AH1 presents: The Asian Highway - Storytellers in Action

Averie Bishop, 25, is the first Asian American to wear the Miss Texas America crown. She plans to use her new platform to promote diversity and inclusion. Mayra Flores, at around the same time, won a congressional seat to represent Texas's Rio Grande Valley. Ms. Flores, a 36-year-old Mexican-born American, is the first Republican Latina to represent Texas in Congress. Both are taking center stage at a time when Texas is experiencing dramatic demographic shifts. Which woman will be the new face of Texas - and, perhaps, of America? Will Ms. Bishop's quest to promote diversity and inclusion win the day? Or will Ms. Flores represent an influx of minority voters who head to the voting booths and vote Republican?Texas Demographic Shifts: https://www.texastribune.org/2021/08/12/texas-2020-census/Averie Bishop wins Miss Texas AmericaL https://www.insider.com/miss-texas-first-asian-american-winner-pageant-averie-bishop-2022-7Mayra Flores Goes to Washington: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/06/us/politics/mayra-flores-latina-republicans.html

NYC introduces an Asian American Studies pilot program for K-12 schools: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/nyc-teach-asian-american-pacific-islander-history-1800-schools-rcna31247

P-mo and his co-host from the Erased podcast, Dana Miller, have a conversation with Henry, an Afghan interpreter who was given U.S. Citizenship status for his services rendered to the American military during stretches of the 20-year Afghan War. Henry (a pseudonym) was able to leave the country for the United States, but his wife and children were left behind. The wife and children were able to get to the main airport in Kabul before the completion of the U.S. withdrawal and endured 6 days without food as they awaited escape. But they were turned away. Staying in Afghanistan under Taliban rule seemed inevitable. Then, someone in Austin, Texas stepped up and helped the family escape. Their story is told on this episode.

The Anti-Asian American Hate Bill finally became law when Pres. Joe Biden signed the bipartisan legislation on May 18. Also, Alabama reverses a nearly 30-year ban on teaching yoga in public schools, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame has its first fan inductee, and an Indoor Football League franchise hires an Asian American woman to run the organization.

Here are some resources to report hate crimes or to educate communities on the Asian American story:https://www1.nyc.gov/site/cchr/community/stop-asian-hate.pagehttps://stopaapihate.org

P-Mo is now the solo host of Storytellers in ActionWe'll have 10 episodes, focused on topics, such as the NBA in India, the Punjab Farmer Protests, hate crimes against Asian Americans and the NRI EconomyAll episodes will be produced in Austin, Texas.

Colin is from Toronto, Canada but also spends time in Los AngelesHe has also lived in KuwaitColin's website is www.colinaguiar.comSome of Colin's projects include:FlyermanA Christmas TailDipsticks2 Men & a Pig

Jinee Lokaneeta just released her latest book, The Truth Machines. The book discusses policing, violence and scientific interrogations in IndiaSangay Mishra is the author of Desis Divided: The Political Lives of South Asian Americans.

This is the final episode of Season 5Two more bonus episodes are on tap; one on 11/14 and another on 11/21Kamala Harris is the first-ever woman Vice President of the United StatesShe is also the first woman of color to serve in the same roleCalifornia Gov. Gavin Newsom is now tasked with appointing Harris's successor to the U.S. Senate for CaliforniaThis was Joe Biden's third-ever run for PresidentBiden first ran for POTUS in 1988He ran again in 2008 but dropped out earlyBiden was later selected as Barack Obama's running mate

Tanny Jiraprapasuke and Jerry Raburn are the co-chairs of Thai Americans for BidenThis election is the first time a major presidential candidate recognized and included Thai Americans as a part of the campaignLos Angeles has the largest Thai American population in the countryHere is the link to the Thai Americans for Biden Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1678097495699890

Kavi is starRing in a live stream reading of 'HATEF**K,' which was an off-Broadway show in 2019. Kavi stars alongside Sendhil Ramamurthy.Tickets for the live stream is available at this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hatefk-reunion-reading-tickets-122413763863?aff=ebdssbeacThe ticket allows you to watch the reading until Wednesday, Oct. 28.Kavi has starred in shows and films such as Karma Calling, Heroes, Criminal Minds and CSI: Miami.Kavi was born in Kerala, India.

