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Self Evident: Asian America's Stories

Storytelling Podcasts

We tell Asian America's stories to go beyond being seen. As people of all backgrounds reckon with complex legacies of race, power, culture, and identity and ask themselves, “Where do I stand?” Self Evident presents reported stories and radically open conversations from the everyday Asian Americans who have been confronting this question for generations. Our mission is to empower local communities to share stories and build relationships around the value of self-representation. Self Evident is a Studiotobe production, made with support from our listener community.

Location:

United States

Description:

We tell Asian America's stories to go beyond being seen. As people of all backgrounds reckon with complex legacies of race, power, culture, and identity and ask themselves, “Where do I stand?” Self Evident presents reported stories and radically open conversations from the everyday Asian Americans who have been confronting this question for generations. Our mission is to empower local communities to share stories and build relationships around the value of self-representation. Self Evident is a Studiotobe production, made with support from our listener community.

Language:

English


Episodes

Self Evident Presents: “Live! Making Before Me With Lisa Phu” (by The Vietnamese Boat People podcast)

6/1/2023
Our friend Tracey Nguyen Mang, host of the Vietnamese Boat People Podcast, goes behind the scenes with Lisa Phu in this conversation — about how to document the lives of our parents, when that process can feel overwhelming. This episode, recorded live online, is the Season 6 Premiere of The Vietnamese Boat People, a podcast and nonprofit project that preserves the story of the Vietnamese diaspora community — and provides spaces where people can share their experiences. This latest season of their podcast follows the theme, “Ba, Mẹ ơi” (which roughly translates to "Dear Dad and Mom"). You can listen to more stories from the season by searching for “Vietnamese Boat People” where you get podcasts, or on their website.

Duration:00:48:09

Self Evident Presents: “How to Wash Your Brain” (by Boen Wang and Feet in 2 Worlds)

4/25/2023
Boen’s mom thinks he’s brainwashed by the New York Times. Boen thinks his mom is brainwashed by the Chinese Communist Party. But when Boen starts listening more deeply to his mom’s stories of growing up in China and then immigrating to the U.S., he spots the signs of his own political conditioning — and unravels the threads of Chinese and American history that led to the very fabrication of “brainwashing” as a concept. This story comes from our friends at Feet in 2 Worlds, originally airing on their podcast, A Better Life? — and was written and produced by Boen Wang. Full transcript, credits, and show notes available on our website.

Duration:00:38:09

Self Evident Presents: "Exploring Ancestral Grief" (by Grief, Collected)

1/18/2023
America! The land of opportunity! And also, for so many, the ambiguous loss of immigration and uprooting a life and a history comes with a complex web of emotions. In this episode of Grief, Collected by The Mash-Up Americans, hosts Amy S. Choi and Rebecca Lehrer speak with trauma therapist and educator Linda Thai — about ancestral grief, and how unmetabolized grief, particularly in "Mash-Up" families, is passed down through generations. We dive into how important understanding historical context is for grief and healing, and ask: What happens to a family structure if we don’t grieve? Full episode transcript available on the Grief, Collected website. Episode Credits Grief, Collected is a production of The Mash-Up Americans Executive produced by Amy S. Choi and Rebecca Lehrer Senior editor and producer is Sara Pellegrini Development Producer is Dupe Oyebolu Production manager Shelby Sandlin Original music composed by The Brothers Tang Sound design support by Pedro Rafael Rosado Website design by Rebecca Parks Fernandez Grief, Collected was supported in part by a grant from The Pop Culture Collaborative

Duration:00:42:13

Self Evident Presents: "Arrival" (by VPM's Resettled)

