We were lucky to catch up with Joie Ha recently and have shared our conversation below.

Joie, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

When I was much younger, I often dreamed of being written in history books. With the more work I do within my communities, this aspiration is no longer as strong. However, I do hope that my impact will continue to resonate, even if my name does not.

Most recently, Colorado Asian Pacific United, a non-profit that I helped co-found, installed a permanent mural and three historic markers across downtown Denver to commemorate our once forgotten historic Chinatown. In the late 1800s, there used to be a thriving Chinatown right in the heart of Denver. However, after Denver’s anti-Chinese race riot of 1880, racist legislation like the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, and a society that reviled Chinese immigrants, the Chinatown disappeared. Today, there is no physical evidence of its existence. When we started this work a few years ago, we knew that if we didn’t tell this history, it’d be lost in time.

It is hard to describe what it feels like to know that these markers may remain standing after I die. It is a feeling of something between gratitude and relief knowing that our stories will be remembered.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

As the daughter of refugees, I have always been acutely aware of the inequities of this world, which has led me to be a community organizer for minority communities in Colorado for 15+ years. I have a B.A. in Anthropology and a M.A. in Development Practice with a focus on holistic methods of treating mental health for Vietnamese refugees. Earlier in my career, I completed development work in Malaysia as a Community Development Officer, and Cambodia as a researcher regarding how hip-hop can create fictive kin for youth.

Now I find myself engaging in community projects with focus on anti-racist work, civic engagement, and the intersection of art and activism. Currently, my time is split between running CORE: Community Organizing for Radical Empathy, and working with Colorado Asian Pacific United. CORE is a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion consulting firm that doubles as a community organizing agency. With the funds we receive from our consulting, we host initiatives that are identified as important from our community. For example, we have distributed over $13,000 directly to marginalized individuals through our therapy stipend.

We founded Colorado Asian Pacific United to unearth and memorialize little known Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) histories in Colorado- with one of our capstone projects focused on reimagining Denver’s historic Chinatown. If you have heard about Denver’s historic Chinatown within the last few years- it was probably through one of our initiatives!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Growing up, my mom was always in survival mode. She was constantly saving and scrimping- even if we were financially stable. Having escaped from the Vietnam War, my mother was acutely aware that everything could be taken from you in an instant. It felt like there was always an emergency around the corner.

As a result, it was ingrained in me that I should pursue a well-paying career and stick with it- something that could ensure financial wellness and stability. It was always an internal struggle for me to work somewhere that I did not love, or did not endeavour to make the world a better place. It took a lot of reflection for me to question if my happiness was worth having a stable paycheck. Unsurprisingly, it was a big jump for me to start CORE, and an even bigger one to move into it full time.

Some days are great, and some days aren’t. Honestly, at times I still don’t know the answer of balancing stability over passion. However, I will never regret pursuing things that I think are important.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

For the last 15 or so years, I have been on the ground working directly with my community. I have taken on dozens of projects, volunteered my time, and sacrificed aspects of my personal life in service to causes I felt were important. As a result, I had built up a reputation of someone that was to be trusted, that could follow-through, and that would put the needs of the community first.

I do not build relationships or do this work solely for networking, but I cannot deny that it has helped with referrals!

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Contact Info:

• Website: www.coredei.com , www.coloradoasianpacificunited.org
• Instagram: @core.dei , @capu_2021
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joienikitaha/

Image Credits
Kai Vong Daniel Choi Sakura Foundation Miguel Ortega