Laj P. Waghray creates her work through Red Crane Films, which can be found online at www.RedCraneFilms.org.Laj originally moved to the United States from India, when her husband earned a professional opportunity in The Bronx. They have since relocated to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.Laj's films include "On Hands!" and "Sleepovers."She shares her content on Instagram; search for "Red Crane Films."

Want to find Anisha on social media and the Interwebs? Here is how you spell her name: Anisha Adusumilli.Anisha is from Toledo, Ohio and moved to Los Angeles when she was 18. She moved to LA to attend UCLA.Anisha is trained in the piano.Some of the shoes Anisha appeared in, either as a guest or in a leading role: BIFL, Lucifer, How I Met Your Mother, NCIS: Los Angeles.

Saurabh Kikani starred in a one-man show, Baccalaureate, in early 2020. The show is about Saurabh's brief time at Oxford, figuring out love and life.He also produced the independent film, Miss India America, which starred Hannah Simone and Tia Sircar. The film was directed by Ravi Kapoor.

David Paul Francis is a television writer whose credits include Hemlock Grove, Krypton and American Gods. He also starred in The Second Jungle Book: Mowgli & Baloo and episodes of Becker, Outsourced and Crossing Jordan.

The Grand Jury Indictment for the officers involved in the Breonna Taylor proved the system is broken. This is time, accordingly, to take the words "A More Perfect Union" seriously and take the necessary action to fix the broken system. Storytellers in Action host P-Mo gives a monologue about the need for change - and for all of us to come together.

What does Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death mean for the 2020 Election?What does white privilege look like?What does defund the police look like?What is it like being a Person of Color in Hollywood?We also share anecdotes about racism and dealing with the police.

Could we have avoided the Covid-19 pandemic if both parties stopped bickering? Should the Democrats focus less on removing Trump and more on how the party’s policies can help the American people? How has the pandemic forced artists to be more creative with content creation? What’s at stake for artists on Nov. 3? Are we better off without social media? Are people hurt inside and being ignored by politiicians? These are just some of the issues we talk about on the latest Storytellers in Action episode. P-Mo, Farial and Debesh chat with actor-singer Rohini Chandra about the pandemic, Democrats vs. Republicans, and storytelling.

P-Mo and Pin Chen begin their conversation about music and education. The brain thrives when it is fed music - it's scientifically proven. The conversation then morphs into the overall value of the arts, what's at stake in the 2020 election, and an interesting discussion on presidential politics and foreign policy. The episode ends with a touch of Hollywood. Politics, education, music, the arts, foreign policy and acting ... how did we get so much covered in a little more than one hour of talking???

P-Mo and Debesh deep-dive with documentarian Sarita Khurana, who joined the Storytellers in Action team from Brooklyn. It was a non-linear conversation about telling South Asian stories, the life of senior citizens during Covid, challenging the elite power structures of Hollywood and U.S. experiencing its Third Reconstruction in the Era of Trump.

What's at stake in the 2020 election? What does "representation" look like? How much is Orange County actually changing? Can a genuine conversation be had about BLM? These are the issues we tackle in the latest episode of Storytellers in Action.

Has cancel culture gone too far? Do identity problems have identity solutions? Is there a way to balance diversity and representation with a genuine, human-based meritocracy? Does our society overvalue Intelligence Quotient and undervalue Emotional Quotient? Can we ever achieve a true meritocracy, where we fully embrace someone for who - not what - they are? These are the topics we try to come to terms with in our first episode of Season 5!

P-Mo, Debesh and Farial will dive even deeper this season, as Storytellers in Action returns for the first time since Coronavirus became a global pandemic and the United States was mired by civil unrest in light of the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others. This fifth season of Storytellers in Action will feature 13 interviews and coincide with the upcoming presidential election. We'd love to have you in on the conversations!

