Modern Minorities

Latest Episodes:

Justin Richmond (Started) from the Bottom Jul 10, 2023

Show notes

“When you really discover what it is to be Black — that’s that moment where it's like, ‘oh, this is what we're up against’ — but you gotta be proud of who you are.”

Justin Richmond is a podcast producer and co-host for more than a few Pushkin podcasts - including “Started from the Bottom” and “Broken Record” with writer Malcolm Gladwell and Def Jam co-founder Rick Rubin. Justin was a producer for NPR’s flagship program Morning Edition and its accompanying podcast, Up First, before becoming an arts reporter for NPR. He began his career as an intern for The Tavis Smiley Show and Smiley & West. Sharon and FrieMMd of the Pod (and occasional guest co-host Melissa Haughton had a candid chat with Justin about his unorthodox life story - raised by a single mother and never graduating from highschool - which led him to an amazing academic and professional journey. With his work, Justin provides a a platform and a voice for underrepresented voices - giving way gives way for the underdog story

LEARN ABOUT JUSTIN

MENTIONS

BOOK / CHARACTER: Native Son (Richard Wright) / Bigger Thomas: goodreads.com/book/show/15622.Native_Son
PERSON: Tom Hanks (and family): imdb.com/name/nm0000158

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Rajiv & Brian Tome's (curious) Crossroads Jul 03, 2023

Show notes

“There need to be silences - you need to give people room to run. Let people talk more. I already know what I know now. I wanna know what you know.”

Recently longtime FrieMMd of the Pod Rajiv Satyal sat down with Crossroads pastor and podcast host Bryan Tomes on his show “The Aggressive Life.” What started as an exploration of Rajiv’s comedy career and approach turned into an open and honest conversation among two very different perspectives on politics, faith, and culture. With the Fourth of July right around the corner for Americans, we celebrate our independence and freedom, but also take an honest reflection on who we are - and want to be - as a nation, and as a people. With today’s level of division and discord , the importance of talking - and listening to others who might not look and think like us. There is a better way from simply passively standing by and retreating to our echo chambers. It's about seeking to understand, having minority conversations for all of our majority ears. We hope you’ll enjoy this candid conversation about comedy - and curiosity.

LEARN MORE

Rajiv Satyal: rajivsatyal.com
Brian Tome: briantome.com
Podcast: crossroads.net/media/podcasts/the-aggressive-life-with-brian-tome

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Johnathan Gibbs’ (QPOC) perspective Jun 26, 2023

Show notes

“We are united as Black and Asian people to recognize the BS of people trying to leverage the successes from our communities as some way to cover up the real stuff — being locked out of certain things.”

Johnathan is a content creator, podcaster, activist, serial panelist, and bubble tea enthusiast. His activism began in 2008 with his “blasainFMA” YouTube channel - where he worked to bring awareness to multiracial issues surrounding the intersection of Black and Asian identity. Johnathan first podcast “Edugaytion” covered Queer Person of Color (QPOC) issues, and has recently launched “This QPOC Life” to be more inclusive to all marginalized communities. To close out Pride Month, we're featuring a conversation from our guest co-host + longtime FrieMMd of the Pod Steven Wakabayashi from the Yellow Glitter podcast - who covers mindfulness through the eyes and soul of Queer Asian perspectives.

LEARN ABOUT STEVEN / YELLOW GLITTER

stevenwakabayashi.com
POD: Yellow Glitter: https://apple.co/3ba9yUx
instagram.com/stevenwakabayashi
mindfulmoments.substack.com

LEARN ABOUT JOHNATHAN

instagram.com/jonahsahn twitter.com/jonahsahn Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/user/BLASIANFMA

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Lilly Singh (& Rajiv) bring it to the table Jun 19, 2023

Show notes

“Everyone has a chip on their shoulder and it's beautiful and it is specific to them. There was no one else that looked like me - and well, there should be - and so I'm gonna make it.”

Lilly Singh is arguably among the most accomplished comedians and online presences around. Lilly’s a Canadian YouTuber television host, comedian, writer, and actress - who also happens to be bisexual. Lilly began making her YouTube videos way back when in 2010, originally as IISuperwomanII, which was her YouTube username till 2019. Lilly's regarded as one of the 40 most powerful people in comedy and is one of the highest paid YouTubers, and she's received all of the awards. In 2016, Lily released her first film, a documentary chronicling her world tour, hilariously titled “A Trip to Unicorn Island.” In March, 2017, she released her first book, the NY Times Bestseller “How to Be A Boss, A Guide to Conquering Life.” And from 2019 to 2021, Lilly acted as executive producer and host of the NBC late night talk show “A Little Late with Lilly Singh” - becoming the first person of Indian descent to host an American major broadcast network late night talk show. So basically, Lilly Singh is a big deal, and she WASN’T on our show. Lilly joined longtime FrieMMd of the Pod Rajiv Satyal on HIS talk show “What Do You Bring To the Table” - where Rajiv brings top voices from the South Asian community to his LA home studio for a chat...and a game of ping pong.

