What a year it’s been, AGAIN! 2021 has been another year full of ups and downs, turmoil and triumphs and overall craziness. BUT, we’ve learned a lot about the world, each other and, hopefully, ourselves. So as we get ready to head into 2022, May wanted to share something uplifting that she experienced with a group of dynamic young women who give us all hope about the future. They are part of “Girl Power Talk”,  a purpose-driven organization empowering today’s most capable youth with the confidence, knowledge, and opportunity to become tomorrow’s global leaders. They interviewed May recently for their series, “People We Admire”, but May decided to turn their Zoom interview into the final 2021 episode of “The May Lee Show”. Why? Because the conversation is  insightful, inspiring and empowering. A tagline that may adopted recently is “Make an Impact” and these young women of “Girl Power Talk” are doing just that. Happy New Year everyone! 

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The world of live theatre is largely still a white dominated industry with Asians being a very small minority. Just look at the numbers...66% of theatrical actors and 81% of directors are white, while Asian American directors stand at just 4.5%. When it comes to playwrights, nearly 72% are white versus 5% AAPI. No one has a better perspective on the ups and downs of AAPI playwrights than the masterful David Henry Hwang, one of the most prolific writers, librettists and producers in theatre. His award-winning productions include M. Butterly, Yellow Face, Aida and Soft Power, just to name a few. Hwang has constantly examined social, cultural and political issues through his work and has often questioned identity, racism and belonging. In a new documentary, "The First 20: 20 Years of Asian American Playwriting" on All Arts. Hwang is one of several AAPI playwrights who reflect on their journey and how Asian stories have and continue to evolve on stage. May's conversation with David Henry Hwang delves into his long journey, which includes his own Asian hate attack in 2015 when he almost died and his outlook on how storytelling can make a positive difference. 
To watch the documentary use this link. 
http://allarts.org/thefirsttwenty

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There's something about baking that warms the heart. From the wonderful aroma of cookies in the oven to the fluffiness of a chiffon cake, baked goods are always a crowd pleaser. But let's be honest, when we think about baking, we often equate it to western flavors and styles. Brownies, cupcakes, croissants etc. It's not too often you hear bakers using pandan or miso or gochujang. Enter Kat Lieu, founder of Subtle Asian Baking, a community she created to celebrate baking with an Asian twist. After a fruitless search for one source that aggregated Asian baking recipes, Kat decided to start her own. So as the holiday season kicks off, May decided to speak with Kat about how it all began and how this community of bakers has helped empower the AAPI community and beyond and fight Anti-Asian Hate one cake at a time! And of course, Kat brings on some of her special baked goods on the show so get ready for some holiday treats! 

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Who doesn’t love coffee? It’s a beloved beverage worldwide, but if you ask coffee lovers who are the biggest producers of coffee beans, most would likely answer “Brazil” or “Columbia”. You’d be hard pressed to get anyone to answer “Vietnam” and yet, the southeast Asian country is the second biggest producer of coffee in the world, but because of false narratives and stereotypes, Vietnamese coffee has been dismissed as inferior. Sahra Nguyen, a Vietnamese American entrepreneur, set out to change that ill-conceived story by starting Nguyen Coffee Supply, from the ground up. She disrupted the conventional coffee industry monopolized by Arabica beans by introducing the world to the beauty of Robusta beans and, at the same time, began the fight against the invisibilization of Asian culture, food and people. The treatment of Vietnamese coffee is a metaphor for how Asians have been treated for centuries. 

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As a college student, Lela Lee was an angry young woman, but she wasn't sure why. So one night, she took that anger and created a cartoon, "Angry Little Asian Girl". But, she didn't share it. In fact, she put her away FOR YEARS! A local film festival and a twist of fate, however, helped revive Lela's private, therapeutic project and the foul-mouthed "Angry Little Asian Girl" became a kind of hero to women and girls everywhere who were...you guessed it...ANGRY! Lela bootstrapped the raw, honest and hilarious cartoon series doing everything from selling t-shirts to creating a Kickstarter campaign. But how things have changed! Lela and the "Angry Little Asian Girl" along with her friends are ready to take it to the next level! May talked with Lela about the big news and shares her unusual story of success all thanks to a simple drawing that symbolizes the powerful intersection of being female and Asian. 

