As National Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2023 comes to a close, we are releasing a series of episodes recorded in 2022 that feature conversations with Asian Americans. We talk about race and identity, but we also address other topics in our community including religion, family, careers and our creative pursuits. 

In this episode, we hear from Ronald Yee-Mon (he/him), a Chinese-Trinidadian Catholic priest living in Fargo, North Dakota, and his nephew Christopher (Chris) Yee Mon (he/him), a software engineer in Seattle, Washington. We discuss issues of colorism and the nuances of race in Caribbean communities. We also talk about family history and religion across generations.

*Please note that Ronald prefers his surname hyphenated whereas Chris prefers it without the hyphen, which is why there is a discrepancy in name format.

*Also apologies that this actually came out after AANHPI Heritage Month ended

"Tropical Symphony: A Story of a Unique Trinidadian-Chinese Family" https://store.bookbaby.com/book/tropical-symphony 

This is not a paid partnership.

Happy Black History Month! For this episode, we tackle some questions about Black identity, Black activism and how Black History Month is celebrated.

Look out for a video version of this episode on YouTube coming soon!

Check out Obinna’s podcasts here:

Afripple: https://open.spotify.com/show/3nipeOQzUKF2xNfewESVyp

Media in Colour: https://anchor.fm/wavemaker-roots/episodes/Media-in-Colour---Episode-00-Trailer-e1e8ke3

*Not a paid partnership

Happy New Year! Thank you for listening and being a part of the Misfits community. It is time to close out Season 1, but don’t worry, we’ll be back soon with Season 2. In the meantime, stay up to date by following our Instagram and our Twitter @acxpmisfits and keep an eye out for some bonus episodes releasing in the near future. Also feel free to message us if you have any feedback or ideas for the show. Happy 2023!

This episode was edited and produced by Annie Prafcke. Our music was composed by Gabe Ford-Dunker.

Limi Simbakalia (they/them) is a manager at a media company and the producer and host of the podcast “Take This Rose or Take an L.” Originally from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Limi talks about navigating an American college campus as an international student, discovering their queer identity and working through imposter syndrome. 

Limi's Socials:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/itmeanssunshine/?hl=en 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/itmeanssunshine

"Take This Rose or Take an L" podcast:

https://open.spotify.com/show/5QVh5cte4sAJM9FIBG1VAg

https://www.instagram.com/takethisrosepod/?hl=en

https://twitter.com/TakeThisRosePod

Protests on St. Olaf College campus:

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2017/05/01/st-olaf-students-boycott-classes-protest-racism

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2017/05/01/protests-erupt-classes-canceled-after-racist-notes-enrage-a-minnesota-college/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2017/05/10/a-racist-note-sparked-protests-at-a-minnesota-college-the-school-now-says-the-message-was-fake/

Thank you to Gabe Ford-Dunker for the music.

Jasmine Nguyen Gutierrez (she/her) was feeling burnout from her career as a social worker when she decided to become a graphic designer/illustrator and start her own small business. In today’s episode, Jasmine talks about career changes, the importance of mental health and self-care, and raising her son as proud to be Asian and Mexican.

Jasmine’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/jazgtzdesign/?hl=en

Jasmine’s store: https://www.jazgtzdesign.com/shop?fbclid=IwAR3IAIDBi2Pb_qHPGcJc71a_6cgCVv9n5AtyycoRJcUgOpttUR_nrt1HhGg

Jasmine is based in the Austin, TX area and there are opportunities to purchase her work in person in Austin! She will be selling her work at the Asian American Resource Center’s first Lunar New Year Makers Market for Saturday, January 28th, 2023. She’ll also be a vendor at another Lunar New Year event hosted by The Paper and Craft Pantry, a stationary shop in Austin, on Sunday, January 22nd, 2023.

This is not a paid partnership, but we did work with Jasmine earlier this year when she designed our "black sheep" logo.

Credit to Gabe Ford-Dunker for the theme music!

Melissa Shrestha (she/her/hers) is a Sydney, Australia-based social media executive and the founder of the not-yet-released podcast Asian Girl Movement. In today’s episode, Melissa talks about trying to find acceptance as a Middle Eastern and South Asian woman, moving from England to Australia as a teen, and her vision for Asian Girl Movement.

Asian Creative Network is a private group for Asian creators that can be found on Facebook.

