Asian American History 101

Welcome to Season 5, Episode 4!  Peter Tao and his real life partner Helen Lee are the force behind TAO + LEE Associates, Inc. an award winning St. Louis based design firm. They provide Architectural, Planning, Interiors, and Creative Design services for a diversity of project types, sizes & applications. Their projects have been built both domestically and internationally.   That alone would have...

Welcome to Season 5, Episode 3!  We're back with Part 2 of The History of Mahjong. Last episode we talked about the games origins and how it came to America. In this episode, we discuss the rise of Jewish-American Mah-Jongg and how it was standardized and simplified in America by the National Mah-Jongg League. We also take time to talk about cultural appropriation and how the Asian American commun...

Welcome to Season 5, Episode 2!  Most people are familiar with the game of Mahjong. Maybe their family or community plays it or maybe they've just seen it in the movies or TV. But most people have seen the tiles and heard the clacking.   This is part 1 of a 2 part series on The History of Mahjong. In this episode, we talk about the origin of Mahjong, how its popularity went up and down over the ye...

Welcome to Season 5, Episode 1!  Happy New Year everyone! The Gregorian New Year, to be specific because the Lunar New Year is right around the corner… A new calendar year means a new season of our podcast. For our first episode of the new season, we want to highlight one of our favorite publishers, Third State Books . To do that, we've invited the Co-Founder and CEO of Third State Books, Stephani...

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 53! This is it! Our Season 4 year in review. In this episode we talk about the following… "Interesting topics we hope people listen to". These are topics that need way more attention.   E48 and E49 , The History of Chinese Exclusion Laws in Canada, Part 1 and Part 2   E46 , The History of Asian American Clubs and the Punk Rock Scene E28 , The History of George Helm Jr....

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 52! Happy Holidays! This is an ICYMI Encore Episode of S03E49, Christmas Traditions in Asia and the Pacific Islands. 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,...

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 51! Wakamatsu Tea and Silk Farm Colony was the first Japanese settlement in America, but it's so much more than that. Their story is a slice of American history that highlights the struggles immigrants often faced when trying to establish themselves in a new culture without much support. In this episode we talk about the socio-political environment in Japan that led a...

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 50! Today's guest is  Dr. Virginia Loh-Hagan … she is an author, university faculty member, and former K-8 teacher. She directs the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Center at San Diego State University (SDSU), which raises awareness of issues facing Asian Americans, celebrates APIDA culture, and amplifies APIDA contributions. At SDSU, she also led the Liber...

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 49!  In this episode, we continue sharing about the Chinese Exclusion Laws in Canada. We discuss the different politicians who promoted exclusion as well as the people and groups that helped lead to the end of the exclusion laws.   Yes, there were several groups and individuals who fought against exclusion laws even before they passed. And their work helped lead to the...

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 48! Chinese Exclusion Laws were a dark moment in U.S. history… but they were also a dark moment in Canadian history. Chinese immigrants in Canada helped support the economy in a variety of ways including providing labor for growing food, being part of the fishing industry, and building the railroad. However, they also faced racism and xenophobia that culminated in a se...

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 47! Today's guest is another popular Top Chef Alum, Chef Nini Nguyen . Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, Chef Nini has made a name for herself in the culinary world through her food as well as her appearances on TV and on social media. She is known for blending authentic Vietnamese flavors with a generous nod to the foods she grew up eating in New Orleans.   T...

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 46! Punk Rock was most popular in the mid- to late-1970s through the middle of the 1980s. Although it hit its peak for only about a decade, it captured the public's imagination in that time with it's anti-establishment, in-your-face, DIY style. The bands didn't achieve success on their own though. Asian American clubs on the West Coast were a huge reason for the growth...

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 45! We have a returning guest! We were so excited for the chance to bring back award-winning author and editor  Karen Yin to our show. Last time we really focused on her editing career and her newest book The Conscious Style Guide: A Flexible Approach to Language That Includes, Respects, and Empowers . In today's conversation, we get a chance to dive into her work in p...

