New Narratives

Does Asian American solidarity exist? How can nonprofits genuinely engage with the community? How do Asian Americans interact with politics and organizing? In June 2023, seven Asian-led organizations in the Twin Cities hosted a community event, Spring into Action: Cultivating Grassroots Asian Power. As nonprofits whose mission is to uplift the community, we must also be accountable to what the community wants and needs. During the event, attendees had the opportunity to participate in a live podcast recording as a way to ground our work in community voices and provide an empowering space for young people to tell their stories. In Part 2 of this installment, three of the organizers of Spring into Action, Jacqueline (she/her), Marie (she/they), and Tri (he/anh), sit down to talk in-depth about the prompts we posed to our community members at the event. Tune in to hear us discuss topics like affirmative action, ABGs, and eating egg sandwiches in Minneapolis. In Part 1, you will hear the raw audio and stories from participants at the event. Attendees as young as eleven years old share their perspectives on their neighborhoods, issues they care about, and building Asian power. Head over to the previous episode to listen. Thank you to our partner organizations, The SEAD Project, Siengkane Lao MN, SEIU Asian Pacific Islanders Caucus, MN8, Coalition of Asian American Leaders, and Twin Cities Japanese American Citizens League, and to Tri Vo from The SEAD Project for collaborating on this audio project with us. For more info on AAOP, head to our: Website Instagram Facebook Twitter Participate in Tri's project at SEAD, Brave Harbors, which aims to strengthen the framing of and tools available to Southeast Asian peoples needed to build up a world from our hopes and imagination. To build this new world, SEAD needs to hear from you! Head to tinyurl.com/summerSEAD to share your thoughts and feelings as a Southeast Asian American.

What do young Asian Americans care about? What issues are important to them? What is their vision for their neighborhoods and communities? In June 2023, seven Asian-led organizations in the Twin Cities hosted a community event, Spring into Action: Cultivating Grassroots Asian Power. As nonprofits whose mission is to uplift the community, we must also be accountable to what the community wants and needs. During the event, attendees had the opportunity to participate in a live podcast recording as a way to ground our work in community voices and provide an empowering space for young people to tell their stories. In Part 1 of this installment of New Narratives, you will hear the raw audio and stories from participants at the event. Attendees as young as eleven years old share their perspectives on their neighborhoods, issues they care about, and building Asian power. In Part 2, three of the organizers of Spring into Action, Jacqueline (she/her), Marie (she/they), and Tri (he/anh), sit down to talk in-depth about the prompts we posed to our community members at the event. Head on over to the next episode to hear us discuss topics like affirmative action, ABGs, and eating egg sandwiches in Minneapolis. Thank you to our partner organizations, The SEAD Project, Siengkane Lao MN, SEIU Asian Pacific Islanders Caucus, MN8, Coalition of Asian American Leaders, and Twin Cities Japanese American Citizens League, and to Tri Vo from The SEAD Project for collaborating on this audio project with us. For more info on AAOP, head to our: Website Instagram Facebook Twitter Participate in Tri's project at SEAD, Brave Harbors, which aims to strengthen the framing of and tools available to Southeast Asian peoples needed to build up a world from our hopes and imagination. To build this new world, SEAD needs to hear from you! Head to tinyurl.com/summerSEAD to share your thoughts and feelings as a Southeast Asian American.

As Asian Americans, art and storytelling is an integral part of our communities, yet Asian American performers and stories continue to be underrepresented in film, television, media, and theater. This special episode of New Narratives features interviews from four Asian American actors based in the Twin Cities who performed in various productions at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. Listen in as we discuss Asian joy, taking leaps of faith to pursue your dreams, finding your voice, and cultivating an artistic home in the Twin Cities. Thank you to the actors for their beautiful words, and thank you to the Guthrie for collaborating with us on this project. Time stamps: 00:00 - 07:04 Introduction 07:04 - 31:11 Emjoy Gavino and Hyunmin Rhee, Vietgone 31:11 - 51:01 Eric Sharp, A Christmas Carol 51:01 - 1:14:58 Anna Hashizume, Into the Woods Get tickets to a show at the Guthrie Theater at guthrietheater.org/shows-and-tickets/. Find more information about the actors featured in this episode: Emjoy Gavino | IG: @joyofem Eric Sharp | IG: @eswombat Anna Hashizume | IG: @annahashizume + @sing_with_anna Music by taskinjura via pixabay.com

