Table Talk: Asian-American Community Forum
Join us for an open discussion about what it means to live and die well as an Asian American (whether you are of Central Asian, East Asian, Pacific Islander, South Asian, or Southeast Asian descent.) Reimagine is expanding Table Talk, a series created by and for people of color and other underrepresented communities to openly explore what it means to live and die well. During the forum, we will discuss both what topics should be explored during the series, as well as how these sessions should be structured.
About Table Talk
Table Talk is an honest, lively, and unscripted conversation among health professionals, spiritual and faith-based leaders, artists and other creative individuals to address this central question: "What does it mean to live and die well in our respective communities?"
Every community and culture -- Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian American, Disabled, LGBTQ+, etc. -- has its own unique perspective and shared truth. How do we deal with serious illness, dying, grief, discrimination, and inequity? What does it mean to flourish, celebrate, honor, and connect?
Many of us describe more than one of these groups as home, and many of us have experienced oppression based on multiple aspects of our intersecting identities: race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and more. At present, we have few spaces to talk about these questions freely, in ways that make sense for who we are. That’s why Reimagine launched Table Talk. While this ongoing series is explicitly created by and for underrepresented communities, we invite people of all backgrounds to join us to witness, listen and learn. Ultimately we are creating space rooted in the principles of Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion in order for everyone to thrive.
About the Organizers
Since 2003, Elizabeth Wong has been a registered nurse supporting women in childbirth. She has helped thousands of patients overcome their anxiety and fear about pregnancy and birth through engagement and education.
Five years ago, Elizabeth turned her attention toward her aging mother, and discovered she did not know how to effectively engage or talk about aging and end of life issues with her. She soon began to wonder why support was not available for people accompanying those who are struggling with end-of-life issues, especially in the Chinese community. She realized she wanted to support adult children who will be, or already are, confronted with their own aging parents.
In her quest to gain knowledge and resources, she discovered her passion for empowering families through her Project L.O.V.E & J.O.Y. , which stands for Legacy Of Valuing Elders & Joining Our Young. It was created to explore ways in which adult children can effectively have conversations with their parents to address issues related to aging and dying. In the process, Elizabeth discovered the role of elder care and end-of-life doulas and trained to become one. Currently, she is a strong advocate for community outreach and education by speaking about this topic and hosting events like Death Over Dim Sum.
Elizabeth strongly desires to share her Elder Care Doula role with the Chinese-American community, focusing on aging and end-of-life matters. She also volunteers for Hospice by the Bay and would love to mentor anyone who is interested in this work.
Holly Chan
Based in Seattle, Holly is a user experience designer who has been intrigued by designing for death ever since she was a teenager. Inspired by their shared experiences as Chinese American women passionate about improving end-of-life care, she and Elizabeth met in San Francisco and founded Death over Dim Sum. This event series was envisioned to adapt the conversation about end-of-life to the unique needs of Asian Americans. Besides brainstorming the myriad of ways the end-of-life experiences of Americans can be improved for individuals and their families, Holly is also an advocate for social justice through design.