1/11/2023
The LahPai family’s arrival to Virginia from Myanmar was highly anticipated: the local resettlement agency prepped their home; the local religious community was ready to provide support; the family’s U.S connection lived just minutes down the street. Even with these support systems, resettlement was (and still is) not a straightforward, clean-cut process. Why is that? In this debut episode from Resettled — a series by Virginia Public Media about the real experiences of refugees after they arrive to the U.S. — you'll meet the people helping the LahPais during their early days of resettlement... and explore some of the unexpected difficulties that arise when moving to a new country, a new culture and a new life. Episode Credits: Resettled is a production of VPMProduced by Gilda di Carli and edited by Kelly Jones, with oversight from Angela Massino and Nate TobeyHosted by Ahmed BadrProduction management by Gavin WrightSteve Humble is VPM’s Chief Content OfficerMusic for this episode by Sandhill and Blue Dot Sessions. Special thanks from VPM: Thanks to Catherine Komp, Zar Wahidi, Yasmine Jumaa and interns Safiya Ahmed and Helen Zein Eddine, along with the folks at NPR’s Story Lab for helping kickstart the podcast.Thanks to Leslie Bretz, Louise Keeton and Michael Hayes for web and digital support. More photos and stories available at vpm.org/resettled.

Duration:00:32:04

Self Evident Presents: "Before They Were Your Parents" (by Immigrantly)

1/5/2023
Today, we're sharing some work by our friends at Immigrantly, a weekly podcast that features deeply personal conversations about race, identity, and the immigrant experience. This episode features a conversation between host Saadia Khan and reporter Neda Toloui-Semnani, who wrote a book called THEY SAID THEY WANTED REVOLUTION: A Memoir of My Parents. To finish that book, Neda went through a whole journey to learn about the life her parents lived before she was born, understand why they moved from the U.S. to Iran to join the revolution taking place there in 1979, and unpack what kind of legacy they had left for her in the process. You can listen to Immigrantly wherever you get your podcasts, or learn more at immigrantlypod.com. Immigrantly Episode Credits: Host & Producer: Saadia Khan Content Writer: Ashley Lanuza & Saadia Khan Editorial Review: Yudi Li Sound Designer & Editor: Manni Simon Immigrantly Theme Music: Evan Ray Suzuki Other Music: Epidemic Sound

Duration:00:40:24

Help us by taking our listener survey!

1/3/2023
Please take our listener survey to tell us what you think of Before Me! The survey is anonymous, takes 5 minutes, and is incredibly important for helping us take our next steps as an independent studio for stories by and about Asian Americans. We use your answers to better understand your needs as a listener — but we also use your feedback to show how we’re making an impact as we raise funds for our next new podcast season or storytelling program.

Duration:00:00:59

Before Me, Part 5: Birthday Card

12/27/2022
Just before I gave birth to my daughter Acacia, I turned 36. And on my birthday my mom sent me a birthday card that was full of heartfelt words — more than she’d ever written to me before. On the last night of her visit to help me take care of Acacia, as she read the card aloud, I realized how I was — and still am — a part of the lives that came before me. Full show notes, photos, credits, and transcript on our web site.

Duration:00:16:41

Before Me, Part 4: Head of the House

12/20/2022
At the moment my mom steps onto a small fishing boat off the coast of Cambodia, headed for a refugee camp in Thailand under cover of night, she becomes the head of our family. It takes her less than a year to make it safely to her new home in New York, give birth to me, and learn how to be a single parent in the U.S. But it will end up taking her decades to process what she’s overcome, what she’s become, and what she’s left behind on the beaches of Cambodia. Full show notes, photos, credits, and transcript on our web site.

Duration:00:31:31

Before Me, Part 3: Beautiful Country

12/13/2022
Reunited with my cousin Lynn, my mom becomes a gold dealer to support her growing family — and realizes that the charmed childhood she had in Cambodia is nowhere to be found for her own kids. She recounts the joyful memories that helped her hold on for more than five years as a refugee in Vietnam, before making the decision to leave both countries for good. Full show notes, photos, credits, and transcript on our web site.

Duration:00:28:06

Before Me, Part 2: Photograph

12/6/2022
As the genocidal regime of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge takes hold of Cambodia, my mom and dad run for their lives — separated from my cousin, Lynn, who is then faced with keeping her siblings alive in a forced labor camp. Full show notes, photos, credits, and transcript on our web site.

Duration:00:35:46

Before Me, Part 1: Firstborn

11/29/2022
When I became a parent, my mom flew across the country to help me take care of my firstborn child. And opened up to share a story I’d never fully heard, about her firstborn child — the sister I’ve never met. Full show notes, photos, credits, and transcript on our web site.

Duration:00:25:14

Introducing "Before Me": A new series from Self Evident

11/15/2022
Lisa Phu grew up telling a story about how her family left Cambodia as refugees, to start a new life in the United States — but for the longest time, she’d never heard this story firsthand, from her mom, Lan. After Lisa gave birth to her first daughter, her mom flew across the country to meet her first grandchild. And during that visit, she finally shared the real story with Lisa. About growing up in Cambodia, fleeing genocide by the Khmer Rouge, surviving as a gold dealer in Vietnam, building a home in America while navigating the fallout and traumas of war… and carrying the future of four children with her throughout the journey. Before Me follows one woman’s life, from Cambodia to America, over the course of decades. But it also follows a long overdue conversation between mother and daughter, about their family’s history — through death and birth, separation and reunion, endings and beginnings. Because while we may never fully understand the reality of those who came before us, every story is a chance to get closer. And in listening, find meaning in what’s been preserved. During November and December 2022, Self Evident is presenting Before Me through our podcast feed. It's a brand new audio series we're launching in partnership with Lisa, and we hope you'll join us in listening and sharing the story as it unfolds, week by week. Learn how to conduct an oral history interview with your loved ones at selfevidentshow.com/history. To meet other listeners of Self Evident and Before Me, and get started on your own oral history journey, join our Discord community at selfevidentshow.com/participate.

Duration:00:02:16

Self Evident Presents: "Get Up Stand Up" (by Re:Work)

6/21/2022
When you get into a taxi, you usually know where you’re coming from, where you’re going, and what you’ll do when you get there. But what about your taxi driver – someone whose work is in constant motion, moving from destination to destination, meeting new people by the hour? What was the road that brought them to this moment, what is the journey they'll take next? On this episode of Re:Work, by the UCLA Labor Center, join host Saba Waheed as she travels with Javaid on the path that brought him from a small agricultural town in Punjab, Pakistan to driving cabs in New York City. Reading and Resources: “Taxi!: Cabs and Capitalism in New York City”Self Evident’s audio storyUCLA Labor Center.New York Taxi Workers' Alliance Credits: Produced by Stefanie Ritoper, Saba Waheed, Ob1, and Asif Ahmed. Music supervision by Francisco Garcia Nava.

Duration:00:28:37

(BONUS) Hunger Strike! How Immigrant Taxi Drivers Took on City Hall

5/18/2022
When Augustine Tang’s father passed away, Augustine decided to inherit his taxi medallion – the license that had allowed his father to drive a yellow taxi cab in New York City for decades. But the medallion came with a $530,000 debt trap and years of struggling to escape it. Augustine’s friend Kenny, a fellow taxi cab driver, committed suicide. So did several other drivers who were crushed under the weight of these impossible debts. In hopes of preventing another death, Tang joined a push by the local taxi drivers’ union, to campaign for debt relief. And eventually, city resistance to worker demands culminated in a 15-day hunger strike to convince City Hall that immigrant taxi drivers deserved a fair deal. The drivers’ struggles for livable working conditions showed how political power doesn’t just come down to votes. It’s a reminder how strong collective will can be, especially for those often silenced and ignored by our imperfect democracy. Resources and Reading After listening,please take our survey about this story— to help us fund more stories like this one!This show mentions instances of suicide. We understand this topic may be difficult for some listeners. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a hotline for individuals in crisis or for those looking to help someone else. To speak with a certified listener, call 1-800-273-8255WATCH: “Cheated, Desperate, Financially Ruined NYC Taxi Drivers Go on Hunger Strike” by Maximillian Alvarez of the Real News NetworkWATCH: “New York Taxi Drivers Hunger Strike for Debt Relief” by More Perfect UnionREAD: “‘They Were Conned’: How Reckless Loans Devastated a Generation of Taxi Drivers” by Brian Rosenthal for the New York TimesREAD: “How the Taxi Workers Won” by Molly Crabapple for the Economic Hardship Reporting ProjectREAD: “Distressed Drivers: Solving the the New York City Taxi Medallion Debt Crisis” by Aaron Jacobs for Columbia Human Rights Law Review Special Thanks To Augustine Tang, Jaslin Kaur, John Duda, Kader Guerrab, Kuber Sancho-Persad, Maria Santana, Maximillian Alvarez, Michelle Faust Raghavan and Alec Saleens, and the New York Taxi Workers Alliance Media Team Credits: Produced by Self Evident Media Reported by Sahil Nisha, with help from Alina Panek and Janrey Serapio Interview recordings by Sahil Nisha, Stacey Wong, and James Boo Public protest and demonstration recordings by NYTWA, Augustine Tang, CM Zohran Mamdani, and Former CM Brad Lander Edited by James Boo and Julia Shu Fact checked by Harsha Nahata and Tiffany Bui Sound mix by Timothy Lou Ly Music by Epidemic Sound At the Moment theme music by Satoru Ohno Our Executive Producer is Ken Ikeda This episode was made with support from the Solutions Journalism Network’s Advancing Democracy program

Duration:00:29:03

Say Goodbye to Yesterday

2/22/2022
Amidst the ongoing crush of anti-Asian violence in America, Producer James turns to a personal source of restoration: ska music (yes, that ska music). When he was a teenager, the do-it-yourself ska scene — and an indie record label called Asian Man — taught him to take racism seriously, embrace the road less traveled, and never wait for anyone else’s approval to be himself. But as James starts connecting with all of the Asian American ska fans he’s met over the past few years, he also starts to question how much his own memories are wrapped in a black-and-white-checkered blanket of nostalgia. Eventually, these connections all lead to Mike Park, Korean American founder and still-only-employee of Asian Man Records — and Jer Hunter, a younger Black and queer musician who’s carrying the torch for ska music as a home for anti-racist activism. And the more these conversations peel away the layers of nostalgia surrounding ska, the more James believes that this oft-misunderstood subculture has something real to offer in a world that can feel like it’s crumbling beneath our feet. Resources WATCH: “Racism in East London,” an episode of the 1970s docuseriesOur Peopleby ThamesTVWATCH:The entirety of Dance Craze, the documentary about 2-Tone that hooked Mike Park (and countless others) on ska musicWATCH:Skatune Network’s life-giving cover of the Koopa Troopa Beach themefrom Mario Kart 64LISTEN: Ska Against Racism 2020, the benefit compilation by Bad Time Records, Ska Punk Daily, and Asian Man RecordsLISTEN:SKA DREAMby Jeff RosenstockLISTEN: “Five Miles to Newark,” the full-length debut album by Chris Erway’s high school ska-punk band, Taxicab SamuraisLISTEN: Mike Park chats with Charlene Kaye on The Golden Hour podcastREAD: “Tracing Ska Music’s Great Migration” by Evan Nicole Brown for Atlas ObscuraREAD: “The Chinese Jamaicans: Unlikely Pioneers of Reggae Music” by Tranquilheart for SpindittyREAD: “It Came From the Garage: Celebrating 25 Years of Asian Man Records,” a comic byJB RoeREAD: In Defense of Skaby Aaron CarnesREAD: “Skatune Networks’ Jer on Pushing Ska Forward” by Eve Sicks for Reverb.comREAD: “Ska’s New Generation is Here to Pick It Up Pick It Up” by Arielle Gordon for Stereogum READ: “Ska is Thriving Right Now: Here’s a Look at the DIY Scene That’s Keeping It Alive” by Andrew Sacher for Brooklyn Vegan Credits Produced, written, and sound designed by James BooEdited by Julia Shu, with help from Cathy ErwaySound mix by Timothy Lou LyFact checked by Tiffany Bui and Harsha Nahata“No Guarantee” written and performed by James Boo, feat. Dorian Love on bass and Chris Erway on trombone, trumpet, and alto saxophone Ska Dreamby Jeff Rosenstock; original compositions for “No Time to Skank” and pickitup” licensed underCC BY-NC-SA 3.0Music provided courtesy of Asian Man Records:“Still Down for Tomorrow” by the Bruce Lee Band“Signature” and “You Don’t Know” by The Chinkees“Riptide 28” and “Sultan’s Cross” by Let’s Go Bowling“David Duke Is Running For President,” “Pabu Boy,” “Onyonghasayo,” and “Thick Ass Stout” by Skankin’ Pickle“Mutually Parasitic,” “Achilles’ Dub,” and “Stash” by Slow GherkinPhotos of Mike Park courtesy of Mike ParkPhoto of Jer Hunter courtesy ofRae MysticPhoto of band huddle at Ska Dream Nights by listener Frank ChanSelf Evident theme music by Dorian LoveOur Executive Producer is Ken Ikeda About Self Evident is a Studio To Be production. Our show is made with support from PRX and the Google Podcasts creator program — and our listener community.

