The Bánh Mì Chronicles

(S4, EP 6) Trigger Warning for this episode will contain topics of PTSD trauma, suicide, and other related trauma.  For this Season 4 theme, “Process”, I interviewed Khmer-American community leader Sovanna Devin Pouv back in November.  Sovanna was born in the refugee camps after the Khmer Rouge, and lived his early childhood years in Chicago before moving to Lowell, Massachusetts where h...

(S4, EP 5) Chicago WBEZ reporter Odette Yousef joined me as a guest for this episode.  Odette recently hosted Season 3 of Motive Podcast (available on all streaming services)  which takes a look at the history of the underground white supremacist movement in Chicago during the 1980s.  Odette reflected on her experiences interviewing a former white supremacist, and what she learned a...

(S4, EP 4)  Josina Morita is my special guest for this week's episode.  Josina is currently serving her elected role as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District in Chicago and all of Cook County which in 2016, she became the first Asian-American to do so countywide.  She is also the founding chair of Asian American Leaders Caucus (AALC) in Illinois.  She disc...

(S4, EP 3) Kalaya'an Mendoza (He / Him / SIya) shares his community organizing experience over the years, and more recently, during the 2020 racial civil unreast.  Kalaya'an discusses his work in helping to promote nonviolent civil resistance, and also through his co-founding work Across Frontlines, an organization that works alongside frontline human rights defenders to protest against state...

(S4, EP 2). Khmer-American author Loung Ung joined me for this episode. She is best known for her international best-seller First, They Killed My Father.  She recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of her debut book which chronicled her survival as a young child during the Khmer Rouge genocide from 1975-1979.   This book would later be turned into a Netflix film in 2017 that Angel...

(S4, EP 1) Vietnamese-American singer TRACE joined me as my first guest to kick things off for Season 4.  Fresh off her latest single and video release, "Cool Women", TRACE shared her experiences becoming a singer-songwriter in the American indie music scene, and her relationship with her mother Carol Kim, a Vietnam-War survivor and also a well-known Vietnamese singer in the Paris by Night series....

I am excited to ring in the 2021 year with a new 4th season with a fresh lineup of incredible guests for this show.  I decided to name this season’s theme, “Process” after reflecting on what has been a turbulent 2020 year marred with civil unrest, the global pandemic and the recent US election.  in the aftermath of these events, I think of how the Asian American communities in particular...

Closing remarks to end Season 3, "Where Do We Stand?" theme.  Be on the lookout for Season 4, "Process" coming in early 2021 !! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This Season 3 episode is sponsored by Lawrence and Argyle, a Viet-Americ...

(S3, EP 11) We reached our final guest to close out Season 3 continuing the theme, "Where Do We Stand?".  MILCK (Connie Lim) is an Asian-American recording artist who first received international attention for her song "Quiet" which became viral during the Women's March in DC in 2017.  It would be named by Billboard Music as "The Protest Song of the Year" in 2017.  We discuss the im...

(S3, EP 10) Maya Reddy, founder of Queer Asian Social Club (QASC), joins me for this episode as part of the Season 3 theme, "Where Do We Stand?"  Maya. a queer South Asian professional golfer, founded QASC to promote intersectional LGBTQ+ Asian identities and experiences.  It is a social media space, podcast, and merchandise line celebrating Asian queer / trans identities.  She shar...

(S3, EP 9) Kristina Tendilla joins me as my guest for this Season 3's theme "Where Do We Stand?"  Kristina is a queer Filipinx-American community organizer in Chicago and current Executive Director of AFIRE (Alliance of Filipino Immigrant Rights and Empowerment).  She discusses what prompted her to be involved in community organizing, and her role with AFIRE, particularly with elders and...

(S3, EP 8) In continuation of the Season 3 theme, "Where Do We Stand?",  Indiana State Representative Chris Chyung joined me as my guest for this episode.  In 2018, he became the youngest (at 25 years old) & first Korean-American elected into office in Indiana's history by beating the district's long-time incumbent by only 82 votes in one of the state's traditionally GOP districts. &...

(S3, EP 7) Suely Saro Ed. D. joins me as a guest for the Season 3 edition of "Where Do We Stand?"  Suely is currently running for Long Beach City Council.  Earlier this year, she beat her opponent who has been a long-time incumbent.  If elected, she'll be the first Khmer-American elected into Long Beach City Council, home to the largest Khmer-American population in the US.  In...

