On November 2, 2022, I had the pleasure of hosting nearly 25 Asian and Asian American graduate social work students and allies from both the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University for an artist’s talk on the EXCLUDED/INCLUSION exhibit.
We covered everything from printmaking, painting, the exclusivity of the art world, migration trauma, political issues in Chinese history, grief, generational trauma, anti-Asian hate and violence, mental health, coalition building, the Asian American and Pacific Islander community in Philadelphia, language access, to my favorite books by AAPI authors. All the things I love to talk about.
What has become very clear to me since losing my father nearly two years ago, is that we as human beings do not always know how to handle grief. It is a skill to be gained. Based on feedback that I received that night, I know that my talk elicited so many different feelings and responses from the participants. One person was so uncomfortable with my loss that they emailed me afterwards to tell me that my late father would be unhappy to know that I am so sad. I can’t wait until my next grief support group to have a good laugh about that.
Chen Lok Lee’s life was not easy, and therefore, when I talk about it, it’s also not easy. But he was one of the most resilient people I have known, and there were so many adventures in his life, and so many beautiful aspects of it, including the work that he created. I think that’s what my father would have wanted us to learn from his life – that we can grieve, and we can keep going, and create beauty in a world that has much tragedy. That, my friends, is in fact what he himself did, and what I am also doing. And I think that’s a miracle.
