Modern Minorities

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aMMd now a word from our sponsor... Aug 12, 2022

Show notes

so...you may have heard things getting ...a little different with our podcast. we've either made it and/or sold out. but we wanted to let you a little bit more about the WHY you're hearing ads on this podcast. and it's probably not the reason you think. this changes nothing about about our podcast - but as always - we want YOU to let us know what you think - - himom@modmypod.com, and we'll talk to you on the next one

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Lou Diamond Phillips’ (in) Easter Sunday Aug 08, 2022

Show notes

“My saving grace was the theater department. I was in a place where there was a massive amount of acceptance because we were all sort of fringe people. All of a sudden, you're not the only outsider.”

The legendary Louis Diamond Phillips is an actor and film director. Known to audiences globally as the breakout star in La Bamba and Young Guns, and his deceptively effortless work in the brilliant Stand and Deliver, Phillips is a face that we all recognize (ironically), moreso for his work playing non-Asian roles…until now.

Lou Diamond Phillips appears in a cameo role as himself in the new film EASTER SUNDAY about a man returning home for an Easter celebration with his riotous, bickering, eating, drinking, laughing, loving family in this love letter to his Filipino- American community. Stand-up comedy sensation JO KOY leads an all-star comedic cast: JIMMY O. YANG (Silicon Valley series), TIA CARRERE (True Lies, Wayne’s World films), BRANDON WARDELL (Curb Your Enthusiasm series), Tony nominee and Grammy Award winner EVA NOBLEZADA (Broadway’s Hadestown), LYDIA GASTON (Broadway’s The King and I), ASIF ALI (WandaVision), RODNEY TO (Parks and Recreation series), EUGENE CORDERO (The Good Place), JAY CHANDRASEKHAR (Super Troopers series) and of course Lou himself.

Lou chats with us about experiencing racism for the first time as an actor, juxtaposed with the excitement he has now for playing a Filipino on screen for the first time. We were so excited for the opportunity to speak with Lou and we know you’re going to love hearing about the moments that brought him to where he is today!

LEARN MORE ABOUT:

Lou Diamond Philips: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Diamond_Phillips
Easter Sunday (Trailer): https://youtu.be/YIixb42aJPg
Follow on social: @eastersunday @loudphillips

MENTIONS

FILM: EASTER SUNDAY https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Sunday_(film)
FILM: LA BAMBA https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093378/
MUSICAL: KING & I https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_King_and_I

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Nichelle Nichols (1932-2022) Aug 02, 2022

Show notes

may she live long and prosper, and rest in power.

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Sharon Yang’s (Building) Back Better Aug 01, 2022

Show notes

“Maybe it's the perspective of being the daughter of immigrants who chose to come to this country, but there still fundamentally remains something really special about America and what this country offers, that's worth remembering and worth fighting for.”

What’s better than just one Sharon? That’s right, TWO Sharons together on the pod. Our co-host Sharon had the honor of speaking with Sharon Yang, the Communications Director at Building Back Together, a nonprofit advocacy group supporting President Biden’s policy agenda.

Sharon Yang grew up just outside of Houston, Texas, and is the daughter of Chinese immigrants. She comes from Democratic political campaigns, including the Jon Ossoff Senate campaign and Kamala Harris presidential campaign.

She is passionate about winning elections & removing barriers to opportunity, finding joy in the everyday, and cooking and eating good food. She chats with us about hiding her homemade lunches because they were too “foreign” at school and speaks to us about how the ideals that our country was built upon are still very much worth fighting for.

Hearing Sharon’s passion for democracy and equality - especially in today’s climate when sometimes the left and the right seem worlds apart - will infuse you with optimism about the future and will make you believe that we can continue to achieve great things together.

LEARN ABOUT SHARON YANG & BUILDING BACK TOGETHER

sharonyang.com
twitter.com/sharonjqyang
Building Back Together: buildingbacktogether.org

MENTIONS

BOOK: WEIKE WANG: “Joan is okay”
PERSON: Juliet Lippman & Amanda Dobbins (Jam Session Podcast Co-hosts)

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MMovies: (Feeling) The Joy Luck Club Jul 25, 2022

Show notes

“This film makes me question so many of my own beliefs — what it means to be a Chinese American woman. What might seem stereotypical, but may be very culturally true.”