She's an actor. She's an artist. She's a Maxim model. She's a singer. She's a DJ. Monika Starling can do it all, and she sat down with P-Mo, Debesh and Farial to talk about what inspires her. Monika has toured the world as a DJ, painted her own pieces of art and appeared in film's like Dostana. What's next for her?

We had a happy accident in the fourth season of Storytellers in Action: All of our guests were women! The podcast crew spent a few minutes talking about what the season meant to them, and what they look forward to in the next season.

Our final guest of Season 4 is Leena Pendharkar, who grew up in North Carolina and pursued careers in politics, journalism and documentary filmmaking before finding her calling as a writer/director in feature films. Leena and Parimal speak about Leena's career and her role in helping women advance in the film industry.

We get to know Mina and her work as Artistic Director with Crowded Fire Theater Company in San Francisco. She is passionate about her work and it really shines through in her episode. We speak about her Asian American background and identity, but we mostly speak about art influencing identity and the reverse.

Gopi Shah is a ceramic artist and has her own studio in Long Beach where she adds modern touches to a traditional art form. We deep dive with Gopi about the cross section of art and identity.

Traci has worked in national newsrooms since 2011, most notably with NBC News. She recently oversaw NBC Asian America at NBC News Digital. She is also a 2019-2020 Annenberg Leadership Initiative Fellow at USC. In this episode, we delve into newsroom diversity, Asian-American representation and journalism culture with Traci.

Rising actress Deb Snyder has worked with an impressive array of talent including Ang Lee, Sydney Pollack, George Clooney and Harrison Ford. Snyder knows how to deliver a comedic performance, while keeping her characters grounded in reality — she gets it from her family. Her father's family is arabic. Her grandfather moved from Jordan to New York to escape the Turks in his early teens. Her grandmother was Lebanese. The diversity in cultures served Snyder in her growth as an actor and the variety of roles she was able to explore is directly because of the diverse cultures she experienced in her youth.

Sandy Sidhu is an Indian actress from Vancouver. She recently landed a series regular spot in the upcoming ensemble medical drama, Nurses, on Global TV, which premiered tonight. She bravely opens up to us about some insecurities and vulnerabilities and the entertainment industry.

Elaine is first and foremost an artist and activist, which she calls Artivist. She hopes to help change a few minds through television and film. Elaine is a fellow in the HBO Writers Program, chosen for the CBS Writers Program, and a semi-finalist for the Sundance Episodic Lab. She is currently staffed on the new Gossip Girl reboot for HBO Max. Elaine was named one of the top 25 screenwriters to watch in 2019 by the International Screenwriters Association. Elaine was born in Singapore, grew up in Hong Kong and Taiwan until the age of 12, and then moved to Massachusetts.

This week on Storytellers in Action, we speak with Indian-American actress and singer Sheila Houlahan. Sheila is a Seattle native and is best known for her role portraying Optima Prime in the feature movie Wallflower and a recurring co-star role on SyFy's "Z-Nation." Not only do we speak to Sheila about how her identity intersects with her career in the entertainment industry, but we also speak on mental health issues. Sheila uses her platform to chronicle her own journey with mental health issues and aims to end stigmas surrounding the topic. Tune in to see why Sheila is passionate about facilitating better structuralized mental health care in the country.

Tehmina Sunny, born in London is an actress, and is of Gujarati Indian descent. Sunny has had roles on TV shows including The Following, 24, Heroes, Californication, and NCIS. Her first film role was Oscar-nominated film Children of Men. We focused on the interplay between her pursuit of acting and her identity on this week's episode.

Rina Mehta is a professional Indian classical dancer who is trying to open an Indian dance school in Southern California. This episode focuses on Rina's Collective and her efforts to establish it as the leading artistic endeavor for South Asians in Southern California and how this pertains to identity and Asian American representation in the arts.

The Asian Highway Storytellers in Action team is back for season 4! Identity and representation are still major themes this season with one big difference: all of our guests are women. This season we speak with Asian American women owning their respective spaces and the challenges at play with identity and representation.

The AHSIA team sits down and goes over the season that happened and point out some of the poignant issues. P-Mo also drops a big, personal revelation and the group reacts! A lot of smiles, laughs and tears from the group. Stay tuned for Season 4, coming in the fall of 2019!

