Asian American History 101
212 episodes - English - Latest episode: 2 days ago - ★★★★★ - 83 ratingsAsian American History 101 is a fun, family-friendly, and informative podcast co-hosted by Gen and Ted Lai, the daughter and father team. The podcast will entertain and educate people as Gen and Ted dive into the vast history of Asian Pacific Americans from the struggles they faced to their contributions and triumphs. And sometimes we cover topics of the Asian Pacific Diaspora globally.
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Episodes
A Conversation with Activists and Co-Owners of Eastwind Books Bea and Harvey Dong
July 15, 2024 07:30 - 39 minutes - 54.2 MBWelcome to Season 4, Episode 29! Eastwind Books has been an institution in Berkeley as well as a pioneer for Asian American and multicultural bookstores across the country. The co-owners, Bea and Harvey Dong have been longtime activists in the Asian American community, so we were honored to get a chance to have them on as guests to talk about their lives. The work of activists like Bea and Harvey make our podcast possible. One episode was never going to be enough to cover everything they’ve...
The History of George Helm Jr. and Kaho'olawe Island
July 08, 2024 07:30 - 31 minutes - 44.1 MBWelcome to Season 4, Episode 28! George Helm Jr. was a Native Hawaiian musician, activist, and passionate leader. He believed in Hawaiian sovereignty and protecting the land… embodying the values of Aloha ʻāina perfectly. Known for his beautiful falsetto voice and articulate reasoning, he was a founding member of the Protect Kaho‘olawe ‘Ohana (the PKO or ‘Ohana for short) grassroots organization that was determined to save Kaho’olawe Island from years of decline at the hands of invasive ani...
A Conversation with Author and Educator Chad Soon
July 01, 2024 07:30 - 48 minutes - 66.9 MBWelcome to Season 4, Episode 27 and Happy Canada Day (if you're reading this on July 1)! In this episode, we share a conversation with Chad Soon, an educator from Vernon, British Columbia, and the author of the book The Longest Shot: How Larry Kwong Changed the Face of Hockey. The book is written for middle grade students… which is a great age for getting started reading diverse stories… and it’s illustrated by Amy Qi. The Longest Shot is available for purchase in both hardcover and Epub fo...
The History of Instant Ramen
June 24, 2024 07:30 - 31 minutes - 43.8 MBWelcome to Season 4, Episode 26! Is there a more universal convenience food eaten across the world than instant ramen? We’re not sure, but instant ramen has to be pretty high up as the most popular convenience food, and it’s not just for college students and people looking for a cheap, fast meal. In this episode, we share the history of instant ramen, popularized through Momofuku Ando and his company, Nissin Foods. Why did Ando want to create instant ramen? What were some of the innovati...
A Conversation with Author, Community Historian, and Archaeologist Dr. Kelly Fong
June 17, 2024 07:30 - 33 minutes - 46.5 MBWelcome to Season 4, Episode 25! Sometimes making space for diverse voices isn’t about the realms of music, theater, TV, movies, or fictional literature… it’s about hearing diverse voices in research and academia. We definitely encourage that… so it’s with excitement that we could bring on Dr. Kelly Fong to our show. She’s an author, community historian, and archaeologist who studies artifacts and oral histories to create a better understanding of communities. Her latest published work is...
A Conversation with Comic Book Artist and Author Sarah Myer
June 10, 2024 07:30 - 57 minutes - 79.9 MBWelcome to Season 4, Episode 24! In this episode, we share a conversation with Sarah Myer, the Eisner Award nominated author and illustrator of the graphic memoir Monstrous: A Transracial Adoption Story, published by First Second Books. Other than the Eisner Awards, their work with Monstrous has gained attention with an L.A. Times Book Prize nomination and multiple starred reviews and recognition from a variety of places including a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, a Kirkus Be...
