By Alan Yamamoto
For most of my life, I never thought of myself as someone who would speak up, especially in a group setting. I was always afraid of saying something foolish or embarrassing myself. I was happy to quietly listen and keep my thoughts to myself. But over the past few years, I’ve found myself wanting to add my voice to conversations I care deeply about.
As I’ve become more involved in supporting our AANHPI community, I’ve felt a growing responsibility to speak up and share my perspective on issues like immigration, belonging, and identity.
Speaking up doesn’t come naturally to me. I’ve always been more of an introvert. But what keeps pushing me forward is the sense that there are moments when my voice needs to be part of the conversation.
Sometimes it happens in a meeting when a difficult issue is raised and the room goes quiet. You can almost feel the pause—that brief moment when everyone is deciding whether to speak or stay silent.
Like many in our AANHPI community, I grew up believing that keeping your head down and working hard was the best way forward. In many ways, I still believe that. I still value humility, hard work, and respect for others.
But I’m also learning that there are times when staying quiet leaves important stories untold—stories that people both inside and outside of the AANHPI community need to hear.
And here’s the thing: finding your voice doesn’t always happen in big moments. Sometimes it begins quietly—with a question, a conversation, or a single sentence.
Voice isn’t about volume. It’s about presence.
Sometimes speaking up simply means being willing to say, “This matters to me,” or “This is affecting people I care about.” And I’ve come to realize that many people wrestle with this same tension, with those inner voices saying:
I have something to say, but speaking up in a big meeting doesn’t feel like me.
I care about these issues, but I don’t want to sound confrontational.
I don’t see myself as an activist, but I also don’t want to stay silent.
How do I speak honestly without feeling like I’m stepping outside my values?
Those questions are real, and they deserve space.
Because finding your voice doesn’t mean becoming someone louder. It means learning how to express what matters to you in ways that feel authentic.
The good news is that there are many ways a voice can show up.
Sometimes it begins with a question:
“Can we talk about that a little more?”
Questions can open a conversation without turning it into a confrontation.
Sometimes voice comes through perspective—offering a simple observation:
“From my perspective…”
“Something I’ve noticed…”
Those small moments can create space for others to see things differently.
For some people, voice comes through writing. Writing allows thoughts to take shape in a way that speaking sometimes doesn’t.
I’m still learning what it means to find my voice. Some days it feels clear, and other days I still hesitate. But I’ve come to believe that speaking up doesn’t have to be perfect to matter.
Sometimes it begins with a question. Sometimes it’s a sentence offered when silence would be easier. And sometimes the most meaningful voices are the ones that begin quietly.
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