Vang: New year, new inclusive traditions

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The land of 10,000 lakes also has 10,000 opportunities to weave equity, diversity and inclusion into the fabric of daily life. Inclusivity is not just a responsibility; it’s an act of love.

As we enter 2025, and on this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I invite families across Minnesota to embark on a journey of building new traditions that reflect our shared commitment to social justice and belonging. But let’s not be stuffy about it. After all, this is Minnesota. We thrive on a mix of earnest good intentions and a dash of self-deprecating humor. So, let’s do this with purpose, but also with the joy of discovering something new.

The easiest way to kick things off is through cultural exploration. Here in the Twin Cities, there’s always some heritage month or festival happening. It’s like a buffet for the culturally curious. During Black History Month in February, you could attend the Black History Month Film Festival at the Maple Grove Community Center, or if you want to learn about another cultural group, then take your kids to the “Faraway Home: Tibetans in Minnesota” exhibit at the Hennepin History Museum. Just see how long it takes before the kiddos start asking for snacks. During a recent trip to the American Swedish Institute, it took my kids about 30 minutes before they insisted on checking out the museum’s Fika Café.

Neighborhood festivals provide another avenue for building bridges. The Twin Cities host an abundance of these celebrations. In the summer, go hang out with Minnesota’s largest Asian American communities at the Hmong International Freedom Festival or IndiaFest. Make sure to bring your children along, and if you don’t have kids, borrow one so you and they can taste spicy papaya salad or chicken tikka masala while listening to songs in languages you may never have heard before, and let your curiosity guide you.

These festivals are not just in the Twin Cities. For 30 years, Worthington in southwestern Minnesota has hosted an international festival in July with Caribbean, Latinx, Ethiopian and Asian American food vendors that would give Twin Cities ethnic restaurants a serious challenge in a blind taste test for flavor and authenticity. Beyond being entertainment, these kinds of celebrations are also acts of community building. By showing up, we affirm that all cultures have a place in our state.

For those inclined toward deeper engagement, consider integrating volunteering into your family’s traditions. Organizations like the American Indian Family Center in St. Paul provide opportunities to support the 700 Indigenous families they serve each year with mental health, recovery, employment, housing and youth services. Volunteer work is more than charity; it is solidarity — a recognition that our fates are intertwined. Imagine the lessons children will carry forward when they see their parents rolling up their sleeves to make sandwiches for the hungry or tutoring refugee students.

Of course, some families might want to dive into advocacy. This could mean attending your local city council meeting to understand the issues impacting your community or joining a peaceful protest where your kids can make colorful signs. Advocacy is about more than changing policies; it’s about showing your children that standing up for what’s right is worth the discomfort of being surrounded by people who love chanting.

For those of you who prefer intellectual pursuits, a family book club might be just the thing. Picture it: you, sitting in your living room after dinner, attempting to discuss renowned author, David Mura’s “Turning Japanese: Memoirs of a Sansei” while your teenage daughter rolls her eyes so hard it’s practically audible because she’d rather discuss Jenny Han’s “The Summer I Turned Pretty.” This happened with my family during the pandemic.

Even within the walls of your own home, you can build habits that reflect your commitment to inclusion. Engage in conversations about bias, stereotypes and privilege, tailoring the discussion to your children’s ages and understanding. Display artwork, books or photographs that reflect a range of cultures and identities. These small acts create an environment where equity is not an abstract ideal but a living, breathing practice.

Becoming culturally fluent takes time, dedication and a genuine commitment. Building these traditions isn’t always easy. It takes effort and often requires stepping outside your comfort zone — or, in my case, simply stepping out the door. It’s like exercising a muscle that grows stronger with consistent practice.

Cultural engagement shouldn’t be a one-time experience. Make it a habit. Attend cultural events regularly — go back every year to IndiaFest. Choose a cultural group you’d like to learn more about and immerse yourself in their stories through festivals, documentaries, books, storytelling or by volunteering in their community. With time and intentionality, this practice can become a meaningful and integrated part of your life.

Imagine a future where your family knows the names of authors, inventors and changemakers who are not of European descent. Imagine your children growing up with a genuine appreciation for equity, rather than just mimicking whatever they learned from TikTok. I’ve heard too many kids parroting the “Hawk Tuah” girl instead of reciting the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

When I wrote earlier that inclusivity is an act of love, I was inspired by this King quote: “Love is creative and redemptive. Love builds up and unites; hate tears down and destroys. The aftermath of the ‘fight with fire’ method ... is bitterness and chaos, the aftermath of the love method is reconciliation and creation of the beloved community ... Yes, love — which means understanding, creative, redemptive goodwill, even for one’s enemies — is the solution to the race problem.”

So let us enter 2025 with a commitment to love. Let’s build traditions that honor our shared humanity and ensure that every voice, every culture and every story has a place in Minnesota’s cultural tapestry.