Why We Went to Sardinia (And How It Changed Us)
By Kim and Chavi, longtime FIUTS hosts
We’re back from summer break in Sardinia… and WTF, America?!
While we were away, immigrant communities in LA and Seattle were under attack. It was heartbreaking to watch from afar and feel helpless to do anything. Meanwhile, we were in Sardinia, learning about a different kind of struggle—how an island community has held on to its identity in the face of centuries of occupation and cultural erasure.
Why Sardinia?
Giovanni, one of the dozen incredible students we’ve hosted through FIUTS over the years, invited us. He’s all grown up now—has a nice husband, is thriving, and teaches as a professor in upstate New York. He asked us to visit his hometown, Alghero, and we thought, why not?
Giovanni’s parents and sisters welcomed us with open arms. We fell in love with Sardinia—an island full of color, culture, and resilience. They shared stories of growing up, of being forced to learn a language other than the one their parents spoke, and what it takes to keep culture alive in a place that’s been occupied by Moors, Spain, and Italy. So special.
It reminded us: resistance can be cultural. It can be quiet. It can be deeply rooted in community.
Culture is resistance.
Black culture.
Indigenous cultures.
Queer culture.
What does that have to do with FIUTS?
Hosting a student is a small, meaningful way to disrupt the system. The system does not want us to learn from people who are different from us. It does not want us to build deep relationships with people outside our background. Hosting says: no thanks, we’re doing it anyway.
So if you’re feeling helpless right now, don’t be.
Join a group. Stick to a plan. Vote.
And consider hosting a student this fall.
We’re in this together.
Love,
Kim and Chavi