A Conversation with Steven Wu of Woori Juntos
June 03, 2024 07:30 - 35 minutes - 48.7 MBWelcome to Season 4, Episode 23! Today we’re talking to Steven Wu, the Organizing and Policy Director at Woori Juntos. We’re big believers in intersectionality and allyship, and so are they! The name Woori Juntos, combines two words in Korean and Spanish, that when combined mean “to rise together." On their website, they say the name “reflects the location of our organization in an area of Houston that has been heavily influenced by both communities and the rooting of our work in solidarity...
A Conversation with Award-Winning Author and Editor Karen Yin
May 27, 2024 07:30 - 42 minutes - 58.3 MBWelcome to Season 4, Episode 22! We love learning. One area that is ever changing, that we want to learn more about is the world of language… specifically the context which impacts the language choices we make for communication. That’s why we were so excited to invite award-winning author and editor Karen Yin to our show. Karen’s latest book is The Conscious Style Guide: A Flexible Approach to Language That Includes, Respects, and Empowers. The Conscious Style Guide will be available on M...
Talking about the 2024 STAATUS Index
May 20, 2024 07:30 - 42 minutes - 59.5 MBWelcome to Season 4, Episode 21! It’s time for the 2024 STAATUS Index published by The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) with partnership from Leading Asian Americans to Unite for Change (LAAUNCH), AAPI Data, and the Asian American Research Initiative. This annual survey is a social tracking and national assessment of attitudes and stereotypes towards Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. In this episode, we review the report and provide an overview of it. We also dig i...
A Conversation with Author and Filmmaker Professor William Gow
May 13, 2024 07:30 - 57 minutes - 79.5 MBWelcome to Season 4, Episode 20! There are plenty of things we love… and for sure one of them is the world of film and entertainment… especially when it’s Asian American cinema. But what happens when what you see represented in Hollywood becomes blurred with the actual experience in an ethnic enclave… or even drives it? Our conversation today dives a bit into that. We’re excited to share this conversation with Professor William Gow. Dr. Gow is a California-based community historian, educa...
The History of The Kim Sisters
May 06, 2024 07:30 - 25 minutes - 35.6 MBWelcome to Season 4, Episode 19! Back in S03E03, we talked about one of the first popular Asian American singing groups, the Kim Loo Sisters, but there was also another group a few years later that made a longer lasting impact… the Kim Sisters. Originally from South Korea, the trio of ladies that included Sook-ja, Ai-ja, and Min-ja, were a dynamic vocal group that could also play a multitude of instruments. They recorded several songs in the U.S. and made a splash in Las Vegas and on te...
A Conversation with Award-Winning Illustrator and Comic Artist Christie Shinn
April 29, 2024 07:30 - 52 minutes - 72.6 MBWelcome to Season 4, Episode 18! Free Comic Book Day is coming soon… not to mention Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month, so as a lead-up to this confluence, we had a conversation with the Ringo Award-winning illustrator and comic artist, Christie Shinn of HoraTora Studios. If you’re in Southern California on May 4th and 5th, you can meet Christie, other API creators, and some non-API comic book creators at The Comic Bug in Manhattan Beach (May4th) and Culver City ...
The History of the Hawaiian Settlement of Iosepa Utah
April 22, 2024 07:30 - 27 minutes - 37.7 MBWelcome to Season 4, Episode 17! This is the next installment in our series on ethnic enclaves that have disappeared. Today we’re here to talk about The History of the Hawaiian Settlement of Iosepa, Utah. It was predominantly Hawaiian, but there were others from the Pacific Islands as well. Established in 1889 in Skull Valley, Utah, it was a place where Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders were able to gather in a safer, more supportive place that still kept them relatively close to Salt L...
The History of the Buddhist Churches of America
April 21, 2024 23:42 - 39 minutes - 54.7 MBEditors Note: We had an audio glitch in the original upload and have fixed it. Welcome to Season 4, Episode 16! This episode is about The History of the Buddhist Churches of America. Buddhism is one of the religions often associated with Asian countries and the people who come from Asian Pacific nations. And it’s for good reason, because it’s a religion that originates from those countries. When it comes to understanding Buddhism in America, it would be difficult to talk about the histor...
A Conversation with Send Chinatown Love PR and Partnerships Lead Kelisha Menon
April 08, 2024 07:30 - 33 minutes - 46.2 MBWelcome to Season 4, Episode 15! Today’s guest is Kelisha Menon, the Public Relations and Partnerships Lead at Send Chinatown Love, the incredible organization that formed during the height of the pandemic when New York’s Chinatown businesses and the people who lived there were suffering the most. Already busy with a career in public relations, Kelisha is just one of many volunteers who have grown Send Chinatown Love to help more and more businesses in New York Chinatown. This passionate...
A Conversation with Actor Chen Tang
April 01, 2024 07:30 - 53 minutes - 74.7 MBWelcome to Season 4, Episode 14! Today’s special guest is the talented and engaging actor Chen Tang. Born in Japan and raised in Guangxi, China as well as Memphis, Tennessee, Chen is best known for playing Hong in Warrior and Yao in the live action Mulan. Much like the character of Hong, Chen is an upbeat individual who is generous and multi-talented, and that comes through clearly in our conversation. Chen has been in several short films including Tumbler, The Wind Outside, The Company ...
A Conversation with Educator, Speaker, and Author Dr. Sarah-SoonLing Blackburn
March 25, 2024 07:30 - 35 minutes - 49.4 MBWelcome to Season 4, Episode 13! Today’s guest is Dr. Sarah-SoonLing Blackburn, an author, educator, speaker, and professional learning facilitator. Born in Bangkok, Thailand into a mixed-race Malaysian Chinese and white American family, she’s a classic “third culture kid.” She’s had a very diverse upbringing, living in various East and Southeast Asian countries as well as the Washington DC area. Sarah moved to the Deep South in 2009, and she has now lived there longer than anywhere else. ...
Another Conversation with Award-winning Author and Illustrator Grace Lin
March 18, 2024 07:30 - 38 minutes - 52.8 MBWelcome to Season 4, Episode 12! It’s Another Conversation with Award-Winning Author and Illustrator Grace Lin. It’s not hyperbole to say that Grace Lin is one of our favorite authors of all time… maybe that’s why we love any opportunity to talk with her, and it’s a great time for her return. We’re still enjoying Chinese Menu: The History, Myths, and Legends Behind Your Favorite Foods, and her first picture book in four years, Once Upon a Book! (co-written with Kate Messner), was just relea...
A Conversation with Professional Speaker and Author Dr. Michael Soon Lee
March 11, 2024 08:30 - 58 minutes - 80.3 MBWelcome to Season 4, Episode 11. Today’s guest is Dr. Michael Soon Lee, a fifth-generation Chinese American. He overcame prejudice, systemic discrimination, and depression to become a TV and film producer, an actor, a top-producing real estate broker, and the Dean of a university business school. HeI was the first Asian to earn the "Certified Speaking Professional" (CSP) designation in the history of the National Speakers Association and has spoken over 1,000 times around the world to major...
The History of Bangladeshi Americans
March 04, 2024 08:30 - 36 minutes - 51.1 MBWelcome to Season 4, Episode 10! Today we’re talking about Bangladeshi Americans, a separate group of the South Asian diaspora (Desi community) that’s a growing presence in the U.S. We go back to Bangladesh and talk about the importance of the area to the rest of India and the British Empire. Knowing the history of Bangladesh is essential to understand some of the struggles the Bangladeshi community has had in America. We also discuss the trauma of the Partition of India in 1947 as well ...
A Conversation with Pedagogue and Performer Dr. Xenia Deviatkina-Loh
February 26, 2024 08:30 - 47 minutes - 65.6 MBWelcome to Season 4, Episode 9. We had a lot of fun talking to Dr. Xenia Deviatkina-Loh about her life, her career, and her work with the Asian Classical Music Initiative. Dr. Deviatkina-Loh performs on violin and viola, and she is also a pedagogue, sharing her knowledge in various settings across the world. She’s the president of the 2024 ACMI @ MSMU conference at Mount Saint Mary’s University on April 13-14, 2024. It’s open to the public and will feature performers, composers, and scholar...
A Conversation with Comic Book Author and Screenwriter Amy Chu
February 19, 2024 08:30 - 42 minutes - 59.6 MBWelcome to Season 4, Episode 8! Today’s conversation is with Amy Chu, a co-founder and former editor of A. Magazine, screenwriter, co-founder of Alpha Girl Comics, and well-known comic book author. Her latest title is Fighting to Belong! Volume 1 (out now, so go get it), which is a graphic novel focused on the history and contributions of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders in America. Published by Third State Books, Fighting to Belong! is co-written with Amy’s son, Alex...
A Conversation with Ter the Creator of SumoStew
February 12, 2024 08:30 - 53 minutes - 73.6 MBWelcome to Season 4, Episode 7! It’s no secret that we love sumo. We even talk about AAPI in Professional Sumo back in S02E40. So it was really exciting to get a chance to have a conversation with Ter, the creator of the YouTube channel SumoStew. She’s one of our favorite content creators… definitely our favorite who covers sumo. It all comes down to her passion and creativity. Her videos mix authentic voice with thorough research and eye-catching graphics. So in this conversation Ter ta...
A Conversation with Actor, Musician, and Activist Perry Yung
February 05, 2024 08:30 - 52 minutes - 73.1 MBWelcome to Season 4, Episode 6. Father Jun is one of our favorite characters on Warrior… so we were so unbelievably excited to have a conversation with Perry Yung! With about 30 acting credits to his name for TV and Film, Perry has also worked on stage and in music. We also love how he merges his activism and beliefs into his acting and music. In this conversation, we talk a little about his love of music, the shakuhachi flute, the SLANT Performance group that he co-founded, his journey as ...
A Conversation with Author Jamie Jo Hoang
January 29, 2024 08:30 - 48 minutes - 67.3 MBWelcome to Season 4, Episode 5! Our conversation this week is with the talented author, Jamie Jo Hoang. Her latest novel, My Father, the Panda Killer is a heartfelt story based on her life. We really enjoyed the book, even the moments that were tough to read… and that’s because Hoang’s novel focuses on a Vietnamese American family that is dealing with the intergenerational trauma that’s a result of the Vietnam War and the refugee experience. It’s also told from the dual perspectives of the ...
The History of the Anti-Filipino Watsonville Riots
January 22, 2024 08:30 - 31 minutes - 43.2 MBWelcome to Season 4, Episode 4. If you’re new to our podcast then just know that we occasionally do a series called Most Forgotten Massacres, where we take time to talk about a moment (generally in U.S. history) where racism and discrimination turned to violence against the Asian Pacific American community. The Anti-Filipino Watsonville Riots were one of those moments. Filipino workers were targeted in this five-day outburst of violence. There were several factors that contributed to the...
The History of George Chin
January 15, 2024 08:30 - 26 minutes - 36.6 MBWelcome to Season 4, Episode 3. As many of you know, we love hockey! Recently, in November 2023, George Chin, a legend of Asian Canadian ice hockey, passed away. He was the star winger on the Chin brothers line along with his brothers Bill and Albert. The Chinese Canadian trio helped their hometown Lucknow team to be highly successful. In this episode, we talk about the life of George Chin and all the teams he made an impact on. In our opening, we discuss our personal goals for the New Ye...
The History of the Paniolo AKA the Hawaiian Cowboy
January 08, 2024 08:30 - 31 minutes - 43.2 MBWelcome to Season 4, Episode 2! There’s a global fascination with the Old West cowboys in America. Did you know that the Hawaiian Paniolo pre-dates the Old West cowboys by several years? The Mexican Vaqueros have even more history. In this episode, we talk about the history of the Paniolo… AKA the Hawaiian Cowboy. You’ll learn about the origin of longhorn cattle in Hawaii; how riding, roping, and herding cattle came to be a practice on the islands; and the names of several well-known Pani...