Info on Baháʼí faith:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Bahai-Faith

https://tfhc.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/252218/nt-bahai-fact-sheet.pdf

https://www.bl.uk/sacred-texts/articles/an-introduction-to-the-bahai-faith

Follow Asian Girl Movement on Instagram @asiangirlmovement

More information about Asian Girl Movement can be found here: https://linktr.ee/asiangirlmovement

Kristin Frank (she/her) is an emotional health facilitator, trauma-informed adaptive yoga teacher, mindfulness educator, and reiki practitioner based in the Fargo-Moorhead area. She is listed as an Advanced Integrative Processing Technique Facilitator with the Institute of Healing Arts. Along with her many roles, Kristin is also a person living with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which is a group of hereditary connective tissue disorders characterized by elastic skin, hypermobile joints, and weakened muscle and tissue. Today we talk about Kristin’s views on how to best support someone with chronic pain, teaching adaptive yoga for every body, and learning to let go of negativity through reiki.

Info about and sources for Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS): 

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/ehlers-danlos-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20362125#:~:text=Ehlers%2DDanlos%20syndrome%20is%20a,underlying%20structures%20in%20your%20body.

https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/condition/ehlers-danlos-syndrome/

https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/what-is-eds/

Integrative Processing Technique trainers and facilitators with The Institute of Healing Arts:

https://www.ihaofutah.com/meet-our-trainers-and-facilitators

Beyond Boundaries: https://beyondboundaries.us/

Ecce Yoga: https://www.ecceyoga.com/about

Kristin’s website: https://www.lomalifewholebodywellness.com/

You can also find her on Instagram @loma_life.

A couple of corrections: 

-I introduce Kristin as Moorhead-based and at one-point in the show, she says she lives in Fargo. Fargo, ND and Moorhead, MN are cities that are right next to each other. Kristin is Fargo-Moorhead based.

-In our conversation, I say that it is strange that I have similar leg pain to my mom even thought I'm adopted and "there's nothing biologically or genetically similar between us." That's not scientifically true as all humans are genetically similar. I meant that she couldn't have passed down that trait to me. 

Justin Nguyen (he/him) is a Boston-based filmmaker. In today’s episode, Justin talks about the pains of moving to a new place where he became the minority, how his dad’s love of rock music inspired him to become a filmmaker, and the impact that having representation in film can make.

*Please note that this episode was recorded in January 2022. Justin did not immediately respond to requests for a follow up.

Justin’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/just_ngu/?hl=en

Thank you to Gabe Ford-Dunker for the music in today’s episode.

Salvador (Sal) Alvarez (he/they) is a musician and music producer who was raised by Mexican immigrant parents in San Francisco, California. On today’s episode of Misfits, Sal talks about family, overcoming self-doubt and finding inspiration for his music.

Note about Sal’s parents: They are now U.S. citizens.

St. Olaf article on Urban Sound 2019: https://wp.stolaf.edu/news/bringing-an-urban-soundscape-to-st-olaf

Some of the artists and performances referenced in the episode:

Daft Punk Alive Concert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B38CY-4Rd6s

Madeon “Pop Culture” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTx3G6h2xyA

Stromae “Tous Les Mêmes” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAMWdvo71ls

Sal’s socials:

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/salvarezmusic

IG: https://www.instagram.com/salvarezmusic/?hl=en

Twitter: https://twitter.com/salvarezmusic

FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100068595826197

Email: [email protected]

Next Door Villain Podcast: https://linktr.ee/nextdoorvillain

Josephine (Jos) Tjandra (she/her) is a Chinese-Indonesian woman who lives in New Zealand. She works in food science and recently wrote a book on her experiences with ADHD and autism.  In today’s episode, Jos talks about moving from Indonesia to New Zealand as a kid, Chinese immigration across the globe, and the challenges of getting diagnosed with developmental disorders as an adult and as an Asian woman.

Asian population census data in New Zealand: https://www.stats.govt.nz/tools/2018-census-ethnic-group-summaries/asian

https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/2018-census-population-and-dwelling-counts#:~:text=The%202018%20Census%20usually%20resident,and%202013%20(0.7%20percent)

Asian population census data in the USA: https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2022/05/aanhpi-population-diverse-geographically-dispersed.html

Pākehā: https://maoridictionary.co.nz/search?keywords=pakeha

Link to Jos’ book, Net Zero: Living with Paradoxical Conditions of Impulsive ADHD and Structured Autism, and Rethinking What it Means to be Disabled: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09R4TYGQJ

Thanks for sending us a copy of your ebook, Jos!

Jos also has an Instagram where she reviews snacks: https://www.instagram.com/twinspeak.snacks/?hl=en

Thanks to Gabe Ford-Dunker for the music in today’s episode. His also performs in the band Hawthorne Park: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3IiwBKT2ERHIEgkodtJh2z