Forging Solidarity Across Conflict
Insight Myanmar19 Jan 2024

Forging Solidarity Across Conflict

Episode #213: Isaac Evans-Frantz outlines the mission of Action Corps, a U.S.-based organization dedicated to justice and solidarity in the face of global disasters. One of their initiatives is in support of ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Myanmar.

Even though Isaac has never visited Myanmar, the work hits home in a personal way. “When I was a child, somebody came to my class and spoke about surviving the Holocaust. He had been in a Nazi death camp, he showed us the number on his arm, and he told us horrific stories. I promised myself after that, that if I were ever in a position where I knew about some genocide that was happening… I would do everything that I could to stop that!” So for him, it was only natural that the situation in Myanmar would find a place in his heart.

Jade, a Kachin-American, has been working with Action Corps, and joins Evans-Frantz in the discussion. She emphasizes the importance of building a collective identity among diaspora communities, which has two parts. One regards the younger generation of the Burmese diaspora and their struggles with cultural identity as “third culture kids.” The other is the challenge of unity within the diaspora community, which is hindered by historical social, cultural and political divisions. The ability of the wider diaspora community to engage in advocacy is further complicated by the economic struggles many face in the U.S. and cultural norms of stoicism in the face of difficulties.

“Feel encouraged that there are people out here who are trying to make a difference and that you can too!” Jade says in closing. “No one is ever alone. Our power really does come from coming together and being in solidarity.”

Episoder(519)

Drawing a Line Between Hope and Fear

Drawing a Line Between Hope and Fear

Kyawt Thiri Nyunt’s journey from Myanmar to the United States at age 19 was not just a physical one, but a cultural and psychological one as well. She had traveled to enroll in a small liberal arts co...

15 Mar 20212h 13min

Navigating Rough Waters

Navigating Rough Waters

At a time when corporations, countries, and individuals are speaking out, taking a moral stand, and considering action to support the Burmese people as state-sponsored terror grips their nation, what ...

10 Mar 20211h 6min

Feeding Freedom, Not Fear

Feeding Freedom, Not Fear

A world-renowned expert on Burmese cuisine and author of the best-selling book Mandalay: Recipes and Tales from a Burmese Kitchen, Mi Mi Aye never imagined that one day she might become an activist. B...

7 Mar 20211h 36min

Active Days, Restless Nights

Active Days, Restless Nights

Exhausted from the daily protests and sleeping at a different monastery roof with fellow protesters every night for safety, his face darkened from being out under the hot sun all day, his voice hoarse...

2 Mar 20212h 15min

The Power of Mettā in Action

The Power of Mettā in Action

In looking back at the turbulent recent history of her country, Sayalay Chandadhika, a Burmese Buddhist nun based in Germany, sees a never-ending spiral of destructive patterns that continue to produc...

22 Feb 20211h 34min

Facing Darkness with Light

Facing Darkness with Light

“We are already in the danger. So we don’t care anymore. The dawn won’t be that much darker than the midnight. And we are already in the midnight, so the darkness can’t be much worse. We are at the pe...

16 Feb 202152min

Finding Inner Stability in Troubling Times

Finding Inner Stability in Troubling Times

“The Dhamma is so central to this culture, and [yet] not understood by the people who write about this place in the media from overseas. So all those sorts of things get reported from a vacuum of unde...

6 Feb 20211h 19min

The Mystery of U Lokanatha, Part 1

The Mystery of U Lokanatha, Part 1

Antonio Costanzo and his team may never solve all the mysteries of the life of the great Italian monk U Lokanatha, but they are certainly trying!Even the little we know of U Lokanatha’s spiritual resu...

2 Feb 20211h 8min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
forklart
aftenpodden-usa
popradet
i-retten
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
stopp-verden
rss-gukild-johaug
det-store-bildet
fotballpodden-2
dine-penger-pengeradet
rss-ness
nokon-ma-ga
hanna-de-heldige
aftenbla-bla
bt-dokumentar-2
e24-podden
frokostshowet-pa-p5
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk