Inspired by hot pot
First of all, huge congrats 🎉 to Jamie for finishing her senior thesis! pls celebrate and enjoy - that's such a big deal!! hopefully I can read it soon 🥺
update from jamie: thanks melinda :') every moment of writing that literally made me feel like this:
On a more serious note, right now it’s been heartbreaking and frustrating to hear how COVID-19 has spiked and taken so many more lives in India... please donate if you can, learn about vaccine apartheid (event at 10am ET on Saturday), and take extra care of yourself.
Love,
Jamie and Melinda ❤️
News
🔆 There's a longer section about AAPI Heritage Month in this newsletter, but this is a reminder that when you're referring to the label, be intentional about keeping it inclusive. Often, AAPI spaces are very east-Asian-centric, and given the diversity of backgrounds and cultures in the community, there is much more nuance when it comes to individual experiences. Read this article for deeper background on the "AAPI" and "Asian American" labels.
💸 "Taking a page from prominent Black executives", wealthy Asian American business leaders like Joseph Bae (KKR), Sheila Lirio Marcelo (Care.com), Jerry Yang (Yahoo), Fareed Zakaria, Indra Nooyi (PepsiCo), and Jeremy Lin have contributed to a $125 million initiative to combat anti-Asian discrimination. The initiative, the Asian American Foundation, has mostly contributed to educational initiatives that promote awareness of Asian-American history.
😥 As the pandemic makes its way through India, many immigrants and people with ties to the country are finding it difficult to come to terms with the worsening situation there and in the US, where restrictions are quickly lifting. In response to sadness, anger, "guilt and confusion", Indian Americans are using their networks to raise money, find supplies and oxygen, and push the US government for aid.
✏️ AAPI Victory Fund, a political action committee, endorsed Andrew Yang's candidacy for NYC mayor. Their support is in response to the rise of anti-Asian hate crimes across the country and is meant to "assist his campaign and give it more of a national profile" to increase voter participation and turnout. While they do not plan to involve themselves in local politics, the PAC will hold a fundraiser for him later this month.
💬 Stop AAPI Hate is an organization that has been tracking data on anti-Asian hate crimes. Launched in March 2020, they collect self-reported and other instances of violence. The co-founders, Cynthia Choi, Russell Jeung, and Manjusha Kulkarni, are continuously pushing for change in local communities and national politics. Read about their story and the organization here. Stop AAPI Hate is also a source we use very often in our newsletter, so we are incredibly grateful for their work and their reporting.
🚚 Laotian American truck driver, Jimmy Bounphengsy, found himself as an accidental activist after starting Asians With Attitudes (A.W.A.) following attacks on Asian American individuals this year.
It's Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month!
As taken from the description of the Asian Holidays calendar:
“In 1978, Congress passed a joint resolution that would designate the first 10 days of May 1979 as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week. May was chosen to commemorate the arrival of first [Asian] immigrants from in the U.S. in 1843. Then, in 1990, Congress passed a public law that expanded the observance to one whole month.
I’m sure some of y’all have already begun to celebrate in your own way the history, culture, and accomplishments of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders of all different generations For those of us in the AAPI community, it’s a time for us to reflect on and be proud of our identity. There is no one “Asian experience” and to me, it’s so awesome to celebrate the immense diversity of AAPI.
One way I started to celebrate the month is by watching FILMS! It’s amazing that throughout this month, you can watch dozens of quality, amazing, films for free in the Asian Pacific Virtual Showcase.
Most of these are short films, like 8-15 min ish, and have compelling stories. I started on a couple and found this one, Kapaemahu, to be beautiful. "Long ago, four mahu healers of dual male and female spirit imbued their powers on a giant stone monument that still stands on Waikiki Beach. Narrated in an ancient Hawaiian dialect, KAPAEMAHU brings this powerful legend back to life in vivid animation, seen through the eyes of a curious child." Here's the trailer:
Film by Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson
My mom really likes these two—Phoenix Bakery and Fugetsu-do (both about LA family-run food businesses that have survived for multiple generations). A couple others I still want to check out include Srkana by Dinesh Das Sabu, Keep Saray Home by Brian Redondo, Fine China by Tiffany So, and The FBI Blew Up My Ice Skates by Sara Zia Ebrahimi & Lindsey Martin.
There's another film festival, CAAMFest, from May 13-23 celebrating Asian stories. You'll have to pay for tickets, and certain films are limited to certain regions, but the lineup of films looks fantastic! Our friends from college, Charles Zhang and Alina Peng, have their short film 83 and Alone as part of the Shorts Programs ("We Live Here Shorts"). !!!! Hugecongrats 🧡
Anyhow, we hope that this month, you get a chance to enjoy this incredible work and storytelling by folks in the AAPI community. Pls DM us if you watch any - would love to reflect together !!
small feelings
With Bill and Melinda Gates getting a divorce; the hopes of this Melinda aren't as bright anymore re: finding a Bill LOL. Although I have an aversion to the thought of even getting married 😖 Let's not think about that yet.
not same lol i see myself getting married early (mid 20s prob). manifesting a good partner for u bbs
✨ S P O T L I G H T ✨
Vivek Shraya (she/her)
Image: for her book, God Loves Hair
I'm just blown away by all the work Vivek Shraya has done. She's a multi-disciplinary artist from Calgary, Alberta (Canada). She's an author, filmmaker, musician, actress, and founder of the publishing imprint, VS. Books. Oh, and she's also a professor of Creative Writing at the University of Calgary and sits on the board of the Tegan and Sara Foundation. 😍 In 2015, she and her brother released their first EP together as the band, Too Attached, and opened for Tegan and Sara while they toured across Canada. In 2016, she came out as a trans woman.
Among her 10 books (!!), the one I want to read first is I'm Afraid of Men: "Raw, open, and honest, the book reveals how she performed masculinity at a young age, how she coped with attacks and heartbreak and provides a blueprint to accepting and celebrating our differences."
In this interview, she talks about how in the conversation on masculinity, we aren't yet including enough queer, trans, and/or non-white voices. She talks about the feeling of not being "trans enough" or "queer enough" and how we should allow for ambiguity in the queer/trans experience.
Given that it's Mother's Day around the corner, I also wanted to share this 5-min video of a project of Vivek's, where she explored her identity by recreating photos that her mother took when she was younger.
Anyhow, I highly recommend giving a quick scroll of her website - she's... incredible.
👌 Chef's Specials 💋
💌 If you’re able, donate to the two mutual funds in this form (yes you can donate in USD) to support the COVID crisis in India, and be entered in a raffle organized by 16 small businesses.
🕌 It's still Ramadan! This video of kids trying to explain Ramadan is adorable❤️
📕 Indie artist Japanese Breakfast a.k.a. Michelle Zauner's book, Crying in H Mart, is out!!
🎵 H.E.R. brought her mom (who is Filipina) to the Oscars. She won Best Original Song for "Fight For You.”
👜 10 Fashion brands that are Asian/AAPI founded or owned (a little east asian centric but still good!)
📚 15 Books by Pacific Islanders that tell stories about their culture. They look so interesting, and I've been wanting to read more fiction like this!
👂 11 Moments From Asian American History That You Should Know
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AAPI Artists Spotify Playlist (no longer collaborative because random Italian DJs kept adding their own songs) :