We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lily Trieu. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lily below.

Lily, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

Long after I’m gone, I hope my legacy is the commitment and dedication I had for, not just Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) but, all communities who are often ignored and left out of the democratic process. AAPIs are the fastest growing racial group in the United States and growing even faster in Texas. As the most diverse racial group, representing over 50 ethnicities and 100 languages, AAPIs have been a critical part of our American democracy. However, AAPIs have been consistently ignored and cast aside in the democratic process – the community’s priorities overlooked and their needs unmet. I hope that through my leadership at Asian Texans for Justice, I help to create a Texas that is more inclusive of all voices and makes space for every individual to fully participate in our democracy.

Lily, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am the proud daughter of Vietnamese refugees. Raised in southwest Houston, my family worked hard to provide educational opportunities for my sister and I. As a result of some incredible teachers and advocates, I defeated the odds and became the first in my family to graduate high school and college. My parents were small business owners so my career path naturally gravitated towards business and I obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration after high school.

Following college, I begin a decade long career in the private sector – working in the consumer packaged goods industry. I was lucky to have worked for several multinational companies where I learned about the power of data analytics, strategic thinking, and the importance of strong relationships. While my career was more than anything my parents could have dreamt of for me, I knew that my professional purpose had not been met and that I longed to do more for other children of immigrants like me.

After pursuing a master’s degree to make a career switch, I wanted to focus on my career on policy and nonprofits. What I hadn’t anticipated was that COVID-19 would renew deep rooted xenophobia and racism against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Without ever thinking I would be a nonprofit co-founder and executive director, the moment called for the creation of Asian Texans for Justice (ATJ). Against a background of extremist policy agendas in Texas that would suppress minority votes, gerrymander AAPI communities, and censor our voices, ATJ was founded to connect the entire AAPI Texas community with civic action to build our personal and political power.

With the third largest AAPI population in the nation, Texas is home to more than 1.9 million AAPIs and that number continues to grow every day. I’m proud to be the executive director of an organization that seeks to amplify our voices, train future generation of leaders, and connect every AAPI Texan to their civic power through voting and advocacy.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

In 2022, as ATJ was entering our first full year of programming, we were challenged to turnout voters amidst a global pandemic and rising anti-Asian sentiment across the country. It was unprecedented times and as a start-up nonprofit, we were resource and capacity strapped. This same year, my father was battling stage four lung cancer. It broke my heart that while I was working to serve and mobilize my community, I was watching my father struggle in his fight against cancer.

My father embodies the spirit, resilience, and courage of many Asian immigrants in Texas. He was born into poverty in Vietnam and grew up against the backdrop of a terrible war. With nearly nothing but the clothing on his back, he traveled to the U.S. on a boat and came to this country in 1980. Knowing no English and having no formal education, he worked hard to build a life for himself and his family. My father was as American as it got – football-loving, taco-eating, big truck driving immigrant. He loved Texas. He loved the life he built here.

However, when I told him I was leaving my corporate career and wanted to shift to working in policy and nonprofits, he solemnly said to me: “Daughter – this system is not made for people like you and me.” Despite being American and feeling American in every way, my father did not think he belonged and his voice did not matter in our democracy. He passed away in October 2022 and he is the reason why I continue to do this work every day. I want to ensure that every Asian American and Pacific Islander know the power and strength of their voice and that they are a critical part of this country.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

The work we do at ATJ is the toughest work I’ve ever had the privilege to do. It is personal, difficult, and often traumatic. It’s not uncommon to lose more fights than we win and pushing back against Asian American invisibility is a constant grind. Our team is made up of a group of incredibly committed, passionate, and talented people. I often look at my team and think “they could work anywhere…doing anything, but they choose to be here.”

I wish I had the magic formula for how to keep teams like this operating with high morale. The reality is that there will be good and bad days. There will be days where we question if we should continue this work or if there’ll be enough funding or if we are making enough of an impact. But it’s making space for these questions and then supporting and lifting one another than allows for us to continue in this work.

But also, we trust one another. We give even the most junior staff member real responsibilities. We step up when one of us has a bad day. We forgive and give grace when someone isn’t hitting their goals. We take vacations. We celebrate. Having high morale requires us to treat one another as humans first.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.asiantexansforjustice.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asiantexansforjustice/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/asiantexansforjustice
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asiantexansforjustice/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/asiantexans