A Conversation with Yoon Pak and Sharon Lee of the TEAACH Act
January 01, 2024 08:30 - 37 minutes - 52.6 MBWelcome to Season 4, Episode 1. Happy New Year! We hope you had a wonderful holiday season and had fun on New Year’s Eve. To launch this new season, we’re going back to the thing that’s at our core… Asian American History. Our special guests for this conversation are Professor Yoon Pak and Dr. Sharon Lee, two of the key leaders helping with the implementation of the TEAACH Act. The Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History Act was a historic moment for Illinois and the country, bec...
Direct Links to Episodes Mentioned in Season in Review
December 29, 2023 01:18Lifelong Learning: These are topics we knew very little about before researching. Although we didn’t know much about them before, we really learned a lot during the research process and episode creation. The History of the Kim Loo Sisters S03E03 The History of the USS Rizal S03E19 The History of The Golden Age of Pinoy Hip Hop S03E45 The History of Guamanian Cuisine S03E26 So Upsetting: These are topics that were upsetting or frustrating to us to create… maybe it was the mistrea...
Season 3 in Review
December 25, 2023 08:30 - 45 minutes - 62.6 MBWelcome to Season 3, Episode 50. This is it… the final episode of the season… our Season 3 in Review! In this annual tradition, we discuss the episodes where we learned a LOT, ones that upset us to talk about, fun episodes, thought-provoking conversations, conversations that made us laugh, guests we hope people pay more attention to, and our overall favorites. Have a listen and let us know… Did we name any of your favorites? In our additional segment, we share our hopes for Season 4 that beg...
Christmas Traditions in Asia and the Pacific Islands
December 18, 2023 08:30 - 44 minutes - 62.2 MBWelcome to Season 3, Episode 49. Christmas is a holiday that can be celebrated in a religious or secular way. So how is it celebrated in Asia and the Pacific Islands? In this episode, we discuss some of the unique traditions and foods you might find in countries across Asia, Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia. Some of them are pretty interesting and fun. We spend a little more time talking about the Philippines because they LOVE Christmas! In our recurring segment, we introduce a new one ...
A Conversation with Poet and Author Wendy Chin-Tanner
December 11, 2023 08:30 - 57 minutes - 79.3 MBWelcome to Season 3, Episode 48. We loved reading King of the Armadillos, the new novel by poet, graphic novelist, and all-around amazing writer Wendy Chin-Tanner. King of the Armadillos thoughtfully levels-up the coming-of-age story with multi-generational Asian American experiences set in the 1950s… not to mention an authentic look at how Hansen’s Disease AKA leprosy impacts individuals, families, and communities. The main character, Victor, struggles with recovery, feelings of belonging...
The History of Iconic Asian Candy with Haw Flakes and HI-CHEW
December 04, 2023 08:30 - 32 minutes - 44.9 MBWelcome to Season 3, Episode 47. We’re back with more Iconic Asian Candies! Candies from Asia can be an item of pride for Asian American kids, and more and more of these candies are available across the world. In this installment of The History of Iconic Asian Candies, we’re talking about Haw Flakes and HI-CHEW. Haw Flakes might not be as well known, but they’re an important candy for Chinese Americans and many Asian American kids. However, HI-CHEW are a global phenomena from Morinaga Compan...
The History of The Chinese During the California Gold Rush
November 27, 2023 08:30 - 32 minutes - 45.2 MBWelcome to Season 3, Episode 46. Do you think you know the story of the Chinese during the California Gold Rush? Even if you think you do, we guarantee that there are some stories and pieces of the history that are lesser known. So today we talk about that era in a little more depth. Other than sharing the origin of the California Gold Rush, we talk about the timeline of Gold Rush events, the arrival of the Chinese, their mining practices, the discrimination they faced, and how they achieved...