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 44! We love eating a good Bánh Mì. The combo of fresh veggies, spice, savory protein, crunchy elements, fresh herbs, and acidic pickles makes for a satisfying meal. There's a reason it's so popular across the globe as a breakfast, lunch, or dinner item. In this episode, we discuss the history of French colonialism in Việt Nam and how the foods they brought in were adap...

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 43! Today's guest is Jaylee Hamidi who is best known for their acting, but is also both a writer and painter. Jaylee was born in Shanghai, China, but moved to Canada and now lives in Vancouver. They are a queer, gender-fluid, Chinese-Kurdish-Iranian creative professional.   They currently can be seen in their breakout recurring role as Allie in the Hulu, ABC Onyx show...

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 42! It's another installment of Most Forgotten Massacres. Today we're going to talk about the Anti-Filipino Riots in Washington State. Although the discrimination and violence occurred in the 1920s and 1930s, the tension had been building for a few decades because the dislike of Asian laborers can be traced back to the Chinese during the Gold Rush and railroad days, th...

  Welcome to Season 4, Episode 41! We have two guests today… award-winning author Kyo Maclear and award-winning illustrator Gracey Zhang . Their latest collaboration is the whimsical picture book Noodles on a Bicycle published by Penguin Random House Children's. It was released on August 27, 2024, so you can go out and get it now. It's a great book that provides a historical snapshot into Tokyo's...

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 40!  You may not know what a steel guitar is, but once you hear the sound it makes, we guarantee you've heard music where it's used. Originating in Hawaii, the steel guitar has gone on to spark innovation and integration into bluegrass, blues, jazz, country, and more.   In this episode, we share the origins of the Hawaiian Steel Guitar as well as some of the key player...

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 39! Our guest today is Sydelle Barreto, the Policy Manager of The National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum. The NAPAWF (pronounced "NAP-off") is the only multi-issue, progressive, community organizing and policy advocacy organization for Asian American and Pacific Islander women and girls in the United States. Founded in 1996 by a group of 100 AAPI women, these "f...

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 38! The U.S. elections are coming up, so it's a fitting time to talk about the activist and suffragist Tye Leung Schulze. She broke barriers, but her life went far beyond being the first Chinese American woman to vote in a U.S. election. So in this episode, we go into more of the details of her incredible life and the the challenges she faced and overcame. To learn mor...

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 37!  Our guest this episode is the talented watercolorist, comic artist, and writer, Tony Moy . We first met Tony at the 2024 WonderCon in Anaheim when he was part of a panel on using comic books to help fight anti-Asian hate… a panel moderated by Stephanie Lim of Third State Books that also featured Amy Chu and Sarah Myer (we had a chance to speak to Amy on S04E08 and...

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 36! It's time to talk about iconic Asian candies again! These are candies and confections that originated in Asia but have meant a lot to people worldwide in the Asian diaspora. Today we're here to share the history of Botan Rice Candy and Dragon's Beard Candy.   Have you tried either? We think they're worth looking for if you haven't. Both are generally vegan and glut...

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 35! We often read to learn new information or to be entertained (or both). But we also love reading to improve ourselves, which is what we did with The Conscious Style Guide by Award-winning Editor and Author Karen Yin ( S04E22 ). Today's guest is Dr. Helen Hsu , whose new book is The Healing Trauma Workbook for Asian Americans published by New Harbinger. It was releas...

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 34! In today's episode we share The History of the Fight for the I-Hotel. August 26, 2024 will mark 19 years since the new International Hotel opened their doors. But do you know what happened to the old I-Hotel? It's amazing how the community, civil rights activists, residents, and others came together to help fight for the rights of the people living in the I-Hotel w...

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 33!  One of our favorite guests is back for another conversation… it's award-winning author, illustrator Nidhi Chanani who returns to share a little about her upcoming picture book Quiet Karima that will be released on October 8, 2024. It's a beautifully painted book that is about Karima, who taps into the magic and music in the world when she's quiet. If you're unfami...