Duration:00:52:22

Heartbeats

2/6/2022
The Covid-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of caregiving work — and the ways that this work is overlooked, under-resourced, or placed as a burden on families without a sense of fairness or compassion. In this episode we’re sharing two stories that show people taking on the role of caregiver, and asking: Who gets to be healthy in a world that leaves so many people with family as their only lifeline? “My Heartbeats”: When Indian American filmmaker Tanmaya Shekhar moved his life from Kanpur to New York City, he was running away from family and dreaming of standing on his own two feet. But when the first wave of Covid in India put both of his parents in the hospital, he found himself in a race against time to reunite with them — and then a slow process of rethinking his life’s path, as an immigrant and as a son. “Delma and Delvin”: Guest contributor Angela Edward shares a day in the life of her aunt Delma, a middle-aged Micronesian mom whose full time job is taking care of Delvin — her 30-year old son who has always lived with cerebral palsy. After being hospitalized for Covid, Delma invites Angela over to spend time with Delvin and share how it feels to be senselessly locked out of the American healthcare system. Resources, Reading, Viewing, and Listening Take our listener survey!LISTEN: For Micronesians by MicronesianspodcastREAD: “How Decades of Advocacy Helped Restore Medicaid Access to Micronesian Migrants” and “Hirono Seeks to Restore federal Benefits for Pacific Islanders from COFA Nations,” by Anita Hofschneider for Honolulu Civil BeatREAD: “A Historical and Contemporary Review of the Contextualization and Social Determinants of Health of Micronesian Migrants in the United States” by Davis Rehuher, Earl S. Hishinuma, Deborah A. Goebert,and Neal A. Palafox for the Hawai’i Journal of Health & Social WelfareREAD:The Husk, a newsletter covering Micronesian people and happeningsWATCH: “Reflections at 29,” a documentary short by Tanmaya Shekhar about the costs and regret of living as an immigrant filmmaker in the U.S.SUPPORT:Donate to the Hemkunt Foundation, which has been helping Indians survive, recover from, and weather the impact of Covid-19 Credits Produced by James Boo, Emily Cardinali, and Angela EdwardEdited by Julia ShuFact checked by Tiffany Bui and Harsha NahataSound mix by Timothy Lou LySelf Evident theme music by Dorian LoveOur Executive Producer is Ken Ikeda About Self Evident is a Studio to Be production. Our show is made with support from PRX and the Google Podcasts creator program — and our listener community.

