Modern Minorities

Latest Episodes:

MMusic: Scroll Through (Soof) Feb 03, 2022

Show notes

"follow your dream don’t follow the screen and watch for the people who usin' ya and scroll through”

Longtime FrieMMd of the Pod Seif Hamid (AKA Soof) is back at it again, dropping new tracks. Seif popped by MM from his LA studio for a quick chat about his latest “Scroll Through” — an edgier song about the frustrations he / we all feel with the unhealthy addiction to and invasiveness of the devices in our lives — and the toxicity and falsity of most of what we consume on social media. This is the first of many songs releasing ahead of his next full hip hop album later this year - a message and practical guide for his (and all our) kids. Listen to the track after our exclusive chat, and support Seif by grabbing the track on BandCamp, or listening/sharing wherever you get your music. And let us know what you think, or if you’ve got an artist we should feature!

LEARN ABOUT SEIF / SOOF

Soof.studio
soofworld.bandcamp.com
spoti.fi/3cDb6rs
instagram.com/seifaldin

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Chinese (Lunar) New Years’ meaning & memories Jan 31, 2022

Show notes

“We tried to do what people would do back in the old country, but I felt like I was living a secret life.”

"It was interesting seeing Chinese New Year from different lenses.”

Gong Xi Fa Cai! ...a common Chinese wish of prosperity for the Lunar New Year - celebrated by more than a BILLION people around the world. So wanting to learn more - we once again brought back some past FrieMMds of the Pod to talk about the big day: Hollywood actor and producer Brian Yang (Linsanity, Snakehead, Hawaii 5-0), and fellow podcaster Lucia Liu (Rock the Boat, Bund to Brooklyn). As both Brian & Lucia grew up across Chinese and American cultures - we chatted about the many similarities - and differences - celebrating the Lunar New Year with family and friends. From proper greetings to red envelopes, from fun card games to learning how you should really eat the fish - you’ll enjoy this fun conversation among friends old and new. You’ll also find out who gives the best Lai See / Hóngbāo ((紅包) — the red envelopes everyone used to get (as kids), but now find ourselves all giving (as “grown ups”).

LEARN ABOUT LUCIA

@rocktheboatnyc // gorocktheboat.com
PODCASTS: “Rock the Boat”: apple.co/3j5E6ZF + “Bund to Brooklyn” apple.co/3qZOZT1

LEARN ABOUT BRIAN

imdb.com/name/nm0990657
@briflys - Twitter / Instagram

MENTIONS

COMEDY: Ronny Chieng on Chinese New Years - youtu.be/O_KpLrHCAx0?t=151
FILM: Joy Luck Club (1993): imdb.com/title/tt0107282
CCTV New Years Gala performance: youtu.be/XbfzwzKEaHU
FILM: Fat Choi Spirit (2002): imdb.com/title/tt0307034
PERSON: Andy Lau: wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Lau
PERSON: Louis Koo: wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Koo

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Abdul-Rehman Malik (understands) This Being Human Jan 24, 2022

Show notes

“We are afraid of the pain of healing because there is something comforting about living in the now, in the conflict, in our own assumptions about others. We are in uncharted territory and that's frightening.”

Abdul-Rehman Malik is an award-winning journalist, educator, cultural organizer — and a great storyteller you’ll just want to sit back and listen to all day. His work at the intersection of faith and social change has spanned the globe — across the US, Canada, UK, Pakistan, Indonesia, Sudan, Mali, Malaysia and more. Abdul-Rehman, a BBC-radio veteran, hosts the popular podcast “This Being Human” - featuring Muslim voices, stories, and experiences, AND is currently a Lecturer at the Yale Divinity School as well as director of the Muslim Leadership Lab at Yale’s Dwight Hall Center of Social Justice. In this must-listen-to conversation about heritage, compassion, pain, and forgiveness - we go deep on the state of the world as it’s always been, and how we must face it for what it is today. It’s a conversation that will leave you wanting more, for which you’re in luck, because Abdul-Rehman also has an amazing podcast that creates greater empathy and understanding through conversation. Sound familiar? (PS - his is way better)

LEARN MORE

PODCAST: “This Being Human” agakhanmuseum.org/programs/thisbeinghuman/
SOCIAL: twitter.com/armalik
YALE: divinity.yale.edu/faculty-and-research/yds-faculty/abdul-rehman-malik

