She’s a powerful advocate for equality in multicultural issues, based in Washington D.C. She’s empowering. She’s self-motivated. She’s a Filipino-American woman. As a part of AAA Month, four weeks of events dedicated to Asian-American Awareness sponsored by MU’s Asian American Association, Vida Benavides visited MU campus on Friday, April 15, to reach out to the Asians and Asian-American students and share her stories of advocacy.
Here are a few of her inspirational quotes from the night:
“Collectively, once you rise, your community rises with you.”
“Own each other’s dreams and hopes, but also own each other’s struggles.”
“Census dictates that we are different, but we are all connected.”
“We are defined by how we treat each other, not by how others treat us.”
“We have to inspire each other because you each have a story to tell.”
-Vida Benavides
Barbara Maningat 