LEARN MORE

Lilly Singh - wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilly_Singh
Rajiv’s Talk Show: watchRajiv.com

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Steven Wakabayashi’s (community) co-hosting Jun 12, 2023

Show notes

“If we, as a part of a community, want to move forward — this requires a large conversation.”

As Sharon & Raman embark further into our sixth season, we continue exploring bringing more friends to the microphone as guest hosts. One of those partners on our shortlist has always been longtime FrieMMd of the Pod, podcaster and mindfulness advocate Steven Wakabayashi. Steven joins us for a candid conversation about doing the work - on and off the mic - and trying to stay in the moment without always commenting on the moment. In the weeks to come we’ll start featuring some of Steven’s conversation from his own podcast, Yellow Glitter, and from time to time Steven - among other FrieMMds - may join Sharon & Raman for conversations with many new friends. We know you’ll love hearing Steven’s voice added to the mix (tapestry? forged metal?) as much as we do.

LEARN ABOUT STEVEN

stevenwakabayashi.com
instagram.com/stevenwakabayashi
WRITING: mindfulmoments.substack.com
POD: Yellow Glitter: https://apple.co/3ba9yUx

MENTIONS

PERSON: Dawn Mauricio - dawnmauricio.com
PERSON: Kat Vellos - katvellos.com
STORE sloomooinstitute.com
SHOW: Beef - imdb.com/title/tt14403178
FOOD: Turnip Cake - wikipedia.org/wiki/Turnip_cake

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Mita Mallick’s (Re)imagining Inclusion Jun 05, 2023

Show notes

“Inclusion starts at our kitchen tables. If you aren't building cross-cultural relationships - actively learning about a lived experience that is not your own - how do you expect to show up at work differently as an inclusive leader?”

Mita Mallick is a returning FrieMMd of the pod, who came back to talk about her upcoming book — Reimagine Inclusion: Debunking 13 Myths To Transform Your Workplace (Pre-order now =)

Mita’s a corporate change-maker with a track record of transforming businesses. She’s an outspoken sharer of innovative - and thought provoking ideas in the area of inclusion and equity. Mita’s currently Carta’s head of inclusion, equity and impact, AND co-host of Brown Table Talk, a top LinkedIn podcast where she helps break down the challenges women of color face in the workplace. Mita’s extensive career - as a fierce advocate of including and representing Black and Brown communities - has crossed orgs like Carta, Unilever, Pfizer, AVON, Johnson & Johnson and more - as she’s a sought after speaker and coach to start-up founders, executives, and public CEOs. Mita’s a LinkedIn Top Voice, a contributor for Harvard Business Review, Adweek, Entrepreneur and Fast Company, and has been featured in the The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time Magazine, Forbes, Axios, Essence, Cosmopolitan Magazine, and Business Insider. Jump in for a conversation as we break down many of the myths from her book - and confront our own biases and myths.

LEARN ABOUT MITA

BOOK: Reimagine Inclusion: Debunking 13 Myths To Transform Your Workplace - amazon.com/Reimagine-Inclusion-Debunking-Transform-Workplace/dp/1394177097
POD: browntabletalkpodcast.com

MENTIONS

SONG: Taylor Swift, Anti-hero - youtu.be/b1kbLwvqugk
PERSON: Gretchen Carlson - wikipedia.org/wiki/Gretchen_Carlson
PERSON: Shonda Rhymes - wikipedia.org/wiki/Shonda_Rhimes
SHOW: Queen Charlotte - imdb.com/title/tt14661396/
COURSE: Shonda Rhymes - masterclass.com/classes/shonda-rhimes-teaches-writing-for-television

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First of All: Anna Akana May 29, 2023

Show notes

This month to celebrate AAPI heritage we’re sharing an episode from First of All, a sister podcast from the Potluck Podcast Collective (who MM’s been a part of for years) featuring unique Asian American voices and stories.

First of All is a show where actor and filmmaker Minji Chang brings real, unfiltered conversations on career, family, love, & modern culture - along with friends from across the entertainment industry to kick back in her virtual living room to talk about important topics. This episode feature’s Minji’s chat with Anna Akana on self-care after trauma. Please note that this episode does contain discussion of mental health and suicide. If you've been having thoughts about suicide, Please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988.

LEARN MORE

PODCAST: firstofallpod.com // podcastpotluck.com/firstofall
Minji Chang: minjichang.com // instagram.com/minjeezy
Anna Akana: imdb.com/name/nm4331196 // youtube.com/user/annaakana

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They Call Us (Bruce) K-Pop Dreaming May 25, 2023

Show notes

This month to celebrate AAPI heritage we’re sharing an episode from They Call Us Bruce, a sister podcast from the Potluck Podcast Collective (who MM’s been a part of for years) featuring unique Asian American voices and stories.

