Alex Chester-Iwata (she/her) is an actor and the the editor in chief of Mixed Asian Media, an online media platform that strives to spark conversations around mixed-race Asian and Pacific Islander identities. In today’s episode, Alex and I talk about navigating a media industry that she says left little room for mixed race people and the exciting ways she believes it's beginning to change. We also dive into why Alex started Mixed Asian Media.

Alex’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexfchester/?hl=en

MAM: 

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

https://mixedasianmedia.com/home

MAM Fest: https://www.instagram.com/mam_fest/?hl=en

Tickets for MAM Fest 2022 can be found here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mixed-asian-media-fest-tickets-374636486817

Use promo code MAMF15 for $15 off the all-access pass!

Thank you to Drew Swenson for editing the episode and to Gabe Ford-Dunker for writing our music! Check out their band Hawthorne Park here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3IiwBKT2ERHIEgkodtJh2z

Obinna Iwuji (he/him) is a British-Nigerian writer and host of the podcast Afripple, which follows the career journeys of Africans. He also hosts a Youtube channel called Africa Explainer, which dispels myths about the diverse continent of Africa. In this episode, Obinna talks about focusing on your goals across different continents, reframing success, and using the media to subvert racial stereotypes.

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

Africa Explainer Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv9oSIKjvzJYpICLBuAaVOw/featured

Where I got my info on UWC: https://www.uwc.org/

Kurt Kahn: https://www.uwc.org/hiddenarea/uwc-key-figures/kurt-hahn

He received two nominations for a Nobel Peace Prize in 1967: https://www.nobelprize.org/nomination/archive/show_people.php?id=14353

Falcon Gott (he/him) is a Native American filmmaker and photographer of the Sapotaweyak Cree Nation. Currently based in Minneapolis, MN, you can frequently find him rollerblading and skateboarding throughout the city, which often inspires his art. Today, we talk about Falcon’s journey to becoming an artist, the importance of creating with intention, and the wild stunts he pulls to get the perfect shot.

Falcon’s website and socials:

https://www.falcongott.com/

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

The lighting shot: https://www.falcongott.com/night?itemId=cwk0gqa39q7kxsd9e51lbkfwnttrdw

ND Human Rights Film Fest: https://filmfreeway.com/NorthDakotaHumanRightsFilmFestival

https://hpr1.com/index.php/feature/culture/falcon-gott-film-photography-and-a-new-leadership-role/

Articles on the mass graves from residential schools found in Canada: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/26/world/canada/indigenous-residential-schools-grave.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/07/world/canada/mass-graves-residential-schools.html

Thanks Drew and Gabe! Check out their band Hawthorn Park: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3IiwBKT2ERHIEgkodtJh2z

This is the third and final episode of my podcast Chinese Adoptees: Not Abandoned or Alone, which was produced in partnership with Prairie Public Radio in 2021.

You can listen to the full series on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chinese-adoptees-not-abandoned-or-alone/id1576259428 

or at prairiepublic.org: https://news.prairiepublic.org/podcast/chinese-adoptees-not-abandoned-or-alone 

This is the second episode in a 3-part series called Chinese Adoptees: Not Abandoned or Alone, which was produced in partnership with Prairie Public Radio in 2021. 

You can listen to the full series on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chinese-adoptees-not-abandoned-or-alone/id1576259428 

or at prairiepublic.org: https://news.prairiepublic.org/podcast/chinese-adoptees-not-abandoned-or-alone

This episode is the first in a 3-part series called Chinese Adoptees: Not Abandoned or Alone, which was produced in partnership with Prairie Public Radio in 2021.

Listen to the full 3-part series on prairiepublic.org: https://news.prairiepublic.org/podcast/chinese-adoptees-not-abandoned-or-alone

or you can listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chinese-adoptees-not-abandoned-or-alone/id1576259428

Sources: 

https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/china/

https://tradingeconomics.com/china/rural-population-percent-of-total-population-wb-data.html

https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/blog/the-one-child-policy-legacy-on-women-and-relationships-in-china/

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35155548

https://www.npr.org/2016/02/01/465124337/how-chinas-one-child-policy-led-to-forced-abortions-30-million-bachelors

https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/events/pdf/expert/24/Policy_Briefs/PB_China.pdf

https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL.MA.IN?end=2019&locations=CN&start=1960&view=chart

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34666440

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/world/too-many-men/ https://www.britannica.com/story/the-effects-of-chinas-one-child-policy

https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/blog/the-one-child-policy-legacy-on-women-and-relationships-in-china/

https://www.theatlantic.com/china/archive/2013/07/kidnapped-and-sold-inside-the-dark-world-of-child-trafficking-in-china/278107/

Follow us on social media @acxpmisfits

Chuefeng Yang (she/her) is a queer, transgender HMoob (Hmong) singer-songwriter living in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. In today’s episode, Chuefeng talks with Annie about her experiences coming out as trans in a family with traditional Asian gender norms, sharing her Hmong identity through her music, and how she strives to see people beyond their labels.