(S3, EP 6) Jianan Shi joined in as a guest for this week's episode which was recorded on July 24th.  Jianan is the Executive Director with Illinois Raise Your Hand, a parent advocacy organization that organizes parents around systemic issues in education. Prior to that, he was a science teacher at Solorio Academy High School in Chicago, and has been involved in community activism which includ...

(S3, EP 5) In this week's episode, I spoke with my old friend Tereza Lee back in July.  Tereza is a mother of 3, professional pianist, and a long-time immigration rights activist. Tereza was one of the pioneers of the DREAM movement in the early 2000's when her then-undocumented status inspired US-IL Senator Dick Durbin to sponsor the first DREAM Act proposal in 2001.  In this interview,...

(S3, EP 4) Michelle Kim joined in for this week's episode as part of Season 3's theme, "Where Do We Stand?".  Michelle is a queer social justice activist, and is currently the CEO of Awaken, which provides interactive DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) workshops for a number of leading tech companies across the US.  She talked about the barriers that BIPOC employees are still facing...

(S3, EP 3) Cathy Park Hong joined me for this week's episode of the podcast.  Cathy is a Korean-American poet, writer, and professor at Rutgers-Newark University.  Cathy recently released her critically acclaimed essay book, Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning this past Spring.  In discussing her latest book, Cathy shared her process in writing Minor Feelings , and on the co...

(S3, EP 2) Anoop Prasad, Immigration Attorney w/ Asian Law Caucus, joins in for this episode continuing on the Season 3 theme "Where Do We Stand?" as he talks about the current situation that has affected Southeast Asian and other API immigrants who are currently detained by ICE and facing deportation during the Covid-19 pandemic.  Anoop shares about the history of the deportation of visa and...

(S3, EP 1) Annie Tan, special education teacher, activist, writer and storyteller, kicks things off as my first guest of the 3rd season of the podcast.  In this discussion, Annie talked about the challenges she has faced as a teacher in NYC during Covid-19, and the impact that it has on her students, school colleagues, and parents.  She shared her reflection on learning about being...

I am excited to be back and share with you a new 3rd season of "The Banh Mi Chronicles" Podcast.  For this 3rd season, the podcast will be exploring the theme, "Where Do We Stand?" as I sit down and talk with fellow APIA guests as they share their experiences living through the Covid-19 pandemic, their current work on anti-racism including issues on anti-Blackness and colorism in our communit...

Welcome to the Season 2 Recap of The Banh Mi Chronicles Podcast! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Final closing remarks about this past season 2 reflecting on the year "1975" ---------------------------------------------------------------...

(S2, EP 14) For this Season 2 finale centering on the theme, "1975",  NY Times best seller and Pulitzer Prize winner Viet Thanh Nguyen joins in as a guest on the podcast.  In this episode, Viet reflects on the growing hostility towards the API (Asian Pacific Islander) communities in the face of the Covid 19 pandemic, and how the API community can build solidarity and strength during this...

(S2, EP 13.2) For this week’s part 2 episode, I interviewed guest Sina Sam, a longtime Cambodian-American community leader from Washington State.  She became the first Cambodian American woman to serve as the Commissioner for the Asian Pacific American Affairs for Governor Inslee’s office in Washington State.  She is the co-founder of the Khmer Anti Deportation Group and is now serving a...

(S2 EP 13.1) Sina Sam, a 1.5 generation Khmer-American chatted with the podcast for our two-part interview.  She became the first Cambodian-American woman to serve as the Commissioner for the Asian Pacific American Affairs (CAPAA) for Governor Inslee's office in Washington State.  She is a co-founder of the Khmer Anti-Deportation Group (KHAAG) and currently the Field Director for SEARAC...

(S2, EP 12) For this week's episode of The Banh Mi Chronicles Podcast centering on the theme "1975", Lao American writer and playwright Saymoukda Vongsay aka "Refugenius" joins in as a guest and shares her family's migration journey from Laos to Minnesota after the Laos Civil War.  She shares  her experience growing up with the Lao community in Minnesota, the process of finding her voice...