After hearing about the Atlanta spa shooting and the deaths of eight people, including six Asian American women, Quyenzi Dang Pham felt numb.
“I was grieving, and thought about losing my mother – what if she was attacked on her daily walks?,” Pham said to AsAmNews. “What if I never got to tell her I loved her and how grateful I was for all of her sacrifices.”
Pham turned grief into action and wrote Letter to the Lotus Flower. The founder of a multi-cultural marketing agency, QR* Group, debut the poem on Clubhouse.
The poem honors not only her mom, Kim Hoa Dang Pham, but all immigrant moms who society often renders invisible. The poem now on video includes a photo collage of AAPI sons, daughters and their mothers.
Kevin Seo of The Littlefield Company heard the poem and decided to work with Pham to turn it into a video. Seo added photos featuring celebrity host Jeannie Mai and her mother The Mama Mai, interior designer Kahi Lee with her mom Cathy Kimm and Bites and Bashes founders Crystal and Julie Coser.
“Quyenzi’s letter is very personal, but it resonates with so many when you listen to it,” said Quyenzi. “We knew it had to be told and shared with the world in all its vulnerability, visually. The video truly celebrates the AAPI community and give voices to the foundation of our communities, our mothers.”
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