*Please note that “HMoob” is a newer spelling of “Hmong” that is used to be inclusive of people who speak both HMoob dialects spoken in the US.

Sources/Information on HMoob history:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hmong

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/03/01/10-things-hmong

https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2017/01/30/512449534/how-the-u-s-war-in-laos-was-key-to-the-birth-of-a-military-cia

HMoob people in the USA:

https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/fact-sheet/asian-americans-hmong-in-the-u-s/

Links to Chuefeng’s Music:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJhKp9nx2d7zv9kbdbI1quA

https://open.spotify.com/artist/04pXnhIrzbcXMYYtt43e5L

https://music.apple.com/us/artist/chuefeng/1510888352

Also be sure to follow Chuefeng on Instagram @chuefengy: https://www.instagram.com/chuefengy/?hl=en

“Sort Of” on HBO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul3sh7DUK4w&t=7s

Claire Erickson (she/her) is a public health student at the University of North Dakota. For most of her life, Claire has had a strained relationship with her father, who she remembers drank excessively. Her unstable home life led to severe anxiety and an eating disorder known as bulimia. Over the course of many years and lots of therapy, Claire and her dad have started to unpack their own trauma and rebuild their relationship.

Please note that at the time of this interview, Claire was a medical student at UND. She has since switched over to the public health program. We apologize for any confusion in the interview.

Claire and I chose to not include her dad’s name or the agency he worked for in this episode in order to protect his identity, given the high-profile cases he was involved in.

Bulimia: 

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bulimia/symptoms-causes/syc-20353615

Prevalence of binge drinking by state:

https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/data-stats.htm

Special thanks to Gabe Ford-Dunker for providing the music in today's episode. 

Hawthorne Park on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3IiwBKT2ERHIEgkodtJh2z

Hawthorne Park on Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/hawthorne-park/1559186359

Lauren Lola (she/her) is the author of the novels A Moment’s Worth and An Absolute Mind. Her play Not in Kansas was recently featured in Rainy Day Artistic Collective’s Halfway Historical Festival. Lauren, who is of Filipino, German, Irish, and Portuguese descent, says that growing up, her family emphasized her European roots more than her Asian heritage, which she has spent much of her adult life exploring. In today’s episode, Annie and Lauren talk about taking pride in your ethnic heritage, the complexities of Asian identities, and writing science fiction.

Lauren’s website: https://lolabythebay.wordpress.com/

You can also find her on Twitter here:

https://twitter.com/akolaurenlola

And on Instagram here:

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

SOMA Pilipinas: https://www.somapilipinas.org/

Sources for info on Asian countries:

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/countries-in-asia

https://www.un.org/dgacm/en/content/regional-groups

​​https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/world/

JT Kim (they/them) is an IT director and DJ from Philadelphia, PA. JT’s parents are both Vietnamese immigrants with mixed ancestry. JT wasn’t raised to identify strongly with their Cambodian, Black, and Indigenous roots and was sometimes shamed for their body, which JT claims, “doesn’t look 100% Vietnamese.” After the tragedy of an ex-girlfriend passing away, JT turned away from their Christian upbringing. Soon after, they had a spiritual epiphany, leading to the discovery of their alter ego and stage name Unicorn Daddy and finding healing through music.

Unicorn Daddy website: https://unicorndaddymusic.com/

Listen to Unicorn Daddy on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3v71jb1hULvmzHUZWF6cKg

Listen to Unicorn Daddy on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/unicorndaddy

You can also find Unicorn Daddy on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/unicorndaddymusic/?hl=en and on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/UnicornDaddyMusic

**Please note that at the time I recorded and edited this interview, JT Kim was using “he/his” and “they/them” pronouns, both of which are used throughout the episode. JT now exclusively uses “they/them” pronouns. With their permission, I left the episode as is but included a statement about this change.