On a Path of Self Transformation with Andy Muhammad Mai
He believes that we have to begin healing first before we can help others heal.
Meet a Field Organizer
About Andy
Pronouns: He/Him
Age: 26
Location: Gainesville, GA
Finds joy in: Being and doing.
Inspired by: Prophet Muhammad for how he transformed those around him and in turn society/the world out of love and devotion. He advocated and fought for the marginalized against social injustices. And his mother who is “truly a living saint and an example of grace and love”.
Frequently used emojis: 😻 🐱 🐈 🙏
A Self-Introduction:
I am a Vietnamese-American Believer.
I am a Georgia local.
I am a lover of coffee, cats, and connections.
I am a spiritual seeker.
I am trying to be a person of love and light.
Andy, in conversation with the Asian American Advocacy Fund. This Q&A has been edited for grammar and clarity. Photographs are from Andy’s personal collection.
How do you understand power and how to wield it?
The people have power through collective organizing and strength in numbers. Even on a local level, we can achieve great things. Toni Morrison said, “your real job is that if you are free, you need to free somebody else. If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else. This is not just a grab-bag candy game.” Power is something that can be given and taken away in an instant.
We are all a part of the social fabric. If you are in a position of power, you have a responsibility to empower others. Having a more engaged populus is better for our democracy. People of different backgrounds may disagree, but we have much more in common with each other. unity does not mean conformity.
Can you set some context to your social fabric? Who are you connected to and when did you start seeing yourself as a part of a community?
My hometown is Gainesville, which is an hour out of Atlanta. I live with my parents and two younger brothers, and my maternal grandmother lives next door. My family is from Vietnam and part of the small Vietnamese Catholic community here.
Growing up, I felt othered by people within the community and by my peers at school. I was always trying to find a place to belong.
When I was a senior in high school, my mother and I had our first conversation about our heritage. After revisiting and reconnecting with my family in Vietnam three years ago, I shared my poetry at Kollaboration Atlanta and met Kavi Vu (Digital Strategist at AAAF) and Aisha Yaqoob Mahood (Director at AAAF). At the time both were at Advancing Justice-Atlanta, and they introduced me to second generation Asian Americans who were civically engaged.
What motivates you to be out in the field, mobilizing Asian American voters?
I center myself with reflexive questions, “what do I care about, what am I passionate about?” I have friends who don’t have a pathway towards citizenship. Both my parents were refugees of the Vietnam War and immigrants. I became politically active when Trump took office; when he installed the Muslim ban, I was protesting with people at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
I’ve had a lot of success with Vietnamese voters, because I can communicate with them even with my broken Vietnamese. I have in-language campaign literature and I can say “Hey, please read this and consider voting.” I think I convinced my grandmother, who voted for Trump, to consider voting for the Democrats in the Runoffs. I gave her the campaign literature and she said that she would go vote. So, fingers crossed!
What keeps you grounded in times of change and unrest?
For me, it is faith. I converted to Islam four years ago, when I was in college searching for spirituality and purpose. I’ve realized that we are blessed with finite time in this life, and we should try our best to spread love and do good to others even if they aren’t doing good to us. If you are only doing good to people who are good to you, then what good are you?
I’m connected to the Muslim communities in Georgia through the Muslim Students Associations from Georgia Tech, the University of Georgia, Emory, Georgia State, and various mosques. My faith has transformed my outlook on self-love; the divisions I was making within myself were not organic and the friendships I’ve made through the community helped me learn to appreciate and value myself.
Community has become my safe space, where I don’t have to wear a shield and mask everywhere (metaphorical). I can speak freely, without judgement. Even recently, I had a conversation with my conservative grandma and uncle; I’m committed to keep engaging with them. Feeling grounded allows me to engage with people with different opinions.
How do you foresee your thread being interwoven into the social fabric?
We have to do the work internally before we can bring about external change. We have to heal first before we can help others heal, because the ills of society are the collective results of ill hearts. Previously, I struggled to balance campaign work and a full course load. My burnout led to my first bout of depression, and that started me on my journey towards mental health and healing.
I have two years left to finish my degree in Psychology at Georgia State University, and I’m interested in pursuing a master’s in social work afterwards. I want to develop intervention strategies from collectivistic cultures, since theories and frameworks are still based on individualistic models. There needs to be more representation in mental health.
As an introvert, I enjoy community but I also value solitude. Canvassing can be exhausting so I need time to recuperate by myself. I love being out in nature. I live near Lake Lanier and go there to meditate and contemplate. After the elections, I intend to continue with my studies and look for more ways to continue being involved in the community. I saw an internship at International Rescue Committee Atlanta that I wanted to apply for. Immigration is something very important to me and I think they were involved with my family’s resettlement here in Georgia. My soul searching is ever continuing. My hope is to build a more beautiful place — a world full of love and light — for those who come after.
The Asian American Advocacy Fund is a grassroots 501(c)4 social welfare organization dedicated to building a politically-conscious, engaged, and progressive Asian American base in Georgia.
Subscribe | Donate | Volunteer
#GeorgiaOnMyMind gives voice to diverse perspectives, life experiences, and viewpoints. With a vision for a thriving future, we share this series to shift and shape public narratives about Georgians who organize for and with their communities.
