On Wednesday, March 6, the Student Union Theatre hosted a presentation by Valarie Kaur.
Kaur seems to be a polymath of activism and education with all of the roles she adopted over the years. According to her website, she is “a renowned civil rights leader, lawyer, award-winning filmmaker, educator, innovator and best-selling author.” Her book “See No Stranger” promotes the Revolutionary Love Project, which aims to reclaim love as a force of justice.
The talk began with an introduction from Women’s Center associate director Kathy Fischer about Kaur’s impact on the world. As stated on Kaur’s website, Fischer acknowledged how Kaur became an activist when she was recently out of college as a reaction to the hate crime murder of Balbir Singh Sodhi in post-9/11 America. Further into her life, Kaur was a commentator on MSNBC, CNN, PBS, the Washington Post and the Huffington Post.
After Fischer’s introduction, Kaur entered the stage and proclaimed her enthusiasm about her afternoon at UConn’s Women’s Center. She recalled being at the University of Connecticut approximately 17 years ago, being able to get 1,000 people to watch her film.
Kaur had the audience close their eyes and meditate, having their bodily stress go back to the earth. She then acknowledged the world’s indigenous ancestors as well as the rage they and their descendants feel due to how they were treated. Kaur had the audience accept them. She had the audience imagine an ancestor with bravery behind them being proud. The audience was then told to imagine a child with joy and embrace the joy they felt having the child around. “You are the link between ancestors and descendants; the past and the future,” Kaur said.
Kaur shared that the ancestor she was envisioning was her grandfather from 110 years ago when he immigrated from India to Angel Island in California in hopes of a better life as a farmer.
Kaur explained that Angel Island’s purpose was to incarcerate, detain and deport as many Asian immigrants as possible. She said that South Asians were the least desirable race to the immigration officials at Angel Island.
She recalled how the local hospital where her grandfather lived had doors for White and non-White people, highlighting the blatant racism the institution enacted on people of color. When Kaur took her children to the hospital, one of her children read the names of the Punjabi people who etched their names on the walls. “This institution was designed to silence our ancestors but they found a way to be heard,” she said.
“The past bleeds into the present,” said Kaur. She spent 20 years fighting on the frontlines for racial and social justice. At first, she downplayed the impact of love, but then she realized that “love is more than a rush of emotion, it is a labor.”
Kaur then reflected on how every lifeform has a common ancestor. Her motto is, “You are a part of me I do not yet know.”
Kaur acknowledged the cardboard compass that she had passed out to the audience earlier. The compass was cut into 3 sections: “others,” “opponents” and “ourselves.” The “others” section was subtitled “see no stranger” and included 3 subsections: “wonder,” “grieve” and “fight.”
Kaur acknowledged how the word “enemy” has a permanent and fixed connotation, so she uses “opponent” instead. The subtitle of “opponents” was “tend the wounds” and the 3 subsections of “opponents” were “rage,” “listen” and “reimagine.” Kaur acknowledged how rage is a valid emotion and that we shouldn’t suppress it but rather acknowledge and embrace it. Rage has no impact on one’s ability to love according to Kaur.
To further explain this, Kaur recalled the murder of Sodhi and how she couldn’t immediately forgive his murderer, Frank Silva Roque. Later on, Roque expressed his guilt for murdering him and wanted to go to Heaven to be judged by God and to ask Sodhi for forgiveness. One of Sodhi’s family members said that he was already forgiven. After Roque died, that same family member said that they were both hugging in Heaven. “Forgiving is not forgetting, it’s freedom from hate,” Kaur stated.
Kaur then shifted the focus to the “ourselves” portion, saying that many people in history who preached love often didn’t emphasize the importance of self-love. The subtitle of “ourselves” was “breathe & push” and the 3 subsections were “breathe,” “push” and “transition.” She explained that self-care isn’t enough and that self-love is imperative for improving not only yourself, but the world as well.
The outermost circle was “joy.” Joy unites the 3 sections. We may not live to see the fruits of our labor, but Kaur claimed that our descendants will eventually receive them.
A short Q&A session with Melanie and Liv from the Women’s Center followed Kaur’s presentation. A highlight would be Kaur’s response to a loaded question that delved into existentialism. Kaur shared a meditation she practices every night inspired by a loved one who passed away. She said to frame today as a lifetime, where you think of the hardest and happiest moments, the moment you are most grateful for, and if you’re ready to die.
Kaur shared that she will release two books in the fall. She sang the children’s book to the audience, having the audience repeat the chorus.
Following the talk, there was a book signing at the ODI Commons.