MENTIONS

India / Pakistan Partition (1947): wikipedia.org/wiki/Partition_of_India
Salman Rushdie fatwa (controversy): wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Satanic_Verses_controversy
PERSON: Fuad Nahdi (Muslim journalist): buzzfeednews.com/article/rosiegray/coronavirus-victim-fuad-nahdi-uk-muslim-activist
PERSON: Augusto Boal: wikipedia.org/wiki/Augusto_Boal
PERSON: James Baldwin (author): wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Baldwin
PERSON: Madonna (singer): wikipedia.org/wiki/Madonna
FILM: Dead Poets Society (1989): imdb.com/title/tt0097165
PERSON: Mahershala Ali (actor): imdb.com/name/nm0991810
PERSON: Ahmad Jamal (jazz great): wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmad_Jamal

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Beyond MLK’s legend: (reading) KING Jan 17, 2022

Show notes

“We know him so much from his speeches — but this book shows how exhausting everything was.”

In honor of MLK day, we could've just put a famous speech to a hip beat, but instead Raman + Ryan decided to read KING - Ho Che Anderson's critically acclaimed unauthorized graphic biography of the life of Martin Luther King Jr — on Raman’s other underground podcast, Quarantined Comics. Ryan also snuck in another Anderson book GODHEAD - a near-future capitalist tale juxtaposing the white corporate and black urban experience against a sci-fi backdrop of...finding God?

Graphic novelist Ho Che Anderson is a London-born creator of Jamaican heritage in Toronto - who brings a pretty unique perspective to the handful of independent comics he's created over the years. Most likely informed by the sensibilities of who his parents named him after - Ho Chi Minh + Che Guevara. So it was no surprise to see such a contrarian and unflinchingly honest take on a civil rights icon like Martin Luther King Jr. While most folks usually only know just five words about the Civil Rights movement ("Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King") - the graphic novel KING focuses on not just the larger than life legend, but the man and all his flaws along his journey and the people’s varying takes on him back then...

LEARN MORE

KING: goodreads.com/book/show/114073.King
GODHEAD: goodreads.com/en/book/show/35407503
Ho Che Anderson: biography.jrank.org/pages/2837/Anderson-Ho-Che.html
Quarantined Comics: qtdcomics.com

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Gene Luen Yang’s (comic book) American dream Jan 10, 2022

Show notes

“Being an immigrant kid - your experience and your parents’ and your grandparents’ experiences are in three completely different worlds.”

Gene Luen Yang is an award-winning cartoonist, storyteller, and teacher - whose been creating comics since the fifth grade. His 2006 graphic novel American Born Chinese will be a 2022 Disney+ TV series by Shang Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton. Two of Gene’s other two books - Dragon Hoops + Superman Smashes the Klan - won the 2020 Eisner (the Oscars for comics), and Raman’s reviewed them on his other podcast Quarantined Comics. Gene’s a former CS + Math teacher - who’s since gone on to work on some of the biggest name in pop culture and comics - including Avatar the Last AirBender, rebooting Shang Chi over @ Marvel Comics (before the hit movie), and having more than a few unique takes on DC’s Superman. Gene was named the Library of Congress’ fifth National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, and has also received a MacArthur Genius Grant. Gene advocates for the importance of reading diversely - and makes his kids finish all of their projects. Raman tried really hard not to fanboy over one of his personal heroes...

LEARN ABOUT GENE LUEN YANG

geneyang.com
twitter.com/geneluenyang
American Born Chinese: goodreads.com/book/show/118944.American_Born_Chinese
Superman Smashes the Klan TRAILER: youtu.be/LQ5ID_k_iBA
Dragon Hoops: goodreads.com/book/show/44280830-dragon-hoops

MENTIONS

COMIC BOOK: Cyclopedia Exotica goodreads.com/book/show/53317432-cyclopedia-exotica
PERSON: Jason Shiga goodreads.com/author/show/469075.Jason_Shiga
PERSON: Lark Pien goodreads.com/author/show/2679817.Lark_Pien
PERSON: Derek Kirk Kim goodreads.com/author/show/150817.Derek_Kirk_Kim

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Michelle Li got a (racist) voicemail Jan 04, 2022

Show notes

Michelle Li is a longtime reporter and anchor for NBC St. Louis. During a January broadcast sharing commonly eaten foods for the New Year’s, she briefly shared some of her Korean American New Years traditions.

Then a viewer left her station a voicemail. Then Michelle shared the voicemail. And the internet blew up. #veryasian

...Sharon and Raman react - and unpack - this a little more.

LEARN MORE

washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/01/03/asian-journalist-racist-voicemail/
twitter.com/MichelleLiTV
SUPPORT #veryasian - veryasian.us (proceeds support the Asian American Journalists Association - aaja.org)

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Climate Activists (on Animalia) Jan 03, 2022

Show notes

“The choice to be an activist is a privilege, because so many people don't have that choice.”

One of - if not THE defining issue of our time is climate. To kick off the new year, we wanted to share a powerful conversation two young climate activists - Raeesah Nor Mohamed (from South Africa) and Hussein Ali Ghandour (from Lebanon) - had with our our FrieMMd of the Pod Jay Veraldi on HIS Animalia podcast. These two are not simply minorities because of the color of their skin - but because of what they believe, AND where they believe it - in some unique and challenging places -- where caring about the climate is NOT necessarily a mainstream thing.

Over the past few years, you’ve seen an uptick in protests, marches, and demonstrations from incredible people like Raeesah and Hussein from all over the world. At COP26 in Glasgow, over 100,000 activists made their way outside the event to demonstrate and push for more decisive action from world leaders. Understand what motivates activists like Raeesah and Hussein to give everything they have to the issue of climate change. It's really worthwhile to hear where these two are coming from, how they view the world, and the actions they are taking on behalf of the climate movement. While we can't all be activists - we should all heat this chat to reflect on our own personal privilege, and more importantly - focus on where we can drive greater systemic change for us all.

Animalia’s mission is to create positive, inclusive dialogue on critical topics that protect this planet — AND to support the people and organizations working to lift up all life who occupy it. Make it your resolution to subscribe to their podcast + newsletter at JoinAnimalia.com

LEARN ABOUT...

joinanimalia.com
Raeesah: instagram.com/pure.rae.of.sunshinee // twitter.com/raeesahnm
Hussein: twitter.com/ghandour567

MENTIONS

South African Climate Justice Charter: safsc.org.za/climate-justice-charter

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2021 year in review Dec 31, 2021

Show notes

As 2021 comes to a close, we put together a not-so-quick compilation of our favorite moments from all of the great conversations we had over the past year. So sit back with a beverage of choice, enjoy, and please DO share our podcast with a friend (and leave us a review) — it makes a big difference! We can’t wait for you to hear what’s next in the new year!

Got a guest idea or want to ask a question? Email us! himom@modmypod.com

xoxo,

SHARON & RAMAN

PS - Heard someone you liked? Be sure to go back and check out any of our past episodes. Featuring the voices of our amazing guests...

Cathy Erway’s uncovering (Self Evident) conversations
Maria Yuan wants (YOU) to be an Issue Voter
Andres Barragan’s (restless) reinvention
Tess Thomas gets (outside) her comfort zone
Bringing In the (Chinese) New Years
Chris Finn speaks the (kids’) language
Jennifer Ekeleme makes her (own) American dream
Black History, (to be) continued - Matt Story & Tess Thomas
Pave the Way (for more): International Women’s Day
Grace Foster finds (home in) herself
Let’s talk (about) Asian violence
Tyanne Benallie’s (Indigenous) lens
Maartje Duin & Peggy Bouva (go beyond) The Plantation of our Ancestors
Mira Jacob (shares a) Good Talk
Sarah Salem challenges (your) perceptions
Azhar Usman believes in (the) truth
Alice Lee's (extraordinary) journey
Lena Shareef wants (to tell) a good story
Modern MINARI - Jieun Kim & Jon Pollock
Jason’s discovery (+faith) of Islam
Margaret Cho’s (Mortal) Minority
Steven Wakabayashi’s (Yellow) Glitter
Hear our (AAPI) Red Envelope Stories
Minjae Ormes has grown (up) Visible
Svante Myrick wants (police) change
Beth Nguyen wants (you to learn) her name
Father’s (Day) Fathers...Serge Thony & Brad Weinstein
Radhika Vekaria’s (devotion to) music
Yellow Glitter: the Rainbow Washing & Performative Allyship of Pride - Steven Wakabayashi & Derek Tran
What’s Your Story? (Seeking) Answers Through Allyship - Matt Story
Jonathan Tolentio wants (us to get) better
Sidd Massand’s Rock & Roll (True) Stories
Monique Truong ain’t takin (flavor) bullies
Prince imagined (our own game)
Kamala Khan (is) MS.MARVEL
Lindsay Kaplan expands the (Chief) table
Gina Brillon’s (Mess) in Progress
Brian Yang doesn’t (want to) know martial arts
Sara Baiyu Porritt (can) Hear Us Roar
Navin Gupta (always) takes the first step
Suzy Shin (rocks by) letting go
3 MMen & 3 Babies (with Drew Tarvin & Rajiv Satyal)
Geraldine Moriba gets the story (right)
Remi Adekoya’s (unpacking) Biracial Britain
Holy (Bi)Robin! Tim Drake Comes Out - Ainsley Waller, Karl Preissner, Steven Wakabayashi
Phil Yu (isn’t always) the Angry Asian Man
Evan Jackson Leong’s (directing) Snakehead
Andrew Aydin’s (enduring) March
Diwali (memories) then & now - Raman Sehgal (UK) + Radhika Vekaria
Anjali Enjeti’s (Southbound) activism
Tonya Evans' crypto (wealth) advantage
Sam Yo’s (balanced) geek fitness
Danis Goulet’s (directing) Night Raiders
Molly Kawahata’s (unapologetic) climate optimism
Dr. Ali Mattu (psychs) social anxiety
Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz’s (passing) Asian-American Curriculum

