Politically Asian! Podcast

This week we talk with May Vutrapongvatana, Esq. (Twitter: @MayVutraETC, IG: @mayvutrapongvatana). May passed the bar exam and used to be a lawyer (hence the Esq.), but now she's an organizer for VOCAL NY (@VOCALNewYork)! VOCAL-NY is a statewide grassroots membership organization that builds power among low-income people directly impacted by HIV/AIDS, the drug war, mass incarceration, and homeless...

We’re back, baby! We missed you all. Some quick updates: We set up a Patreon (patreon.com/politicallyasian), created a better website, made merch, and started a new opening segment for the podcast, Hot Take Hot Pot! This week we’re talking to Phillipe Thao (Twitter @shania_twink, IG @bokchoybaddie), a Hmong-American writer who has written for Catapult Magazine, Washington Post, and more. We talk t...

This week we talk with Kai (@tankiepilled), who is the co-founder of All Power Books (@allpowerbooks), a bookstore and community space for the people! Fun fact for this episode, Kai is actually a pseudonym for our guest because they’ve been arrested at protests, which we thought was cool because it shows they are extremely down for the cause. We talk with Kai about the logistics of starting a book...

This week we talk to advertising creative and conceptual artist, Sai He (@replysai)! Sai's worked with many big-name clients like Old Spice, Netflix, Jet Blue, and the New Zealand Transport Agency. He's also the person behind the popular ad industry meme account @dongdraper. We talk to Sai about companies that suddenly became woke with their ads during the George Floyd protests, and whether any of...

This week’s episode was so funny and therapeutic it literally had us in tears. We talk to Kalaya'an (Kala) Mendoza (he/him or they/them), a Queer, Filipino and Hard of Hearing human rights defender, street medic, and community safety & mutual protection trainer. Kala currently serves as the Director of US Programs at Nonviolent Peaceforce. Nonviolent Peaceforce protects civilians in violent co...

The 2020 Census data is out, baby! This week we talked with Julie Kim (@julieaekim), who was the Queens Borough Lead for the NYC Census 2020 and is also the cofounder of the Asian American Feminist Collective (@aafcollective)! We break down how the Census is not just a fun tally of the US population, but a tool that determines how much money is allocated to different states. cities, and counties e...

This week we’re talking with Esther Tseng (@estarla, LA Times, Eater, Bon Appétit, Time Out) , a food journalist who writes about food and culture and food justice. We talk with Esther about food access and income inequality, outrage against white chefs inventing “superior” Asian food (e.g. Lucky Lee’s, Congee Karen), and how to move from outrage to action when seeing these pieces designed to make...

In this week’s episode, we have Tim Phan (@timothy_phan) who was a Tech Community Analyst for the Democratic National Committee and an Organizer for the Democratic Party of Orange County! We talk about who Tim voted for (obviously), whether it's still possible to push Democrats left, and Anaheim, the Florida of California, not Asian American heaven. Tune in for great insights on advocacy vs. elect...

In this week’s episode, we have Naib Mian (@naibmian), a Multimedia/Interactives Researcher and Producer at The New Yorker, and a member of the New Yorker Union's (@newyorkerunion) Bargaining Committee. Earlier this summer, in June, their union averted a strike and successfully negotiated several key terms, including a salary floor of $60,000 and annual raises, after 2.5 years of back and forth. (...

On this episode we had Michelle Ming (@atmichelleming on Twitter), a campaign manager for Citizen Action (@citizenactionny) and Fair Elections NY (@fairelectionsny)! She’s also worked for other issue-based advocacy organizations in NYC and DC. We talk about her job bullying Chuck Schumer into doing things, trusting politicians (which you shouldn’t!), POC workforce pipeline problems aka being one o...

What does the future look like for Asian American politics? Where do we go from here? Do things ever move forward or are we going to be obsessed with making movies about rich Asian people forever? In this episode, we get a little meta and talk about the current state of Asian American culture with our friend, Chris Lee (@jesuintoast) from Plan A Mag (@planamag)! Give us a listen to hear the predic...