Duration:00:42:30

Help us out by taking our survey

2/1/2022
Hey everybody, I'm asking for just a few minutes of your time to help what us keep doing what we do. Details at https://selfevidentshow.com/participate Thanks! - Cathy and the team

Duration:00:00:17

Specially Processed

1/18/2022
For so many Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, Spam is a beloved classic food, showing up in everything from musubi to fried rice. But behind that nostalgia is a history of war and colonization, and the inheritance of both favorite foods and hidden traumas. Korean American playwright Jaime Sunwoo’s surreal new play, Specially Processed American Me, takes a close look at Spam’s legacies, and the lost stories of her own family — who’ve migrated twice over two generations, from North Korean to South Korea, then from South Korea to the United States. While sharing behind-the-scenes previews of the play, Jaime and Cathy talk about the challenges and rewards of interviewing older generations, and how those conversations have helped her process her own identity as an Asian American. Specially Processed American Me is co-produced by Dixon Place, Ping Chong and Company, and Free Rein Projects. You can learn more about Specially Processed American Me and find tickets to the show (debuting Jan 27 - Feb 19 in New York City) at speciallyprocessed.com. Resources and Reading READ: “SON OF SPAMMEAT-PACKING HEIR GEORDIE HORMEL HAMS IT UP IN PHOENIX SOCIETY,” a funny and interesting profile of George A. Hormel IILISTEN:“Tater Pie,”sung by the Hormel GirlsWATCH:Time for Talk - Hormel Girls of the 1950'sWATCH: South Korea's love affair with Spam WATCH:Why SPAM Is So Popular In GuamWATCH:ACP Live Presents: Jaime Sunwoo Credits Produced by James BooEdited by Julia Shu, with help from Harsha NahataFact checked by Tiffany Bui and Harsha NahataSound mix by Timothy Lou LySelf Evident theme music by Dorian LoveOur Executive Producer is Ken Ikeda Specially Processed American Me co-produced by Ping Chong and Company and Free Rein Projects (production photos by Toby Tenenbaum

Duration:00:38:21

Bonus: Diaspora DJ Roundtable 2021 Feat. Les Talusan, Arshia Fatima Haq, and Roger Bong