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Question: Why is it that when the subjects of voting rights or voter suppression or election results are talked about by the media and politicians, AAPIs are almost always left out of the conversation even though AAPIs are the fastest growing ethnic group AND voting bloc in the country? To this day, Asian Americans are too often an after-thought or even invisibilized in the political arena, but the AAPI Victory Alliance is trying to change that by elevating voices, building partnerships and supporting AAPI political leaders of the future. Not an easy task, but it has to be done especially at a time when Asians have come under constant attack. May sat down with the executive director of AAPI Victory Alliance, Varun Nikore to find out how we can harness our growing power in politics and break down those doors that have kept us out for far too long.

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School's in session and May launched her brand new course at USC Annenberg, "AAPI History and Journalism". The class is the first to ever focus Asian American issues at the Annenberg school so this is groundbreaking. But May was FULL of anxiety for several reasons, including pressure to succeed because, as the BIPOC community knows, often we only get one shot to get it right by the "establishment". In this episode, May talks about her initial fear and stress, but also shares part of the classroom experience when her students read their personal essays about being APIDA, Asian Pacific Islander Desi American, and what the new class means to them. What they wrote will move and inspire you.

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When it comes to “inclusion”, what comes to mind for many of us is race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation. But what about people with disabilities? According to the World Bank, 15% of the world’s population experience some form of disability and yet, there are still huge barriers that stand in the way of the disabled to live full and vibrant lives. Marisa Hamamoto, a trained dancer who was temporarily paralyzed, is trying to change the perception of people with disabilities through dance. In 2015, she started “Infinite Flow”, a nonprofit and professional dance company composed of dancers with and without disabilities using dance to promote inclusion and celebrate intersectionality. Marisa was named 1 of 13 People Magazine “Women Changing the World 2021” and listed on InStyle Magazine “Badass 50 2021”. She shares with May her own story of struggle and how her calling to help elevate the disabled has given her true purpose. 

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From Chinese Chicken Feet to Filipino Balut (fertilized egg) to Indian Eri Polu (silk worm) Asian cuisine is as diverse as it is intriguing. Foods from Asia are steeped in tradition and for each culture, dishes represent identity, pride and comfort. But throughout time, Asian food has been stereotyped as “horrific”, “gross” and “disgusting” whereas cuisines of the west are, often times, revered and praised. It’s an example of “cultural chauvinism”. Recently, James Corden, host of “The Late Late Show” was called out for the “Spill Your Guts or Fill Your Guts” segment, which would, at times, spotlight Asian dishes deemed as disgusting. Artist/activist Kim Saira decided to speak out against the segment and was met with both support and pushback, even death threats. She speaks to May about the experience. Also on the show, two Vietnamese American sisters are trying break Asian food stereotypes with their bold and rambunctious business “Omsom”. Kim and Vanessa Pham are making some serious noise not only with their delicious offerings, but they’re also on a mission to debunk the age-old MSG myth. Guarantee that by the end of this episode, you’ll be hungry and you’re in luck. Omsom is offering all listeners and viewers of “The May Lee Show a coupon for 10% off for a limited time. Go to Omsom.com and use MAYLEESHOW10. 

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At the stroke of midnight June 15, California lifted most of its COVID restrictions including no more mask mandates for most places including restaurants, gyms, stores, concerts and work places, but there is a catch. Only those who have been fully VACCINATED are permitted to go mask-less. Unvaccinated people are expected to go by the honor system, which leaves skeptics like May more than concerned, especially with the rapid spread of the Delta variant. This is the variant that has devastated India and is spreading around the world at an accelerated pace. The Delta is more severe than the original COVID-19 strain and much more contagious. The WHO expects it to become the dominant variant worldwide. For these reasons, May felt compelled to put out an unexpected episode to talk about the latest news on where we stand with COVID-19, re-opening and the Delta variant. 

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