Episode 17: For this episode, I spoke with a local Hmong shaman about his journey to becoming a master shaman, balancing his spiritual duties while living in modern times, and an upcoming film called Modern Shaman. The music throughout this episode is the instrumental music of “Me Nyuam Hmoob” by Chuefeng Yang. Guests: Billy Lor

Episode 16: In this episode, we're joined by Alex Vang and Lynn Nguyen from the Minnesota Chapter of the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF). We discuss their journey coming to work with NAPAWF, how abortion restrictions impact the AAPI community and more. Guests: Alex Vang and Lynn Nguyen Music by AudioCoffee from Pixabay

Episode 15: In this episode, we're joined by Our Justice to discuss abortion access and reproductive justice in Minnesota. Our Justice is a Minnesota-based abortion fund that provides financial and logistical support for folks seeking an abortion. Guests: Megumi Rierson, Shayla Walker Music by AudioCoffee from Pixabay

Episode 14: For PRIDE month I speak with three queer Asian Americans about how to navigate difficult conversations with family when it comes to their queer identities. You'll hear some personal stories and you'll hear from SEWA-AIFW as well. The music throughout this episode is the instrumental music of “Me Nyuam Hmoob” by Chuefeng Yang. You can find the song on Youtube or Spotify. Guests: Chuefeng Yang, Angela Lathanavaly, Mubina Qureshi

Episode 13: In celebration of May (APAHM), this episode is decided to our names. You'll hear from four guests about their cultural and personal connections to their names, the meaning behind their names, and the pride they have in them. The music throughout this episode is from pixabay. Guests: Marie Stebbings, Hamy Nguyen Huynh, Simran Chugani, J Nguyen

In this special bonus episode of New Narratives, a companion to our mixed-race Asian identity-focused episode “We Are What We Are,” documentary filmmaker serena (they/them) and AAOP Content Creator Intern and New Narratives co-host Siena (she/her) talk about both their experiences growing up mixed, the complex positionality of being mixed-race with white, and, fittingly for May and Asian Heritage Month, how it might be possible to pass on heritage traditions and values as burgeoning mixed-race mentors and potential future mixed-race parents. If you are interested in learning more about mixed-race Asian identity and experiences, please visit bit.ly/3MhkQq6 for a list of resources around mixed-Asian identity, including mixed-race, mixed-ethnicity, and interracial and transnational adoptee experiences. Music by Alex_MakeMusic via Pixabay.

For centuries, mixed-race Asian folks' stories have been mostly told for them rather than by them. They've been weaponized as battlegrounds upon which racial wars are fought and they've been turned into symbols of a supposedly post-racial utopian world. But no longer. As the numbers of folks who self-identify as mixed-race skyrocket, mixed-race Asians are reclaiming their narratives in popular culture, academia, and day-to-day interactions. In this episode, we speak with Aria Binns-Zager (she/her), Dr. Wei Ming Dariotis (she/her/ta), Isabella Martinez (she/her), and Allison Perales (she/her) about the complexity of the lived experience of mixed-race Asianness, shifts and conflicts in mixed-race culture and politics, and what the future of mixed-race identity could look like now that mixed-race folks finally get to shape it. As an accompaniment to this episode, we've created a list of resources for Mixed Asians (mixed-race, mixed-ethnicity, transracial and transnational adoptees) at bit.ly/3MhkQq6. While by no means comprehensive, this collection of resources aims to be a jumping off point for learning and community building. Check out Aria Binns-Zager's podcast “SNITCH!”. Music by REDproductions and Alex_MakeMusic via Pixabay.

Transgender Day of Visibility is March 31st. To celebrate this day we're going to hear from Chuefeng Yang, a local transgender queer Asian American musician. We'll also get to hear an exclusive sneak peek of her song "Me Nyuam HMoob" coming out on April 18th! You can find Chuefeng Yang @chuefengy on all social media platforms Spotify Tiktok Instagram Twitter Facebook Website

March 16th marked the one-year anniversary of the Acworth-Atlanta shooting where eight people died, six of them being Asian American women. In this episode, we hear from Anthea Yur about the solidarity march she organized last year and Professor Jigna Desai on media portrayals of Asian American women and historical events that have led us here. Guests include: Anthea Yur (Kokoro Project), Professor Jigna Desai (University of Minnesota-Twin Cities), Kay Moua, Phoua Chang, Jun Lin, and Siena Milbauer

Where do we go from here? That's the guiding question of the finale of our special mini series “Justice for George Floyd.” We're moving our transformative justice-focused podcasting out of this specific basket and into our main podcast “New Narratives.” But before “Justice for George Floyd” bows out, we're taking a journey through its episodes to reflect on the impact of storytelling, the incredible movement we've witnessed in our Minnesota communities, and what the future of public safety can and will look like if we all step up to shape it. This series is made with support from the Minneapolis Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, and the Kofi Annan Institute for Global Citizenship at Macalester College. Music by Coma-Media via Pixabay and Small Million. "The River of Time,” used by Tori Hong in this podcast, is a concept coined and shared by Cori Nakamura Lin.

