Brianna Yip | Hongkonger abroad: “I did not imagine that these events would be possible. In that, I try to see hope.”
Brianna Yip is a Hongkonger is her 20s- 30s. Brianna was born in Canada but grew up in Hong Kong. She now works as a school psychologist in San Francisco. Find out how she is spreading awareness and campaigning support for Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement despite being far away from Hong Kong.
“Even though I am not in Hong Kong, I feel like I have found my niche here [in San Francisco]. It gives me some comfort that I’m doing my part despite being abroad... The question we get asked a lot is “what is it like there?”, and being able to have someone talk about their experience often helps people understand on a deeper level. It builds empathy for the movement and helps move the conversation along, human-to-human.”
Journalist: Totoro
Photographer: Provided by the interviewee
Raising awareness in San Francisco
Even though I am not in Hong Kong, I feel like I have found my niche here [in San Francisco]. It gives me some comfort that I’m doing my part despite being abroad.
I am the organiser of the Conversations with the Courageous. We are a volunteer group that aims to raise awareness and support for Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement through interacting with the locals of San Francisco in different parks.
When spreading a message, it is easier to post on social media. However, it is tricky to get people motivated to learn more and take concrete action. When you talk to people [face to face], it is easier to get them to take direct action, as well as to get feedback on how our activities are received by people and what resonates with them.
Some of our volunteers have direct experience on the frontlines in Hong Kong. Recounting their experiences to someone can help build a more personal connection and interest on what is happening.
The question we get asked a lot is “what is it like there?”
Having the opportunity for our volunteers to open up their experiences to the locals often helps people understand [what’s going on] on a deeper level. It builds empathy for the movement and helps move the conversation along, human-to-human.
The responses we get from the people we talked to varies based on where we are and the demographics around us. In some areas, we get people coming to us to talk about their own experiences with democratic movements; in other areas we occasionally encounter people who have the opposite stance and merely wanted to debate. We are more interested in raising awareness than arguing.
We also have non-Hongkongers volunteering for us, including some from Mainland China. It gives us a lot of hope to see people from other countries deciding that this is an important issue.
MY summer protests
I am very lucky that my family is broadly supportive of the protests. When we do have disagreements it is mostly about my personal safety.
When I was in Hong Kong [in the summer of 2019], my whole family would go to the protests, but in separate groups. This is because we all wanted to do different things to show our support.
Some of my friends and family members work for the [Hong Kong] government. They have to be careful in supporting the protests since it could jeopardise their jobs. Sometimes I ask them, “why don’t you go on strike?”. But then, I have to remember that they are more limited [in their freedom] than I am.
On 1 Jul*, I wanted to follow a group of protestors into the Legislative Council building, but my best friend at the time, who was a government employee, wanted us to leave.
Rationally speaking, I understood that he did not want to take the risk of being identified, but I felt uncomfortable leaving and not sharing part of the burden.
Working in a profession that supports young people with their mental health, I felt that if anything happened I would feel bad about not being able to live up to my values.
Eventually, after a long discussion, we decided to stay, but he still did not want to participate directly because of his concerns about his job.
Among the young protesters, I feel a sense of powerlessness and alienation from some of them, particularly when their families do not agree with what they are doing. It is difficult to lose your existing support network while also having to worry about having a roof over your head and getting money to support yourself.
Coping in the city of protests and teargas
In terms of the wider sense, a lot of us [protestors] are not radicals. We get initiated through the aggressive actions of the Hong Kong Police Force. We join peaceful demonstrations, but the police confront us with tear gas and make our demonstration the frontline.
I did not expect to deal with these sorts of things. We have been forced to confront them and now we are not afraid. Eventually, you will be telling yourself, “it’s [only] tear gas, it hurts, but you’ll be okay.”
With all of these events going on, it is almost surreal how life in other parts of Hong Kong carries on as normal. You can walk from one MTR station where people are getting attacked by police to another station where people are leaving their office jobs to go drinking in bars. In a way, it makes you compartmentalise the two spaces to help you process what is going on. However, that is becoming more difficult.
In this case, it is important to have coping strategies to avoid having to consume so much negativity on a daily basis.
I don’t know how this is going to end. I did not imagine that these events, both positive and negative, would be possible. With that, I try to see hope.
“I am Brianna, I am a HKer.”
* On 1 July 2019, the anniversary of Hong Kong's handover from the UK to China, the Legislative Council (LegCo) building was stormed by protesters whose actions reflected the values of the movement, such as the five core demands, slogans, and the dying black Bauhinia flag (More about this event - see link).
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