On the riveting finale of Season 3, the AHSIA team welcomes techie and host/producer/creator Nicki Sun! Nicki gets down to business and talks about women of color in tech and the need for diversity in the tech and production space! Nicki speaks about her experiences in dealing with sexism and racism and how she's threading the needle forward to help elevate women of color.

On this episode, the AHSIA crew chats with artist and comedian D'Lo! D'Lo talks about growing up in outskirts of Los Angeles in a small town and recounts the challenges he grew up with. D'Lo also drops knowledge on the Sri Lankan Civil War that ravaged the country spanning 3 decades, along with his own personal identity and how it was formed, and how he uses that to connect with budding artists around the world. Debesh is low key jealous of D'Lo's hat.

On this episode, the AHSIA team speaks with author, model, and fitness guru, Kevin Kreider! Kevin speaks out about being a Korean adoptee, an ex-actor, and the importance of recognizing self hatred, and helping empower many Asian Americans to find the beauty in themselves and challenging beauty standards. Kevin also talks about his experience in being the focal point of the documentary, The Ugly Model, featured in the 2019 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival! Farial shakes her head at Parimal and Debesh's jokes. Again.

In this episode, the team sits down with actor, Wendy Wang! Wendy talks about how eventually moving towards acting gave her satisfaction and a place for her to nurture her creativity. She speaks on the adversity of dealing with Asian parents while being in show business, and how the needle could be threaded for future generations, and what it would look like. Also, Marvin's t-shirt gets a lot of attention.

In this episode, the AHSIA team features international film composer, Roc Chen! Roc talks about his early influences that led him to be a film composer, being a citizen of both Hollywood and Beijing, working with international superstar Jackie Chen, and the burning question: who is Roc Chen? We also find out that Debesh enjoys saying Lobster Cop.

On this episode, the team talks with Chinese born American actor, Laura Trent! Laura was born in China, and adopted by white parents in Billings, Montana and grew up there. Laura shares on her experience between growing up in Billings vs. living in Los Angeles. Farial and Debesh get excited by the mention of Mu Shu Pork.

In this episode, the AHSIA team chats with photographer and comic book/Japanese robot enthusiast, Quang Le! We hear about Quang's journey, and how he dealt with bullying because of his Asian name, as well as how he became a photographer to be popular at parties! He talks about how his career led him to all sorts of opportunities, including photographing NBA legend, Allen Iverson! Godzilla receives an honorable mention.

In this episode, the AHSIA team sits down with beauty entrepreneur and media personality, Shalini Vadhera! This story involves a Korean master, a bolt of lightning, and destiny! Shalini also talks about how to empower other women by providing hope and confidence through beauty. This episode also features awesome guest co-host Sati Kaur from Season 2! A true smorgasbord of an episode!

On this episode, P-Mo and Debesh chat with actor Nishi Munshi! She talks about her most recent roles in network television and films, the challenges actors of color deal with, along with the progress that's been made. The concept of the Deep Dive Debesh Das (D4) is coined.

On this episode, the AHSIA team speaks with Georges Chamchoum, co-founder of the Asian World Film Festival! Georges gets into his passion for film-making, along with things he believes are being shoved down everyone's throats. It's a very throaty episode.

The AHSIA team is back for season 3! Farial Khan joins us as our 3rd chair, and we talk about this season's theme: Identity and Representation. Farial makes a power play to become the comic relief.

The AHSIA team briefly ruminates on the 2nd season of the podcast and their takeaways. It was a fun season for us and we hope it was fun for you! Stay tuned for Season 3 in early 2019!

In this penultimate episode for season 2, the AHSIA crew switches it up...and has an in-house, free-flow discussion! The team talks about politics and the Asian American identity, and all the things that come from it. The proposition to sing "Kumbaya" gets vetoed.

On this episode of AHSIA, the team chats with Dr. David Tam, Chief Operating Officer for Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica! We hear about how Star Trek and the US Navy helped shape David's identity as an American, but at what cost to David's Asian heritage? LA traffic linked to existentialism is briefly pondered.