Kim Park Nelson Log 1

It feels weird to think of my self NOT as a “new Fellow” because it seems I found out I was to be a Fellow really recently. But it was almost a year ago! I can say with full faith and confidence that I have spent the year since I learned I was awarded a Bush Fellowship doing things that I could never have done if I had not been selected as a fellow. I have spent my time 1) resting and recharging 2) learning in areas I would have never had the time or the resources to learn without the Fellowship and 3) finding/being tapped for new leadership roles.

I have taken quite a beating doing racial justice teaching and advocacy for the past few decades. The work I have been doing has taken its toll on my health and wellness, but it has also taken up countless hours of my time that I will never recover. I spent the first few months of my fellowship year literally catching up on sleep, cleaning and organizing my living space, all the while, thinking big about what I wanted to do in the coming year. Getting out of the “time hole” I was in felt great and allowed me to think freely about what was possible during my Bush time. I also continued to engage in healing practices for my body: acupuncture, chiropractic care, and deep relaxation work. In addition, I starting seeing a psychologist to specifically address what had become a toxic relationship with work. Not working while getting therapy for work has been revelatory; since I am in a rested state, I am better able to see the big picture, rather than using my therapist’s support to cope with everyday stresses. Finally I have taken a couple of trips just for fun, and that has been such a nice way to get away from my everyday life. As a university professor, I do not earn vacation, so it has been a real luxury to travel when I want instead of only during academic breaks.

I have done a lot of active learning during my fellowship year: I have been taking short training courses, but more importantly, I have increased my network to connect with other union members of color to learn what is working in and what is not working in the area of racial justice in their unions. This has involved quite a bit of travel, both to labor conferences and to meet these folks, but these trips have been filled with purpose and with new and shared knowledge. Having the freedom to go to the people I want to learn from has been a fantastic opportunity, not just to show my commitment to the learning but also to meet people in their own environments, where they are most open and at ease.

I was told that a lot of doors open when you become a Bush Fellow, and I didn’t really believe it, because in the higher ed environment I am in, no one really cared that I got named a Fellow. However, in some of my other communities, people have noticed and do care. This year, I have been invited to speak at the Capitol to advocate for my Asian American community, I was asked to speak to a group of alumni of a leadership program I took in 2020, and I have been asked to speak at a labor symposium in June. I am sure that my status as a Bush Fellow helped secure these invitations and was honored to accept each of these invitations.

If I could give one piece of advice to a new Fellow, I would tell them to try to figure out how to take time off from their regular jobs, as much time as they (and their orgs) can afford. Being named a Fellow was a huge recognition and a huge personal rush. But what has changed my life is using the Fellowship funds to take a year off teaching to give me the flexibility to engage in new areas of learning, meet new people in new locations, and finally have the time to really get the break and the rest I have probably needed for at least fifteen years. The Bush Fellowship is a once in a lifetime opportunity and while having my past work recognized and extra money in my bank account is great, the real gift of the fellowship has been to have the time to deeply engage in the learning I want to do as well as the flexibility to rest when I need so I am able understand what I am learning with fresh eyes.