Everyone’s eating out again in NYC, so we brought on our culinary friend and very first Asian guest, Sean Liu (@msg.kitchen) to talk about the restaurant industry! Having grown up in a kitchen, Sean talks about his culinary experience working in his parents' Chinese restaurant, the concept of “authentic” ethnic food, and trends in New American cuisine. Plus, he talks about what he’d do differently...

If you’ve ever wanted to know more about us, this episode’s for you! Listen to two Asian comedians get extremely vulnerable as we answer questions like “What do you want to accomplish with your comedy?”, “What do you look for in a partner?”, and “What are your parents like?” Gerrie also asks Aaron how he knows he is cis and straight! And more! Break next week as Gerrie moves, and we nail down the...

A new ride-sharing app just dropped and we are HYPE. Co-op Ride is an app made for drivers and owned by drivers. Many of New York City's taxi drivers are Asian immigrants, so of course we had to talk about this. In this episode, we talk about the history of NYC taxi drivers, how Uber and Lyft disrupted them, and how the Drivers Cooperative is here to disrupt Uber and Lyft. If you love the episode,...

It’s officially June, and that means the clock is ticking on the NYC Mayoral Race for 2021. The last few weeks have been filled with drama, and with a cast of characters over 20 candidates long (and two Asian candidates!), there’s so much going on! In this episode, we break down the executive branch of municipal government before taking a deep dive into our (formerly?) first-pick candidate. Let us...

Vaxxed hot American summer is here! As vaccinations go up across the country, our Instagram feeds return to normal, and by that, we mean white girls are taking the trips to find themselves in Southeast Asia that they didn’t take last year. In this episode, we talk about passports and visas, what countries have the strongest passports and what privileges they give their holders, and four kinds of w...

In this episode, we put the PI in AAPI and talk about Pacific Islanders! So many times, Asian Americans will use the term AAPI in their organizing activities or DEI initiatives, but they never include any Pacific Islanders or Native Hawaiians, so we are trying to change that. We share how embarrassingly little we knew before researching, talk about the island nations, and discuss the history of Ha...

After taking a week to get our shit together, we (Aaron & Gerrie) are back! In this episode, we talk about the history of AAPI History Month, how we feel about the “Asian American” label, and AAPI history curriculum. -- WHAT'S POLITICALLY ASIAN PODCAST? Two Asians talking about politics and the Asian American community to get more Asians talking about politics! Join comedians Aaron Yin (he/him...

In this episode, we (Aaron & Gerrie) talk about ICE deporting South East Asians and how these deportations are actually another form of Asian hate and violence. We also break down the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act Bill and provide updates on the NYPD's undercover cop plan for stopping Asian hate incidents. -- WHAT'S POLITICALLY ASIAN PODCAST? Two Asians talking about politics and the Asian American...

In this episode, we (Aaron and Gerrie) talk about how your oppressors can look just like you through a history tour of NYC’s Chinatown! Enjoy this blast from the past as we examine the effects of Asian American ideas of success = being extremely rich. Whether you love it or hate us, please consider leaving a review. -- WHAT'S POLITICALLY ASIAN PODCAST? Two Asians talking about politics and the Asi...

This week, we (Aaron and Gerrie) share our thoughts on Hollaback's Bystander Intervention training after taking it! With all the attacks on Asian people in America, we want to be less scared and more proactive individuals when it comes to stepping in to stop attacks on anyone. We also talk about how we self-care, whether self-care in an office setting is only for white people, and provide updates...

Welcome to the Politically Asian! Podcast! In our very first episode, we (Aaron & Gerrie) focus our attention on Andrew Yang and his policies as two transplant New Yorkers, along with some community solutions popping up in the aftermath of the tragic Atlanta shootings, and whether or not the news reports are emboldening racists. Music by Clueless Kit on SoundCloud. -- WHAT'S POLITICALLY ASIAN...