They Call Us Bruce is hosted by two Asian American community mainstays Phil Yu, aka the Angry Asian man, and Jeff Yang, a prolific writer and celebrity dad who, along with a guest or two, come together weekly to discuss the good, the bad, and the WTF on the latest topics in Asian American culture and media. We've actually had the privilege of having Phil on this podcast, and Jeff's been a friend and supporter of Modern Minorities. Jeff & Phil also recently published “RISE: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now” - available wherever your favorite books are sold. On THIS episode of They Call Us Bruce, Phil and Jeff are joined by Vivian Yoon, host and writer of the LA-ist podcast, K-POP DREAMING - to chat all about the rights of K-pop and pop culture, and to be nostalgic about the classics.

LEARN MORE

They Call Us Bruce (Podcast): podcastpotluck.com/they-call-us-bruce
K-Pop Dreaming (Podcast): kpopdreaming.com
Phil Yu - angryasianman.com
Phil’s last MM episode - modmypod.com/episodes/ep-110-phil-yu-isnt-always-the-angry-asian-man
Jeff Yang - muckrack.com/originalspin // instagram.com/originalspin
BOOK: RISE: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now - goodreads.com/en/book/show/55959483

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Jonathan Hill’s (tales of) belonging May 22, 2023

Show notes

“I remember someone asked ‘why do you only draw white people?’ It really put a mirror to me and I was like, ‘why is that?’ I think it's the culture I grew up around — I didn't have that opportunity to see myself.”

Jonathan Hill is an award-winning cartoonist, illustrator, and educator living in Portland, OR. Jonathan is the creator of numerous graphic novels - including Americus, Odessa, and his latest - Tales of a Seventh-Grade Lizard Boy. And your guess of which of this is about sci-fi dystopia is probably wrong - but all of his works hit on some pretty relevant themes of family and belonging. Jonathan’s work does that thing that great fiction does - wrapping an important theme in a seemingly fantastic narrative. While there is a Vietnamese American family as part of the story, let’s just say the main characters are also not from around here. In our chat we really got to understand the why behind so many of Jonathan’s story telling choices. We’d definitely recommend Tales of a Seventh-Grade Lizard Boy for any of us who have ever just wanted to belong - or for folks who need a better understanding of what it’s like to not belong.

Beyond being a graphic novelist, Jonathan’s an accomplished cartoonist with clients like Microsoft, the Portland Trailblazers, the Vietnam Literature Project, the Inlander, Fantagraphics Books, Dark Horse Comics, Tor.com, The Believer Magazine, Literary Arts, and Powell's City of Books. AND he’s been the staff illustrator to The Asian Reporter since 2007. Jonathan also teaches comics and visual narrative — having taught at Pacific Northwest College of Art, Oregon College of Art was Writer in Residence through Literary Arts' Writers in the Schools program — and he currently serves on the Board of Directors of Literary Arts and chairs the Youth Programs Advisory Council. It goes without saying, Jonathan’s one of those empathetic creators whose work you’ll want to keep an eye on.

LEARN ABOUT JONATHAN HILL

oneofthejohns.com
BOOK: Tales of a Seventh-Grade Lizard Boy - goodreads.com/en/book/show/48622007
BOOK: Odessa - goodreads.com/en/book/show/50891498
instagram.com/oneofthejohns

MENTIONS

ARTICLE (Time) - I Love America. That’s Why I Have to Tell the Truth About It - time.com/5455490/american-like-me
BOOK: The Sympathizer (Viet Thanh Nguyen): goodreads.com/en/book/show/23168277
BOOK: Fuzz & Pluck - goodreads.com/en/book/show/648527

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Reading (into) American Born Chinese May 18, 2023

Show notes

“This is an intensely personal book. As much as there is a sort of universality, it's Yang’s own personal journey growing up.”

American Born Chinese is Gene Luen Yang's seminal comics work first released in 2006 — and comes out as a live-action Disney+ streaming series on May 24, 2023 - by the filmmakers from “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and “Shang Chi” - Michelle Yeoh and many others. The original graphic novel won all the awards, and launched Yang onto a full blown comics career. For AAPI Heritage month, we’re sharing this Quarantined Comics companion episode on amazing graphic novels - following the earlier Modern Minorities author conversation.

The story of American Born Chinese consists of three seemingly disparate tales: (1) the legend of the Monkey King from the classic 16th century Chinese novel Journey to the West, (2) an all-too-familiar Asian American coming of age story of a American Born Chinese teenager Jin Wang, and (3) a TV sitcom starring an all-American cast of cringe-worthy stereotypes. Eventually these three tales become come together into a poignant lesson of culture and self acceptance. Raman and Ryan talks not just about the work - and their anxiety about the new TV show (which they have not yet seen) - but also their OWN American-Born Asian experiences - and a reflection on the impact of Gene Luen Yang's many works that we've covered on Quarantined Comics

LEARN ABOUT AMERICAN BORN CHINESE / GENE LUEN YANG

American Born Chinese: goodreads.com/book/show/118944.American_Born_Chinese
geneyang.com
twitter.com/geneluenyang

MENTIONS

Superman Smashes the Klan TRAILER: youtu.be/LQ5ID_k_iBA
Dragon Hoops: goodreads.com/book/show/44280830-dragon-hoops
Boxers & Saints: goodreads.com/series/108966-boxers-saints

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