The History of The Golden Age of Pinoy Hip Hop
November 20, 2023 08:30 - 27 minutes - 38.2 MBWelcome to Season 3, Episode 45! The growth of Hip Hop and Rap was a worldwide phenomena back in the 1980s and 1990s, and the Philippines were one of the countries at the forefront. In fact, Pinoy Hip Hop with Filipinos and Filipino Americans has been an impact in the genre for decades now. In this episode, we talk about the growth of Hip Hop and who some of the most influential Pinoy Hip Hop and Rap stars were on the scene. From individuals like Francis M, Andrew E, Lady Diane, MC Lara, Mic...
The History of Iconic Asian Candy
November 13, 2023 08:30 - 34 minutes - 48.4 MBWelcome to Season 3, Episode 44! A lot of people have a sweet tooth. That’s why candy is so popular across the world. Candies don’t just satisfy a sweet fix… they can be a childhood memory or a cultural symbol. In today’s episode we talk about the history of iconic Asian Candy. First we share information on sweeteners in food with honey and refined sugar, but then we focus on White Rabbit Candy and Kopiko Coffee Candy. What are they? How did they get popular? All this and more! In our recurr...
The History of Redress and Reparations with Special Guest Dr. Mitchell Maki
November 06, 2023 08:30 - 1 hour - 85.3 MBWelcome to Season 3, Episode 43! Whenever Veterans Day comes around, we think about the different veterans of Asian Pacific Islander descent. Naturally, we reflect on the Japanese Americans who fought for the freedom and ideals of our country during World War II despite the incarceration of so many Japanese Americans during that time. Veterans played a key role in attaining redress and reparations for the thousands of Japanese Americans impacted. This is a time that isn’t covered well (if at...
The History of the Tong Wars Part 7
October 30, 2023 07:30 - 22 minutes - 31.2 MBWelcome to Season 3, Episode 42. Welcome to installation 7 of our series on the Tong Wars. In this episode, we talk about the end of the Fourth Tong War in New York and some of the lasting impact of the tongs to this day. How did the Fourth Tong War end? Do Tong’s still exist? These are questions we answer in this episode. If you’re interested in reading about the New York Tong Wars in detail, we recommend the book The Tong Wars by Scott Seligman. In our recurring segment, we bring back Orga...
A Conversation with Nidhi Chanani
October 23, 2023 07:30 - 35 minutes - 49.8 MBWelcome to Season 3, Episode 41! Today we’re excited to share a conversation with Nidhi Chanani. She’s a freelance illustrator, cartoonist, and writer who was born in Calcutta, India and raised in Southern California. Her illustrations are beautiful and contain a certain level of whimsy that we love. In addition to working with various groups like Disney Parks, she has published several graphic novels and picture books. Her latest graphic novel, Super Boba Cafe, will be released on October ...
The History of Destroying Chinatowns
October 16, 2023 07:30 - 31 minutes - 44.1 MBWelcome to Season 3, Episode 40! Chinatowns have been around in the U.S. since the middle 1800s, but not all of them survived the racism, xenophobia, and discrimination that was rampant throughout the 1800s and 1900s. In this episode, we discuss the environment that resulted in several Chinatowns being destroyed. We spend time sharing the events that happened in the Chinatowns in Antioch and Santa Ana, California as well as in Denver, Colorado. We take additional time to talk about the China...
A Conversation with Curtis Chin
October 09, 2023 07:30 - 40 minutes - 56.8 MBWelcome to Season 3, Episode 39! We were so excited to get a chance to have a conversation with Curtis Chin. Curtis is an award-winning Writer, Producer, Director, and Activist. His debut book Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant is published by Little, Brown and Company and will be available on October 17, 2023. The memoir is filled with humor and heart-warming moments centered on Curtis growing up Asian American in the Black and white city of Detroit and coming out in hi...
ICYMI Encore Episode of The History of Bomb Testing in the Pacific Islands
October 02, 2023 07:30 - 31 minutes - 44.4 MBWelcome to Season 3, Episode 38. This is another ICYMI Encore Episode that we want to make sure people listen to. Today we’re re-posting The History of Nuclear Weapons Testing in the Pacific Islands. On June 30, 1946, about 77 years ago, the United States began nuclear weapons testing in the Pacific Islands. The approximately 20 years of testing was predominantly executed in the Marshall Islands around Bikini Atoll and Enewetak Atoll. U.S. researchers, military, and government contaminated t...
