Grassroots Spotlight: Mei Sze Phung

Mei Sze Phung is a RESULTS advocate in the San Francisco Bay area, and has previously served as Oakland Group Leader and Regional Coordinator for Northern California. She is the filmmaker of “Into a New World” and creator of Project #DanceToEndHungerNow. We caught up with Mei Sze to hear about her work with RESULTS.

How did you get involved in advocacy?

I went step by step. Someone found me in a Meetup group and reached out since I do global poverty awareness through the arts. They said, hey, you do similar work; you should check out RESULTS. So I came to the RESULTS International Conference. From there, I was asked to join and then help lead a group. Now here I am! I’m doing advocacy, and I’m going to do it for a long, long time.

What inspires you about doing advocacy with RESULTS?

When I came to RESULTS it felt like finding my second family – I was welcomed with open arms. I’ve been a part of the RESULTS community for three years, and I’m grateful for being around people who are so passionate about ending poverty. We can do so much more together. To work in a community like this is really special.

What most excites you about advocacy?

I’ve met with all my members of Congress! Every time I’m in their presence, I’m thankful that I have the opportunity to speak up. I don’t mind the hard work of trying to get through to policymakers. Big results take big work. It’s important for us not to give up, but to keep going, going, going.

To be an advocate means that I’m able to speak up for myself and talk about what I care about. It’s not okay to be quiet about what’s hurting people. We need to open up the discussion if we’re going to solve these issues.

What would you tell someone who is thinking about jumping into advocacy?

It may feel a little scary at first or make you nervous. But it’s so worth it. Once you start taking actions, it’s transformational. It has opened up my path and propelled me into who I want to be: an advocate speaking out with others to end poverty.