Eileen Liu

My first experience with storytelling came at 9 years old, when I stood before the city council to interpret on behalf of my non-English-speaking parents. As I grew older, I continued listening to stories and translating them as I helped my mom’s small business. I saw how language and translation played a crucial role in building resilience and accessibility for those who could not communicate due to the language barrier.

M-A's Genders and Sexualities Alliance led the Day of (No) Silence, a national student-led demonstration started by the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, or GLSEN, last Friday. The demonstration, originating in the 1990s, is usually celebrated on April 4, but because of M-A's Spring Break, the GSA observed the day on April 18. In the originally-known Day of Silence, LGBTQ+ students and allies take a vow of silence to protest the discrimination LGBTQ+ people face at school.