MMovies returns to talk about important films that explain the minority experience for the rest of our majority ears. THE JOY LUCK CLUB - however you may feel about it - is THE original Asian American movie. This 1993 film adapts the 1989 novel of the same name by Amy Tan. An Asian American drama about the relationships between Chinese American women and their Chinese immigrant mothers - the film features 50 women of the 60 credited roles. Directed by Wayne Wang and produced by Oliver Stone - the film stars Tsai Chin, Kieu Chinh, Lisa Lu, France Nuyen, Rosalind Chao, Lauren Tom, Tamlyn Tomita, and Ming-Na Wen - and centers on four older women, all Chinese immigrants living in San Francisco, who meet regularly to play mahjong, eat, and tell stories. Hidden pasts are revealed, and the clash of Chinese and American cultures is on full display as each strives to understand their own heritage and identity. The Joy Luck Club is an important cultural touchstone that people have VERY strong perspectives about - positive and negative - so along with longtime FrieMMd of the Pod (and one of our favorite Canadians) Melissa Haughton - we interrogate our feelings on the film, as well as reflect on our own observations and upbringings, and you may be surprised where we net out about this classic...

LEARN MORE & MENTIONS

FILM: The Joy Luck Club - imdb.com/title/tt0107282/
BOOK: The Joy Luck Club (Amy Tan)
ARTICLE (Slate): “It’s Time to Forgive The Joy Luck Club” — https://slate.com/culture/2018/08/the-joy-luck-club-needs-to-be-forgiven-by-asian-americans.html
GUEST: Melissa Haughton - Melissahaughton.com

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Jonathan Tran’s (dismantling) theology Jul 20, 2022

Show notes

“You can't tell the story of American racism without also telling the story of American religion.”

Dr. Jonathan Tran is a Christian Theologian and author in the heart of Texas (Waco) - currently serving as a professor of philosophical theology at Baylor University. Jonathan's originally from Southern California - by way of Vietnam - who never would have imagined a Christian vocation. Jonathan completed his graduate studies in theology and ethics at Duke University and has published really interesting works like “Asian Americans and the Spirit of Racial Capitalism” (2021), and “The Vietnam War and Theologies of Memory” (2010). Jonathan’s research focuses on human life in language, and what that life reveals about God and God’s world. Lately, that research has taken Jonathan in the direction of thinking through race and racism - attempting to present racism as a theological problem, a political-economic distortion of the divine economy, and a problem given to the usual redress, the church laying claim to God’s original revolution. Jonathan was actually recommended to us by a listener, and you’ll appreciate hearing this intense conversation - especially as we all go through our own human experiences wondering about the big picture - and how each of our religious and societal experiences informs it.

LEARN ABOUT JONATHAN

jonathantran.blog
twitter.com/catjonathantran
baylor.edu/religion/index.php?id=933204

MENTIONS

BOOK: Torture and Eucharist: Theology, Politics, and the Body of Christ: goodreads.com/en/book/show/250893
NYT ARTICLE: What About Structural Racism - nytimes.com/2021/11/09/opinion/structural-racism.html
SON’S VIDEO: https://youtu.be/4m5_tUhBIzA
FILM: Magnolia (1999) -.imdb.com/title/tt0175880
PERSON: Cornel West - wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornel_West
PERSON: Jesus - wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus

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Kamala Khan (is) MS.MARVEL Jul 20, 2022

Show notes

“It’s not really the Brown girls from Jersey City who save the world” -Kamala Khan

Kamala Khan's superpower is...time management? Kamala ain’t just a household name because of the Vice President - she’s also the star of MS. MARVEL - her own Marvel TV series NOW on Disney+ (starring Iman Vellani - but also past guest Azhar Usman). We’ve long said that this Pakistani American superhero from Jersey City, NJ is arguably one of the most important new characters in pop culture of the new Millenium (alongside Miles Morales, of course)

So we figured we’d replay a 2021 episode from Raman’s other podcast Quarantined Comics (bc we were into Ms.Marvel WAY before it was cool). Featuring FrieMMd-of-the-pod Ryan Joe and OUR favorite Pakistani American superhero - Lena Shareef, who you may remember from our inaugural Ramadan series way back when in 2021 (Lena also co-hosts the most awesome podcast “Grounded Geeks” with her brother Aman) - we kinda geek out about how much we LOVE this character and this comic.

Kamala Khan - aka MS.MARVEL - was created in 2014 by award-winning novelist and Muslim American G. Willow Wilson. Kamala's just trying to get her homework done, nerd out with fan-fic / MMORPGs, figure out her relationship with her religious brother, come to terms with her best friends, and meet the expectations of her immigrant parents. Enjoy our super-nerdy, super grounded conversation about Kamala Khan, with spoilers for the comic - not the TV show. You can start streaming/binging the show after - and thanking us later.

LEARN ABOUT

COMIC (to read): Ms.Marvel: https://amzn.to/2W4BmFn
TRAILER: youtu.be/m9EX0f6V11Y
TV SHOW: imdb.com/title/tt10857164/
Grounded Geeks (Lena's podcast): anchor.fm/grounded-geeks
Quarantined Comics (Raman + Ryan's podcast): qtdcomics.com

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Mike Curato’s (compassionate) truth Jul 04, 2022

Show notes

Mike Curato is an award-winning author and illustrator of a more than a few incredible kid's books, as well as the more recent graphic novel FLAMER, which is a MUST-read no matter your age, gender, or sexual orientation. Author Jarrett J. Krosoczka put it best: “This book will save lives.”

