, sometimes, a person just needs a little extra and providing them with that so that they can get through their day, or have a better day, is definitely what we want.
What motivates you to keep doing the kinds of things that you’re doing?
My biggest motivation would be my family. My children are biracial and there are a lot of challenges with them not necessarily identifying with either culture, or sometimes even being fully accepted by either culture or community. I immerse my children in both communities quite often, so that they can fully experience and have a better relationship with the communities and cultures they are a part of. It’s so great for me to see when my daughter is, you know, dressed up in our traditional Mien clothes, or watching her put on her folklorico dress and dance with the folklorico group. It is really important for me to have them immersed in, not only their school communities and Shasta County, but also their cultural communities.
Is there anything else in the spirit of this column that I haven’t asked you that you feel is important to share?
I do want to add that I tend to do things in the background, I don’t generally like to be the center of attention. So, I would encourage anyone, when they come to community or cultural events, if they ever see me, by all means, come and talk to me. I will never be on stage talking. I will always be in the background, helping and running around doing things to make sure everything runs smoothly.
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