Resistance rooted in Migration
Katherine Antarikso
Katherine Sarwopeni Antarikso (she/her) is an architect, artist, and activist. She was born in Jakarta, on the island of Java, Indonesia, and moved to the United States at the age of 10. Her unique upbringing is a driver of her many talents and expressions. As an architect, she is interested in issues of equity regarding the design of urban spaces. As a creative, she performs traditional Indonesian dance and writes poetry and essays centered on home, migration, and displacement themes. She is an activist for immigrants’ rights and is a founding member of Pejuang: Indonesian Social Justice Coalition.
I just had this desire to think about, 'what are we as an Indonesian community leaving behind for generations in the future when they come to Philadelphia?' [...] I really do believe that there's some truth to 'The American Dream.' What's not talked about is all the stuff that comes with The American Dream, that that dream has a lot of caveats, that it's tied to land theft, that it's tied to colonialism, that it's tied to racism. That's the part that immigrants don't understand, that we're not told about when we come here. _ Katherine Sarwopeni Antarikso
q & A with katherine

How has archival research informed your activism?
What do you want other activists and organizers to know about preserving their stories and archival research?
Start by telling your stories, collecting artwork from the community, and figure out a way to make these moments of history accessible to your community. Reach out across multiple platforms, personal and virtual.
How have you changed since you began this project?
I feel like the work is just beginning and I wish I had more time to continue my work on this project and follow all of its spidering paths.