Ocean Vuong - Apex for Youth 31st Inspiration Awards Honoree Speech

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Жыл бұрын

“To the young Asian American makers and dreamers, I want to say this to you. You don’t have anything to prove. We are already proud of you.”
Apex for Youth held its 31st Inspiration Awards Gala on Wednesday, April 26th at Cipriani South Street, raising a record-breaking $3.2 million to empower Asian American and immigrant youth in New York City and beyond.
The evening was filled with celebratory momentum as Inspiration Awards were presented to two trailblazers-restaurateur Simon Kim and author and poet Ocean Vuong, who inspired over 600 attendees with their moving remarks and evocative personal stories. Learn more about the evening: apexforyouth.org/31st-inspira...
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Пікірлер: 17

@bpkoh5855 Жыл бұрын

"By surviving, you have won and deserve the breath that you take." Thank you Ocean and Apex.

@angelinabruno2351 9 ай бұрын

Thank you Ocean for your words your thoughts and sharing your inner self. You have made such a profound impact on my Vietnamese sons life and thereby mine

@JarrydWillis 11 ай бұрын

"The imagiNation is the only Nation that I have absolute allegiance to. And it is the only Nation on this planet that will remain unstoppable."

@marintiamayolanavagarcia6377 9 ай бұрын

Wow, thank you, Ocean for the world you create with your words.

@divya8627 11 ай бұрын

thank you for being, ocean.

@trucannguyenhuynh1123 10 ай бұрын

my hero

@ananyadutta1154 6 ай бұрын

All air thickening to dots and dots everywhere like some calligraphy reading "That by surviving itself, you have won and deserve the breath take"

@toanwithlove 11 ай бұрын

❤

@aidanmcparland6853 9 ай бұрын

Describing suicide as "courageous" is fucked up and weird. Bizzare that he thought it necessary to include that.

@nyda2558 9 ай бұрын

time stamp?

@aidanmcparland6853 9 ай бұрын

@@nyda2558 5:00

@roxy299 8 ай бұрын

I actually think Ocean Vuong spoke about his uncle's suicide in a very respectful manner (and it was spoken in relation to the occasion of APEX as a community organization for Asian American youth). It is not easy to live in this world experiencing oppression, depression, loneliness. He was acknowledging the pain his uncle lived through, understanding the cost of what it meant to end his life and having the courage/agency to enact his decision. As Ocean said, it is heartbreaking to the person who does the act and to the people in their lives as well. He then emphasized the power of community and how that could have transformed his uncle's life. Context matters

@aidanmcparland6853 8 ай бұрын

@@roxy299 wanting to end your life is a symptom of mental illness. It is not a decision that's arrived at through 'courage' or 'agency' - there has to be something deeply wrong with you to even consider it. Given that this charity is aimed at kids doing it really tough, I think Ocean should be a lot more careful to not talk about suicide as a reasonable course of action.

@roxy299 8 ай бұрын

@@aidanmcparland6853 that’s your opinion though. Many people live on the edge of desiring suicide as a means to an end beyond your comprehension - you should keep your opinion to yourself.