On this week’s installment:

Hmong American writer, Kao Kalia Yang

In the Summer of 2012, WNYC’s widely popular show, Radiolab, sought the Hmong perspective on chemical warfare during the Vietnam War, dubbed Yellow Rain.  Producers from that show interviewed Kao Kalia Yang, award winning author of The Latehomecomer, and Eng Yang, documentarian of the Hmong experience post Vietnam War for Thailand.  What would ensue in the interview has been widely discussed, and mostly criticized by Radiolab fans.

Kao Kalia Yang recently spoke at the annual Listen to the Silence conference at Stanford University. Yang also sat with APEX Contributor, R.J. Lozada to express her perspective on recent developments with WNYC, Radiolab, and the Hmong community.

Also it’s fund drive at KPFA, and we’ve been in touch with Coffee House Press, the publisher of Kao Kalia Yang’s award-winning memoir, The Latehomecomer-if you donate during broadcast, you receive The Latehomecomer as a thank you gift!

To listen to Radiolab’s amended segment vist here:

http://www.radiolab.org/2012/sep/24/yellow-rain/

They made four different edits from it’s initial launch on their website on September 24, 2012 to October 05, 2012: first, to add Radiolab host, Jad Albumrad’s context, the second, to remove snickering at the end of the segment, third, to shorten the silence following Kao Kalia Yang’s tearful close of the interview, and fourth, to add Radiolab host, Robert Kruwich’s apology.

To read Kao Kalia Yang’s response she posted to Hyphen, vist here:

http://www.hyphenmagazine.com/blog/archive/2012/10/science-racism-radiolabs-treatment-hmong-experience

To read a much more complete treatment of Yellow Rain that includes the Yang’s perspective, vist here:

http://www.citypages.com/2012-11-14/news/behind-laos-s-yellow-rain-and-tears/

To sign a petition put together by 18 Million Rising, visit here:

http://act.engagementlab.org/sign/18mr_Radiolab/

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