Episode 9: Advocating for Social Justice - Bincheng Mao and ECC

“I know how it feels to get excluded because of who I am. Thus, I know how it could impact a human being, so in the future, I will strive to promote inclusion, to prevent other people from feeling the same way that I felt.” — Bincheng Mao

Bincheng (Stéphane) Mao is currently a double major in Philosophy and History at New York University and is also the founder of East Coast Coalition for Tolerance and Non-Discrimination (ECC). The ECC is an effective international non-profit organization dedicated to serving marginalized groups. It is committed to promoting social inclusion and raising the public’s and legislatures’ awareness of these issues through socially concerned initiatives. ECC’s network includes 3,200 members and volunteers from 15 universities in North America. To learn more about the organization, please visit https://www.eastcoastcoalition.com.

This podcast takes the perspective of how our past informs our present and future decisions. Bincheng talks about his personal experience moving from China to the U.S. in middle school and attending a Christian high school in California. We dig into how his personal experiences and reflections led him to establish the ECC, as well as the story behind the organization, its current projects, and its future goals. We wrap up by talking about Bincheng’s personal long-term goals and aspirations.

Content

1:08 About the ECC

2:50 Bincheng’s personal background and why he chose to attend NYU

6:18 How Bincheng’s experience growing up in China and the US and attending a Christian high school led to his dedication to social justice  

14:22 How studying Philosophy and History informs Bincheng’s aspirations with the ECC

16:45 The story behind the ECC and challenges

20:10 Concrete goals for the ECC 

26:17 Current projects at the ECC

28:18 How Bincheng’s work with the ECC changes his perception of himself and his personal goals

30:51 Bincheng’s own long-term goals and aspirations

“Studying history gives me a sense of right and wrong, it informs us of the ramifications and consequences of people’s historical actions, of a society’s historical past.” — Bincheng Mao

Interviewed by Yanni Li; produced by Rica Zhang; introduction translated by Ivy Chen