Election day is fast approaching and alongside important local races, Minnesota voters will be deciding on some crucial ballot measures. None is getting more attention than Minneapolis Ballot Measure 2. Thousands of Minneapolis community members already voiced their support for the ballot measure via petition, and if passed on November 2nd, Ballot Measure 2 would open the door to a model of public safety that stops enabling police brutality and starts funding community-based solutions to health and safety crises. In this episode, we speak with Jessie Lee-Bauder (she/her), Communications Manager at TakeAction MN and an organizer who has been active in the campaign to get Ballot Measure 2 in front of Minneapolis voters. Lee-Bauder talks about the process behind Ballot Measure 2, the roadblocks thrown in the ballot measure's path, and the changes that will be possible in our communities if Ballot Measure 2 passes. This series is made with support from the Minneapolis Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, and the Kofi Annan Institute for Global Citizenship at Macalester College. Music by Small Million. For Minnesota early voting information, head to bit.ly/EarlyVoteMN. For voter registration info, visit bit.ly/Reg2VoteMN. For polling location info, visit bit.ly/FindPollsMN. Let's get out and vote, making our voices heard for the future of our communities! To learn more about TakeAction MN's work, and to find volunteer opportunities, visit them on Twitter @TakeActionMN

Join New Narratives' creator & host Anya Steinberg as she says goodbye to AAOP! She'll take you on a tour of some of her favorite interviews -- including moments you've never heard before. Music by Takénobu. Guests include: Jane Jeong Trenka (she/her), Professor Bee Vang-Moua (she/her), and Julian Saporiti (he/him).

Once upon a time, abolition in its modern sense was an obscure concept that only a handful of organizers and agitators knew about and dreamed of. But in the wake of George Floyd's murder in Minneapolis, abolition has stepped into the mainstream. You've probably heard plenty of explanations about what abolition is and why people do or don't support it. So rather than repeat definitions or commonly held arguments, we decided to go straight to Abinaya Ilavarasan (she/her), Tori Hong (she/they), and Tri Vo (he/they/she), three organizers who are working in ways big and small to abolish police, ICE, prisons, and more structural harms. We ask them why they do the work they do, what abolition means to them, and what the future of abolition work could look like for our communities. This series is made in collaboration with Buddhist Justice Reporter, with support from the Minneapolis Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, and the Kofi Annan Institute for Global Citizenship at Macalester College. Music by Lesfm via Pixabay and Small Million. "The River of Time”, used by Tori Hong in this podcast, is a concept coined and shared by Cori Nakamura Lin.

A message from New Narratives on the events in Afghanistan and how you can show up in solidarity with Afghanistan and the Afghan people. Mutual aid resources/opportunities (in English) at bit.ly/3z6DP0r Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

On April 11, 2021, 20 year-old Daunte Wright was murdered by police in Brooklyn Center, just miles away from where Derek Chauvin was on trial for the murder of George Floyd. Brooklyn Center erupted into protests which the Brooklyn Center police department met with what many saw as unreasonable force, escalating the unrest. As Minnesota responded in horror to yet another police murder of a Black community member, there was also admiration for the spontaneous yet swift Brooklyn Center community organized response to Daunte Wright's murder, both in the form of protests and mutual aid. We speak with Jackie Hayden (she/her), Longkee Vang (he/him), and Ngan Nguyen (she/her), three educators from Brooklyn Center Community Schools who were part of those mutual aid efforts. They share the response to Daunte Wright's murder from their school youth, the generosity and ingenuity of Brooklyn Center residents in the face of crisis, and what the path forward looks like for their community. This series is made in collaboration with Buddhist Justice Reporter, with support from the Minneapolis Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, and the Kofi Annan Institute for Global Citizenship at Macalester College. Music by Small Million.