ICYMI Encore Episode of The History of Stereotypical Chinatown Architecture
September 25, 2023 07:30 - 15 minutes - 21.2 MBWelcome to Season 3, Episode 37. We’re taking a couple weeks off for vacation, so we’re posting a few ICYMI Encore Episodes. Today we’re re-posting The History of Stereotypical Chinatown Architecture from Season 2, Episode 58. Most Chinatowns across the world have similar structural elements: pagodas, specific colors, terra cotta tiles, and more. So how did this happen? It might surprise you that stereotypical Chinatown architecture was created by white people hired by Chinese Americans. Alt...
A Conversation with Professor Elise Wang
September 18, 2023 07:30 - 39 minutes - 54.3 MBWelcome to Season 3, Episode 36. Today’s conversation is with the amazing Professor Elise Wang. We’re fascinated by conspiracy theories and how people twist themselves into logical knots to believe them. This led us to Dr. Wang’s very informative and engaging TEDx Talk on Why Some Conspiracy Theories Just Won’t Die. She is an Assistant Professor at Cal State Fullerton with focus areas that include literatures of late medieval England; Piers Plowman; legal history; punishment theory; premod...
The History of Hmong Americans
September 11, 2023 07:30 - 33 minutes - 46.3 MBWelcome to Season 3, Episode 35. Today we talk about The History of the Hmong in America. The Hmong are a people without a country. An ethnic, indigenous minority that are believed to have originated in southern China, the Hmong diaspora are international but are predominantly in China, Laos, Vietnam, the US, and Thailand. We share the origins of the Hmong as well as their migration to the US after the failed Secret War in Laos and end of the Vietnam War. Hmong are known for their beautiful ...
A Conversation with Author Illustrator Sally Deng
September 04, 2023 07:30 - 26 minutes - 37.3 MBWelcome to Season 3, Episode 34. Today we have a conversation with author, illustrator, and amazing artist, Sally Deng. She creates pieces on a variety of meaningful topics for The New Yorker, NPR, Hermés, and the Asia Society (just to name a few). Her award-winning work can be found in various publications, in gallery showings, and on her website. In our conversation, she shares a little about her artistic style, her journey, the two books she wrote and illustrated (Skyward: The Story of Fe...
The History of Rice Cultivation
August 28, 2023 07:30 - 27 minutes - 38.5 MBWelcome to Season 3, Episode 33. If you assumed that white rice came from Asia, then you’d be right. But do you know the history of rice cultivation and domestication? It may have happened 8000 or more years ago. How did it spread across Asia and the rest of the world? When was rice introduced in America? In this episode we explore the History of Rice Cultivation and give you cool facts about how rice is grown. In our recurring segment we discuss how you can help the people in Maui. The fire...
A Conversation with Rev. Liên Shutt
August 21, 2023 07:30 - 49 minutes - 69.2 MBWelcome to Season 3, Episode 32. Some of the best conversations we have are the ones that make us think. It’s even better when we not only think, but feel we have learned additional strategies for healing and restoration. Today’s conversation is with Rev. Liên Shutt, an insightful and engaging Buddhist leader who strives to make Zen practice accessible to all. Her new book will release on August 22nd. Entitled Home is Here: Practicing Antiracism with the Engaged Eightfold Path, it introduces...
A Conversation with Dr. Mitchell Maki
August 14, 2023 07:30 - 43 minutes - 60.4 MBWelcome to Season 3, Episode 31. We were so excited to connect with Dr. Mitchell T. Maki, the President and CEO of the Go For Broke National Education Center. Dr. Maki is lifetime educator, author, and a leading scholar on the Japanese American redress movement. The Go For Broke National Education Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the legacy and lessons of the Nisei World War II veterans. “Go For Broke” was the motto of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, an Army unit...