Mike’s children’s books include the "Little Elliot" series - about an adorable polka-dotted elephant, of whom Raman’s daughter is a BIG fan. Mike’s also created beautiful kid’s stories like "Where is Bina Bear?" He’s illustrated other moving and important stories like "Worm Loves Worm", "What If", and "The Power of One." And in October he’ll be releasing the book “What Are you” alongside Christian Trimmer. Beyond Mike’s work being always elegant and beautifully illustrated, there’s a much deeper sentiment just beneath the surface that will appeal to parents and kids alike.

FLAMER - Mike’s 2020 graphic novel debut - is a semi-autobiographical graphic novel set in 1995 at a Boy Scouts summer camp, and tells the story of a young teen Aiden who is bullied for being who he is. But the story goes much deeper, and hits a lot of notes and nerves that are both important and all-too-familiar (the liberal mentions of the X-Men, Lord of the Rings, and Nirvana don’t hurt either). Flamer isn’t just a must-read book for those of us who can relate, but it’s one that we should read for greater empathy for the people around us.

LEARN ABOUT MIKE

Mikecurato.com
FLAMER (comic): goodreads.com/book/show/52751434-flamer
LITTLE ELLIOT (kids books): macmillan.com/series/littleelliot
instagram.com/mike_curato // twitter.com/MikeCurato

MENTIONS

QUOTE: “The best revenge is a life well lived.” -Chloe Neill
COMIC: Jean Grey (X-Men) - wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Grey
SONG: Weezer - “Say it Ain’t So” - youtu.be/ENXvZ9YRjbo
TV: The Assassination of Gianni Versace - American Crime Story - imdb.com/title/tt8010592/
BOOK: Part Asian, 100% Hapa - goodreads.com/en/book/show/233959.Part_Asian_100_Hapa
PERSON: Fiona Apple - wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiona_Apple

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Ariane & Mercedes (are) Caribbean Queens Jun 27, 2022

Show notes

“As a culture, there’s a lot of pride, a lot of authenticity — It brought awareness to my level of fluidity in love.”

Beyond celebrating LGBTQIA+ stories this month for PRIDE, did you know that June is ALSO Caribbean-American Heritage Month? What does it mean to identify as Caribbean-American or LGBTQIA+? What impact do these monthly celebrations have on cultural representation? Since we didn’t have the answers, we asked FrieMMds of the Pod Arianne Hunter and Mercedes Dean to talk about their Carribbean and Queer intersections. In a conversation about heritage, authenticity, and pride - hear how family impacts perspectives, falling in love reveals things you never knew existed, and the fluidity of personal identity.

LEARN ABOUT ARIANE: Ariane is a Queer, Black Caribbean American woman living in Brooklyn with her partner. She is a corporate worker turned entrepreneur as a career coach, strategist, and advisor for Black women taking the leap at work and beyond.

LEARN ABOUT MERCEDES: Mercedes’ passion is to uncover strategic insight, inspire creative angles, innovate across all social platforms, and create content to ignite social conversations. With over 11+ years of experience as a full-stack digital marketer, storyteller, and leader in brand and influencer marketing, she continuously challenges herself to push creative strategies to the next level.

instagram.com/mercedeslenay // instagram.com/mattecreative

MENTIONS

TV: Legendary - imdb.com/title/tt11048090/
TV: Pose -imdb.com/title/tt7562112
PERSON: Kerry Washington - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerry_Washington
PERSON: Rihanna - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rihanna

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philaMMthropy: Ukrainian Artists Jun 23, 2022

Show notes

From time to time we feature creators / causes that we admire and hope you’ll enjoy — opportunities to learn AND give back. FrieMMd of the Pod Olesya Govorun (from our recent Ukraine episode) recently reached out to share an important cause to the cultural heritage of the Ukrainian people — artists’ fellowships to the the National Museum of Ukrainian Pottery in Opishnya, Ukraine. Ceramics are a core part of the cultural identity of Ukraine - and art doesn’t just reflect the time we are in - but it outlasts us all and make an impact for generations to come. Each year, Olesya, her friends and family fund scholarships for artist-in-residence programs in Opishnya, a town near and dear to Olesya’s heart.

it goes without saying that we continue to be saddened, frustrated, and mixed up over the ongoing war in Ukraine. And while it seems like the world is taking some action, It feels like there’s not much more we can do as individuals. Donating to local, on the ground causes that go beyond relief efforts - and funding cultural heritage is something we hope you’ll consider...

DONATE

https://gofund.me/e5fd8a14

LEARN MORE

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