The COVID-19 pandemic has turned our world upside down for the past year and a half. But life-saving COVID-19 vaccines are now widely available, and free of cost in the United States. In this episode, you'll hear the vaccination stories of 9 Minnesota Asian American youth who share their vaccine experiences, and why they have stepped up to protect themselves, their families, and their communities. This special episode of New Narratives is part of the We Can Do This vaccination education campaign. AAOP supports We Can Do This, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' nationwide COVID-19 and vaccine education campaign. The Asian American and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Community has been hit hard by COVID-19 and many of us need help in getting educated about how we can get vaccinated. We are working together to ensure our community has access to important information in our fight against COVID-19. Learn about COVID-19 vaccinations and get help scheduling your vaccine at vaccines.gov #WeCanDoThis Music by taskinjura via pixabay.com. Sound effects by abcopen, Dr. Macak, eguobyte, Ichapman1980, kyles, mcmikai, MSXP, Taira Komori, and WingsofIrony, all via freesound.org

They say youth are the future, but youth are also the present, often leading the way on issues of racial justice and structural change. We speak with 17 year-old Pa Yao (she/her) about being a young Minnesotan activist in the wake of the murders of George Floyd, Daunte Wright, and Winston Smith, and amidst an alarming rise in violence against Asian Americans. Pa Yao shares why she's been motivated to fight anti-Blackness within her Asian community, and advocates for the importance of youth voices in all contexts. This series is made in collaboration with Buddhist Justice Reporter, with support from the Minneapolis Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, and the Kofi Annan Institute for Global Citizenship at Macalester College. Music by Small Million.

In the season finale of New Narratives, we're taking on a global behemoth -- the international adoption industry. We'll be exploring the experiences of Korean adoptees through the eyes of two women: Diana and Jane. Diana shares her journey to grow more comfortable in her own skin after being raised by a white mother and a Korean adoptee father. Jane, who was brought to America as a baby, tells us why she decided to leave the U.S. behind as an adult to fight for better adoption laws in South Korea. You can buy Diana's book PLACED here. Guests include: Diana Albrecht (she/her) and Jane Jeong Trenka (she/her). Music by: Motohiro Nakashima

How can, and should, faith and the work for racial justice interact? We speak with Hmong 4 Black Lives activist and recently lay ordained Buddhist practitioner Sōkyo Chee Xiong (he/they) about the relationship between his social awareness and spirituality. Chee shares the profound affect George Floyd's murder had on them as a Hmong American person of faith with roots in the Twin Cities, and how he has come to see his religious practice and his organizing work as two sides of the same coin. You can find Sōkyo Chee Xiong on Instagram. This series is made in collaboration with Buddhist Justice Reporter, with support from the Minneapolis Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, and the Kofi Annan Institute for Global Citizenship at Macalester College. Music by Small Million.

What does it mean that a Hmong police officer stood by as an accomplice to the murder of George Floyd? We talk to Vayong Moua, the Director of Racial and Health Equity at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota. Vayong tells us about the Hmong community's unique position in Minneapolis, illuminates their experiences with police brutality, and discusses what solidarity could look like between the Hmong and Black communities in Minneapolis. This series is made in collaboration with Buddhist Justice Reporter and the Kofi Annan Institute for Global Citizenship at Macalester College. Music by Small Million.

Two plaques hang in the rotunda of the Minnesota State Capitol, one that memorializes Minnesota's participation in a forgotten war and another that claims the first plaque told is full of lies. Today on New Narratives, we start to tell the story of the second plaque and the Filipinx Minnesotans who were behind it. We'll tell the story of their relentless activism to tell the story of the Philippine American War the way their ancestors saw and experienced it. This episode is part 2 of a 2-part series on the Philippine-American War. Guests include: Meg Layese (Philippine Study Group of Minnesota), Paul Bloom (PSGM), Art Adiarte (PSGM), and Professor Karin Aguilar San Juan (Macalester College). Music by Takénobu.

A plaque hangs in the rotunda of the Minnesota State Capitol, memorializing Minnesota's participation in a forgotten war. Today on New Narratives, we start to tell the story of that plaque--all the way from the beginning, hundreds of years ago. We'll tell the story of the Philippine-American War, talk about why it's a war nobody remembers, and explore what effects the war has today on the Philippines. This episode is part 1 of a 2-part series on the Philippine-American War. Guests include: Professor Lisandro Claudio (University of California Berkeley), Dr. Theodore Gonzalves (Smithsonian National Museum of American History) and Professor Karin Aguilar San Juan (Macalester College). Music by Takénobu.

