Herstory

Written By Johanna Chen

Sometimes as a history major, I stop and think. What would history be like if it had been written by women? Would it be called “herstory”?

as I think back, I don’t have to look far to see
the strength and resilience of my ancestors—
the women who conquered far more
than any military leader.

they swam oceans and walked miles
they carried us
on
their
backs

their strength and faith broke generational curses and fought off the bitterness that
inevitably comes
from years of caring for others
even when
few cared for them.

their eyes were fixed on the future,
and they fought to bring their sons and daughters
into the world for their future
and the future of the generations to come.

generations to come.
that’s me.
you see, I am not just me
I am me but never existing alone.

I am not separate from my ancestors.
their blood flows through my veins
and I find strength, resilience, and hope
in the stories I’ve memorized and taken to heart.

these women:
my mother,
my aunts,
my grandmothers,
their mothers,
and the women before them.

I am the result of generations of mothers—
queens, who sacrificed everything
so that I can stand here now.

these stories:
their strength
their victories
and their trauma

I carry it all
her story
becomes my story
and now. . .
it becomes ours.

Johanna Chen

Johanna serves as the Refugee Advocacy Fellow with the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA)’s Geneva Office. She has a Masters in International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies from the London School of Economics. Johanna bridges research, policy, and church engagement in her work.

Johanna Chen

Johanna Chen is currently a refugee advocacy research fellow with the World Evangelical Alliance. She’s passionate about driving change by mobilizing the global Church to support the forcibly displaced and elevating refugee voices in dialogue with the United Nations and governments. She’s also an educator with classroom experience teaching high school history and government. She holds a BA in history with a secondary education certificate from Seattle Pacific University and a MSc in International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies from the London School of Economics. Her experiences as a third-culture kid, her Hong Kong and Taiwanese heritage, and her life across four different countries continue to shape how she sees the world and approaches her refugee advocacy work.

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Writing the Story of South Asian American Christianity