I remember sitting down to write one of my blog posts last year and being inspired by the likes of some of my friends who had really taken a reflective look on the jobs they had post graduation and realized that they were not happy, and made the necessary changes to pursue what would, in fact, begin to fulfill their life. I have always admired my friend Elizabeth Tang. During college, we became friends during the second half of our time at Harvard. I was the ‘strange’ black girl who had joined the Chinese Students Association, and she was the bubbly dancer and feminist. That’s how we met. And as our friendship has evolved over the years from Friday meals at noon in Dunster Dining Hall to summers spent in NYC and long emails from across oceans and time zones, my admiration for Elizabeth has only grown.
Last year, Elizabeth embodied the words of F. Scott Fitzgerald: “It’s never too late….to be whoever you want to be.” She left her comfortable investment banker life in New York City to pursue a more uncertain path working for AAWC in India. AAWC works with the daughters of the women who work in the largest of India’s red light district in order to help them break the cycle of trafficking into the sex industry. I could not have been more proud when she told me her plans to uproot her life to India and start this new journey for a cause that has always been dear to her heart since I have known her. And I was even more overjoyed to hear that she was staying for another year.
As Elizabeth has inspired me during low times teaching with poetry such as “The Art of Making Possible,” so has she been inspiring all around her both home and abroad (her new home) with her passion and convictions. Elizabeth doesn’t allow passive sexism to cross her path without knocking it down. She’s not afraid to voice her opinion on the things that matter, the things that drive our world toward being a little better one day at a time. So what I’m doing is asking you to help her as she continues to pursue a world filled with hope and possibility for young girls in the heart of India’s largest red light district. Please click on the link below to find out more, hear from Elizabeth herself, and consider donating to this very important cause:
Odelia Younge 