We're starting a special series here at New Narratives! In May 2020, the presence of Tou Thao, a Hmong police officer, at George Floyd's murder raised important questions for the AAPI community. Now, almost a year later, as the trial of Derek Chauvin unfolds, your hosts Anya Steinberg and Siena Iwasaki Milbauer will be unpacking it from an Asian American lens. Today, we kick off the series by talking about what's going on and hearing from some community members about what they expect as the trial enters its first week. This series is made in collaboration with Buddhist Justice Reporter and the Kofi Annan Institute for Global Citizenship at Macalester College. Music by Small Million.

A message from New Narratives on the situation in Myanmar and how to get involved. More resources and updates (in English) on the situation can be found at: democracyformyanmar.org @whats.happening.in.myanmar & @listenupmyanmar on Instagram @myanmar_now_eng and at #whatshappeninginmyanmar on Twitter

We'll be continuing our deep dive into the U.S. war in Vietnam, but this time through the music of No-No Boy! We're going to explore what life was like in Vietnam during the war, what it was like to flee Vietnam after the war, and why people did or didn't leave the country. This episode is part 2 of a 2-part series on the U.S war in Vietnam. Guests include: No-No Boy (Julian Saporiti) You can find No-No Boy on Spotify. And you can watch the CBC Band perform Purple Haze 40 years after the bomb went off in Saigon here.

Today, we'll be taking a deep dive into the U.S. war in Vietnam to tell the complicated story of the wars in Vietnam & the "secret wars" in Cambodia and Laos. We’re going to discuss why the wars happened and what made them so devastating. This episode is part 1 of a 2-part series on the U.S war in Vietnam. Guests include: Professor Karin Aguilar-San Juan (Macalester College). Madeline Duckles interviews Madame Binh in 1968, courtesy of Pacifica Radio Archives.

Part 2 of our series on heritage languages. We’re going to discuss why people lose their heritage languages, how that feels, and why language revitalization is so important. Guests include: Professor Bee Vang-Moua (University of Minnesota, Twin Cities), Professor Satoko Suzuki (Macalester College), Chanida Phaengdara Potter (The SEAD Project), Oanh Vu, and Ngan Nguyen.

This time, we're talking about heritage languages. We’re going to learn a little bit about the Asian languages people speak, what it means to them to speak their heritage language, and their journey to multi-lingualism. This episode is part 1 of a 2-part series on heritage languages. Guests include: Sierra Takushi (Colorado College '21), Professor Bee Vang-Moua (University of Minnesota, Twin Cities), Professor Satoko Suzuki (Macalester College), Chanida Phaengdara Potter (The SEAD Project), Oanh Vu, and Ngan Nguyen. Host: Anya Steinberg

In this episode of New Narratives, we're talking about the 2020 election and Asian American/Pacific Islander voters. We'll discuss who the AAPI electorate is, why they have such low voter turnout, and if representation of AAPIs in politics really matters. Guests include: Nimisha Nagalia (Hennepin County elections), Cindy Yang (Forward Together), Chip Chang (PhD student at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities), and Amy Zhou (legislative assistant in the Minnesota Senate). Host: Anya Steinberg

This episode of New Narratives explores anti-Blackness in Asian/Asian American/Pacific Islander communities both in the U.S. and abroad. We discuss people's personal experiences with anti-Blackness in the community, as well as the complex historical, socioeconomic, and political factors that create anti-Blackness. We also talk about what different AAPI activists are doing to combat anti-blackness. Guests include: Nhan Le (Carleton College '21), Thet Htar Thet (activist), Nam Nguyen (Vietnamese Solidarity and Action Network), Jieyi Cai (PhD student at the U of MN Twin Cities). Host: Anya Steinberg For more information, visit: www.aaopmn.org Follow us on Instagram: @aaopmn

Welcome to New Narratives, a podcast by Asian American Organizing Project that highlights the voices of Minnesotan Asian American/Pacific Islanders. This episode focuses on Asian American/Pacific Islander identity development, where the term "Asian American" came from, and what it means to be AAPI. We also discuss the Model Minority myth, where it came from, and what implications the myth has for the community. Guests include: Professor Rich Lee and Professor Vichet Chhuon from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Joan Dao with the Vietnamese Solidarity and Action Network, and Sierra Takushi, Colorado College '21. Host: Anya Steinberg, Storyteller Intern For more information, visit: www.aaopmn.org Follow us on Instagram: @aaopmn