Two women discuss their journeys to Colorado Springs and their impacts on the community
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Women’s History Month is all about celebrating the struggles, joys and accomplishments of women around the world.
Two women who live in Colorado Springs shared their stories with Rocky Mountain PBS of how they have — and continue to make — an impact in their community.
Mali Hsu
“When I first came here, I look around … I didn’t see many Asians, because this was like 20-some years ago. And so, the only Chinese thing I [could] see is Chinese restaurants; we have a lots of [those] here.”
Mali Hsu is the founder and one of board directors for the nonprofit Colorado Springs Chinese Cultural Institute, or CSCCI. The organization, which has been around since the '90s, is a nonprofit that provides educational and cultural resources to local schools and aims to create a larger understanding of Chinese culture and traditions in the Colorado Springs area.
Hsu is originally from Taiwan and moved to Colorado Springs from Los Angeles. She said that because she is of Asian descent, she stood out in the predominately white community of Colorado Springs, adding that many people took an interest in her and wanted to know more about her life, which is one of the big inspirations behind her starting the nonprofit.
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“So right away I have the urge ... I want to share my culture to the community because people, they [were] asking me, ‘Oh where are you coming from?’ and so I think that’s the sign that people want to learn culture. So, I [started] to ask myself, ‘What is the value of my life? What is the purpose of my life? And what is my passion?’”
Hsu said she found her passion in sharing her life growing up in Asia and her journey to the United States.
“I do believe people should share their life. You know, it’s ... very important you share your life. You share your experiences with other[s] and that’s the only way if you want to develop the relationship with someone and just learn their culture through their culture, you know, to improve the relationship. It’s very important; it works.”
Another big reason Hsu helped start CSCCI is she noticed many adopted Chinese children living in Colorado Springs. She said she wanted to make sure those children could learn about Chinese culture without having to travel across the globe.
Hsu has also been the preacher and president of Colorado Springs Chinese Evangelical Church for the past 10 years. She believes that spreading the joys of Chinese culture extends beyond sharing it with people who believe in the same religion as her.
“Everything ... it's just so much to learn, so much to learn. Our life is too short, [you] have to precious every moment,” said Hsu. “Do whatever takes, you can give to give to others and whatever it takes to share your life with others. So, I think that is very important otherwise you are wasting your life and there is no value, no quality. So, that is what I’m passionate about is share my life with this community.”
Carmen Abeyta
Education has always been a top priority to Carmen Abeyta, who is now a retired educator and philanthropist living in Colorado Springs.
She is originally from the small Western Slope community of Montrose. She graduated from University of Colorado in Colorado Springs (UCCS) and later worked for the university for 26 years. She inspired hundreds of students throughout her career through monthly Latino Community luncheons, which she co-founded with her close friend, Anna Marie Ortiz.
Abeyta said the purpose of those luncheons was to promote cultural awareness, discuss issues in the Latino community and provide information about Colorado Springs for students. Before the pandemic, Abeyta said around 60 to 70 students would attend the luncheons, using that time to network.
Abeyta also belongs to a nonprofit organization, Cinco De Mayo Inc., which exists as a way to foster Latino cultural awareness in the community, as well as provide scholarships to underrepresented students. Despite all of her involvement and advocacy for Latinos in Colorado Springs, Abeyta wasn't always so confident in sharing her Mexican-American heritage. Growing up in a small, rural town, she and her family faced racism and discrimination.
“We spoke the Spanish, we did the culture in our home. It was who we were, and then when I went to school in the first grade, it was a culture shock because I was told, ‘You will not speak Spanish on school grounds or you would get spanked,' and those days — and I’m dating myself — you could get spanked," Abeyta recalled. "So I lived in fear of slipping because that was such a part of me, so I had to learn to not speak the Spanish, and it was very different for me."
On top of being forced to suppress her culture, she remembered a specific day out on the playground hearing other kids ridicule and mock those who spoke Spanish and ate the type of food she and her family did in their home.
"It was devastating because that was me. And so I had to hide who I was, you know, I couldn’t be who I was because of the ridicule I knew would go through,” said Abeyta.
Abeyta said it wasn’t until she went to college that she was able to embody her Latina heritage and be proud of who she was. She pointed to a specific moment when she attended a meeting on campus where a Spanish speaker discussed “curanderismo." According to Abeyta “curanderismo” is a non-traditional form of natural medicine used in Mexican-American families. It was something her family practiced. In that moment, she felt truly connected once again to her heritage.
“I remember we were in the gym and there were a lot of people there, and I just cried because that was who I was, that was bringing back my roots of who I was, and they were talking about the things I grew up with,” said Abeyta. “And I just felt so proud coming back to the importance of my culture.”
Abeyta said because of this interaction, she started her quest to get back to her roots and hopes to leaves a legacy of acceptance in the Colorado Springs community for generations.
“So I think that is what it’s all about is having those relationships and developing them," said Abeyta. "And getting to know other people as well.”
Lindsey Ford is a multimedia journalist with Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach her at lindseyford@rmpbs.org.