Asian American History 101

Welcome to Season 3, Episode 7! Sometimes our conversations intersect with some of our other passions, including food and music. This was one of those conversations. It was such a blast talking to Tahlena Chikami! She's the lead singer of the ska group, Bite Me Bambi , and we didn't just focus on music! From the Japanese internment to vegan food to singing covers to her songwriting process, Tahlen...

Welcome to Season 3, Episode 6! Do you think all Asian Pacific Islanders play classical music? There are a lot of APIs who play classical music, but not all of us fulfill that stereotype, especially in the professional sector. The truth is, according to the 2016 report The Racial/Ethnic and Gender Diversity in the Orchestra Field by the League of American Orchestras, the vast majority of professio...

Welcome to Season 3, Episode 5! In episode 3 of this season, we talked about the amazing Kim Loo Sisters. Today's episode we had a chance to talk with Leslie Li , the daughter of the third sister, Jeneé. Other than writing the book Just Us Girls: The Kim Lo o Sisters , Leslie is working on the documentary of the group and she is an accomplished author as well. She wrote the books Bittersweet as we...

Welcome to Season 3, Episode 4! We begin this episode with reflections on the recent shootings in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay. We also talk about the White House celebrating Lunar New Year as well as the recent nominations of Asian Pacific Islanders for the Grammy Awards and Academy Awards… and there are a LOT, with the biggest news being the 11 Academy Award nominations for Everything Everywh...

Welcome to Season 3, Episode 3! Happy Lunar New Year! We're back with a new episode. Have you heard of the Kim Loo Sisters AKA the Kimmies AKA the Chinese Andrews Sisters? We wouldn't be surprised if you hadn't, but they were really famous as a vaudeville family act and grew bigger… even performing on Broadway and in Hollywood. It's a shame that there are so few recordings of their work that have...

Welcome to Season 3, Episode 2! It's probably a good bet that you remember the school names and communities of Columbine, Parkland, and Sandy Hook… not to mention so many other recent school shootings. But before most of those happened was the Cleveland School Massacre in Stockton on January 17, 1989. As we approach 34 years since this incident, we don't know why it's generally ignored nowadays, b...

Welcome to Season 3, Episode 1! Can you believe we're in season 3? In this first episode of 2023, we focus on some of our favorite topics and conversations, including the following… Episodes we want everyone to listen to: ICYMI Encore Episode of Celebrating Anna May Wong Chinese and the Transcontinental Railroad The United States vs Wong Kim Ark The History of Nuclear Weapons Testing in the Pacifi...

Welcome to Season 2, Episode 58! We're back with our final episode of 2022, and it's a fascinating piece of ethnic enclave history. Most Chinatowns across the world have similar structural elements: pagodas, specific colors, terra cotta tiles, and more. So how did this happen? It might surprise you that stereotypical Chinatown architecture was created by white people hired by Chinese Americans. Al...

Welcome to Season 2, Episode 57! We're back with a new episode! The move is done, we finally unpacked our audio gear, and we're eager to create some new content. This episode is a conversation with Asian Canadian actress Dorren Lee. She's probably best known for being in recurring roles on Diggstown and Kung Fu, but she also played the narcissistic boss, Ingrid Jordan, in the romantic comedy Lease...

Welcome to Season 2, Episode 56! In today's In Case You Missed It (ICYMI) Encore Episode, we revisit Season 1, Episode 62 where we discuss the history of Japanese food in America. So many Asian foods in America are expected to be cheap either in price or quality, but Japanese food is one of the few Asian cuisines that is viewed as more refined and deserving of higher prices. However, it wasn't alw...

Welcome to Season 2, Episode 55! In today's In Case You Missed It (ICYMI) Encore Episode, we revisit Season 1, Episode 49 where we discuss Shih Yang, the most famous and accomplished pirate ever who just happened to be a Chinese woman. Her incredible life made her one of the most influential pirates in history not just in Asia. We also took time to celebrate Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez, the...

Welcome to Season 2, Episode 54! In today's In Case You Missed It (ICYMI) Encore Episode, we revisit Season 1, Episode 43 where we discuss The Bamboo Ceiling and the Sticky Floor… terminology that refers to the limitations that are often in place keeping Asian American and Pacific Islanders outside of management and executive roles. This is especially true of API women. To learn more about the wag...

Welcome to Season 2, Episode 53! In today's In Case You Missed It (ICYMI) Encore Episode, we revisit one of our favorite interviews that originally aired Season 1, Episode 37. Professor Naoko Wake is the author of American Survivors: Trans-Pacific Memories of Hiroshima and Nagasaki published by Cambridge University Press. She is a historian of gender, sexuality, and illness in the twentieth centur...