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Jen Wang’s (comics) Stargazing Dec 27, 2021

Show notes

“Publishers thought it was maybe going to be a niche book, but I was surprised by how many really young readers were connecting with it. I want this to be something that you could trick your conservative dad into buying for you.”

Jen Wang is an award-winning graphic novel author and illustrator Jen Wang - best known for some amazing stories like “Stargazing,” “The Prince & the Dressmaker”, “In Real Life” and “Koko Be Good”. We’ve been fans of hers for a really long time. Her books are not-quite-autobiographical (always), but there are seeds of truth and real life in almost every story she tells. Being Asian American, having a major healthcare scare as a kid, and more. And since Sharon’s off doing who knows what, Raman’s Quarantined Comics co-host Ryan Joe subs in FTW. But most interesting about our chat with Jen was diving into her unconventional journey and decisions along the way. We challenge you to give Jen’s books a try - for you and your kids - and NOT find your eyes start leaking.

LEARN ABOUT JEN

Jenwang.net
instagram.com/wangstagram
twitter.com/alooghobi
BOOK: Stargazing - goodreads.com/book/show/40864836-stargazing
BOOK: The Prince & The Dressmaker - goodreads.com/book/show/34506912-the-prince-and-the-dressmaker

MENTIONS

BOOK: Detransition, Baby (Torrey Peters) - goodreads.com/book/show/48890225-detransition-baby
PERSON: Ang Lee (Director): wikipedia.org/wiki/Ang_Lee

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Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz’s (passing) Asian-American Curriculum Dec 20, 2021

Show notes

“You can't expect to do better unless you know better. Understanding who we are collectively - Asian-Americans and non-Asians.”

Representative Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, serves in Illinois' General Assembly - representing Illinois’ 17th District since 2019. Jennifer was the co-sponsor of a recently passed the nation’s FIRST Asian-American history curriculum bill - the TEAACH (Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History Act) - which is a big deal. Not just that it passed (long overdue), but that it will hopefully prove as a template in many other states around our country.

Jennifer's many things - a politician, a lawyer, and advocate, a mom. She’s the granddaughter of Chinese immigrants who fought deportation under the Chinese Exclusion Act. Her sense of justice was instilled from an early age through her parents - active in the civil rights and women’s rights movements - making Jennifer a determined fighter for the voiceless and the vulnerable her entire adult life - taking on transnational human traffickers and aggressively defending the rights of unaccompanied immigrant children. Providing access to justice to our community’s most vulnerable residents - developing legal capacity to represent Dreamers, domestic violence survivors, and low-income residents.

For Jennifer - the law is a piece of a greater system to be shaped to be more inclusive for all. But it’s ultimately about building greater empathy and understanding amongst ALL Americans.

LEARN ABOUT REP. JENNIFER GONG-GERSHOWITZ