Best of BC Staff Spotlight: Sau-Fong Au  

Growing up in Hong Kong, Sau-Fong Au observed how education could be a transformative experience for many women and girls, offering upward mobility and independence. Today, as director of the Women’s Center and co-chair of the Asian American Faculty and Staff Association, she reflects on her 22 years at Brooklyn College and some milestones for the Asian American campus community.

What was your childhood like growing up in Hong Kong?

My father was a cab driver and my mother worked in her family business, a toy factory that my grandfather owned. It was during the period of the largest economic growth in colonial Hong Kong, so I saw a lot of the issues the working class faced in the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s firsthand. We lived in housing projects, just as many in Hong Kong do. I think that childhood experiences impact the way you see the world. My mother and grandmother were illiterate, so I saw from an early age how education is essential for women in particular. That experience really determined how I view many gender equity issues and underlined that access to opportunity is very important for women. And for young women growing up like I did, the only way to have sustainable social mobility is through education. I focused heavily on my studies and went on to graduate from the prestigious Chinese University of Hong Kong.

What brought you to Brooklyn College initially, and how has your role changed in the years you've been here?

I moved to the United States to attend graduate school. After I started working in Chinatown at a multiracial youth center, I began to really understand how race, gender, and sexual orientation intersect with each other. I then went on to work in labor organizing, and during the outbreak of the AIDS crisis, I helped develop culturally competent programming for the community. I saw the women’s center job opening and thought it was an excellent opportunity for someone like me, who had working experience with diverse groups.

In my 22 years, I have seen how nuanced the diversity at Brooklyn College is and how that impacts the education that students here receive. We are not only racially diverse, but we have different religions, cultures, ages, and life experiences represented in our student body along with all their intersections. It really is an educator’s dream. If you think about how to facilitate change in a student’s life, there are so many options and you have so many strategies to try.

You've cultivated a vibrant community at the Women's Center.

Yes, a sense of community is crucial for students pursuing higher education and can ensure higher graduation rates and success. Students, mainly students from lower socioeconomic, working-class, and first-generation backgrounds can struggle to maneuver, understand, and negotiate the university system. We provide assistance for students who face practical challenges in their college careers. One of the major issues for commuter students is that they don't have a space of their own. We have tutors and professional help on staff.  We provide a space for them to study or go in between classes to sit down, have lunch, or a cup of coffee. Without access to these things we provide, students struggle. We hope we are remedying that.  It’s what I call crisis intervention and campus advocacy.

You were one of several people who helped co-found the Asian American Faculty and Staff Association roughly a year ago. What has the group been up to?

We just had the Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month event. It is an event that provides a platform for us to address a host of issues. It is very important that we encourage people to talk more about the complicated role of Asian Americans on campus because we are not small in number, and our experiences vary greatly. We can celebrate these experiences while creating space for voices to be heard. It’s the first time that Asian American faculty and staff have come together and talked about issues of racial violence and underrepresentation in leadership. I hope that we can capitalize on the momentum to have more consistent programming and establish the Asian American Studies program here on campus.

What are your favorite pastimes?

I really like to cook and have a good time and I enjoy spending time with my family and colleagues. I also love to read and attend Zoom cocktail hours with my friends.