Welcome to Season 2, Episode 52! In today's In Case You Missed It (ICYMI) Encore Episode, we dig back to Season 1, Episode 21 where we began our series of 'Merica's Forgotten Massacres (MFM) where we discuss the history of anti-Asian massacres and lynchings in the United States. In this first installment we talked about the Chinese Massacre of 1871 in Los Angeles as well as the San Francisco Riot...

Welcome to Season 2, Episode 51! In today's In Case You Missed It (ICYMI) Encore Episode, we dig back to Season 1, Episode 4 on the life of Larry Kwong, the first person to break the color barrier in the National Hockey League. Nicknamed The China Clipper and King Kwong, he hasn't gotten nearly enough recognition for his many accomplishments. For example, we think he should be in the Hockey Hall o...

Welcome to Season 2, Episode 50! It's another In Case You Missed It (ICYMI) Encore Episode. It's Diwali! So this time we're featuring A History of Indian Food in America which originally aired Season 1, Episode 23. We provide a little history and then focus on the differences between Indian food here in the U.S. vs India. Interested in getting some Indian flavors at home? Try out Nummy Nibbles . W...

Welcome to Season 2, Episode 49! This is an #ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) Encore Episode. Originally airing as Episode 16 in Season 1, we were celebrating International Women's Day and did a profile on Anna May Wong, the first Asian American actress and style icon extraordinaire. With the recent announcement that she will be featured on a U.S. quarter, making her the first Asian American to be fe...

Welcome to Season 2, Episode 48! This is an #ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) Encore Episode. Originally airing as Episode 5, this has been one of our favorite episodes we ever researched, recorded, and published. We talk about the first Asians in America... Spoilers, it's not the Chinese. Since it's Filipino American History Month, it seems like another good reason to post this again. In the seconda...

Welcome to Season 2, Episode 47 with special guest host Dr. Trang Lai! We're always excited to talk about food, so here we are to talk about Thai Food in America. We love Thai cuisine because it's such a great balance of fresh herbs and punchy flavors. And we're not alone. Thai cuisine is among the most popular in the U.S. and across the world. When we think about Thai food, we think about how so...

Welcome to Season 2, Episode 46! Every now and then, something comes along that opens up doors and captures your imagination. We really feel that Kwento Comics and their first comic book, The Mask of Haliya could serve to impact the world of comic books and media in that way. An all women-run, all Asian led team, Kwento Comics is out to open up minds regarding stories with Filipino and Asian Mytho...

Welcome to Season 2, Episode 45! More diverse stories have been on the rise in the last decade or so… especially in books. One of the most accomplished authors who has led the charge is Grace Lin , the award-winning writer of picture books, early readers, and novels including Where the Mountain Meets the Moon , Ling & Ting , and A Big Mooncake for Little Star . She's one of the few authors who has...

Welcome to Season 2, Episode 44! Anthony Christian Ocampo is a professor, sociologist, and author. His latest book is Brown and Gay in LA: The Lives of Immigrant Sons published by NYU Press . It's a book full of powerful interviews with second generation gay men of Filipino and Latinx descent. Raised in Northeast Los Angeles, Ocampo earned his BA in comparative studies in race and ethnicity. He th...

Welcome to Season 2, Episode 43! The second (and hopefully last episode with only Ted as the host)… Today's guest is Manjusha P. Kulkarni. Manju is one of the three co-founders of Stop AAPI Hate , the nation's leading aggregator of hate incidents against AAPIs. In addition to founding and working with Stop AAPI Hate, she is also Executive Director of the AAPI Equity Alliance (formerly A3PCON), a c...

Welcome to Season 2, Episode 42! Born and raised in France till his teens before moving to Vancouver, British Columbia, Tony Giroux has been a professional dancer, actor, and filmmaker. He is known for his work as the male lead, Billy Martin in Lifetime's A Sugar and Spice Holiday , the first Lifetime holiday movie centered on an Asian American story. Most recently, he has played Adil, an importan...

Welcome to Season 2, Episode 41! As huge fans of Top Chef , we were so over the moon excited to get a chance to interview Top Chef 19 winner Buddha Lo . He is the sixth Top Chef winner of Asian Pacific Islander descent, but Buddha did it in a unique way. Originally hailing from Australia, Buddha went to Houston having prepared for the competition like no other contestant before him, and it showed....