Once more for the people in the back: BLACK LIVES MATTER. Periodt. The collective social upheaval that has taken over the US & spreading across the globe has been timely, empowering, liberating, gut-wrenching, costly, and eye-opening for so many of us. After witnessing the inhumane death of George Floyd in MN to the silence around Breonna Taylor's murder in KY, all in short succession after Amy Cooper's shameful Karen actions in NYC & Ahmaud Arbery's murder in GA within such a short period of time during this global pandemic, something has profoundly & (hopefully) irreversibly shifted. In this episode, Minji takes a moment to start one of many discussions on racism, anti-Blackness sentiments, & the Black Lives Matter movement with actress & writer Neka Wright. While it feels like there is too much to even start, we really must start somewhere. Neka walks us through her identity as a Black-Filipina woman, including her experiences becoming aware of her color upon coming to America as a military child, recognizing the compassion & problematic parts of her Asian family/community, & finally accepting herself in all her amazing glory. Together they unpack the complex conversations happening on & offline in their communities, the culture of silence, privilege, what it takes to be a decent (& then stellar) ally, plus strategies for long-term impact long after the protests die down. No one claims to have all the answers, but we call on each other & everyone out there to do our best to protect our Black community. 

This week's guest:

• Neka Marie (IG: @nekamarieactress)

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Music in this episode includes "I forgive you, I’m sorry" by Jennifer Chung

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This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

Produced by @marvinyueh