1/4/2022
Community Producer Rochelle Kwan (a.k.a. YiuYiu in her DJ life) gathers the DJs who joined her in curating our first annual mixtape — to chat about how we can use music to reconnect our diaspora communities, across generations and borders. If you haven’t heard the mixtape — which features musical selections by Les Talusan (a.k.a. Les The DJ of OPM Sundays), Arshia Fatima Haq (of Discostan), Roger Bong (of Aloha Got Soul), and YiuYiu (of Manhattan Chinatown) — then you can hear it here, or wherever you get podcasts. Need more music? Did we miss a favorite track of yours that the world absolutely needs to hear? Then check out our public Spotify playlist (a totally separate, community-sourced playlist that we’re pairing with this mixtape) to hear a bigger range of tunes from Asian and Pacific diaspora cultures — and add your own favorites! About the DJs Les Talusan a.k.a. Les The DJ (she/they) Les The DJ aka Les Talusan is a DJ, photographer, curator, teaching artist and organizer whose practice immerses people in the joy of discovery, empowerment, and community. This approach is informed by Les’ own story of resilience, liberation and courage as an immigrant, mother and v/s. Born and raised in Manila, Philippines, Les fell in love with music at a young age, DJing at local clubs and playing in bands. Les has lived in Washington, DC for over 20 years and continues to expand their talents, performing behind the decks in the U.S. and abroad. Arshia Fatima Haq - @discostan | @arshiaxfatima Arshia Fatima Haq (born in Hyderabad, India) works through film, visual art, performance, and sound, in feminist modes outside of the Western model. She is interested in counterachives and speculative narratives, and is currently exploring themes of embodiment, mysticism, indigenous and localized knowledge within the context of Sufism. She is the founder of Discostan, a collaborative decolonial project and record label working with cultural production from South and West Asia and North Africa. She hosts and produces radio shows on Dublab and NTS, and has produced episodes for KCRW's acclaimed "Lost Notes" podcast series. Her work has been presented nationally and internationally at museums, galleries, nightclubs, and in the streets. Roger Bong (he/him) - @alohagotsoul | @rogerbong Roger Bong launched Aloha Got Soul as a blog in 2010 after graduating college with a journalism degree and — more importantly — after hearing DJ Muro's Hawaiian Breaks mix. Roger's love for story, sound and design has turned the blog into an independent record label that champions all genres and generations of music from Hawai‘i. He and his wife run the label from Honolulu. Rochelle Kwan a.k.a. YiuYiu (she/her) - @rochellehkwan Rochelle Kwan, also known as YiuYiu, is a cultural organizer, oral history educator, and DJ based on Lenape land in NYC’s Manhattan Chinatown. Bringing together her backgrounds in organizing, history, and music, she trains everyday people to build multigenerational oral history projects and engage with their communities as classrooms. As a cultural archivist, DJ, and dancer, she works to amplify arts and culture as essential to community resilience and foster intergenerational relationships and dance floors. Rochelle’s also the Community Producer at Self Evident, where she leads our budding oral history program and helps to grow our listening party program through partnership and collaboration. Credits Produced by Rochelle Kwan and Julia ShuMusic curated by Les The DJ (a.k.a. Les Talusan), Arshia Fatima Haq, Roger Bong, and YiuYiu (a.k.a. Rochelle Kwan)Edited by James Boo, with help from Sheena TanFact checked by Alex Chun and Harsha NahataSound mix by Timothy Lou LySelf Evident theme music by Dorian LoveOur Executive Producer is Ken Ikeda

Duration:00:48:03

Diaspora Dance Mixtape, Vol. 1

12/21/2021
Community Producer Rochelle Kwan (a.k.a. YiuYiu) invites three of her favorite DJs to curate our first annual mixtape — and chat with them about how we can use music to reconnect our diaspora communities, across generations and borders. Our first annual international, transnational mixtape features musical selections from YiuYiu (of NYC Manhattan Chinatown), Les Talusan (a.k.a. Les The DJ of OPM Sundays), Arshia Fatima Haq (of Discostan), and Roger Bong (of Aloha Got Soul). The 22 specially curated tracks on this episode span the South West Asian / North African (SWANA) region, Hawai’i, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and their global diasporas. Just as each song and record comes with its own stories, this mixtape weaves in the personal stories that brought Roger, Les, Arshia, and Rochelle to music and DJing today. Need more music? Did we miss a favorite track of yours that the world absolutely needs to hear? Then check out our public Spotify playlist (a totally separate, community-sourced playlist that we’re pairing with this mixtape) to hear a bigger range of tunes from Asian and Pacific diaspora cultures — and add your own favorites! Resources, Reading, and Music READ “Vinyl-Only Nights Return to D.C.” by Haley McKey for District Fray MagazineREAD "How an obscure '80s album helped this father and son connect"by Aparita Bhandari for CBC/Radio-Canada READ + LISTEN “Kalapana's 1974 debut: the record that forever changed Hawaii” by Aloha Got SoulREAD + LISTEN "Chinatown Records"by Rochelle Kwan for The Vinyl FactoryLISTEN - DJ Muro - Hawaiian Breaks (with tracklist)by Aloha Got SoulLISTEN -OPM Sundays w/ Les The DJ & Joel Quizonon TwitchLISTEN - Phambinho w/ YiuYiufor NTS RadioLISTEN - My Father's Favorite Musicby DiscostanLISTEN -Disco Se Aagayby Nermin Niazi and Feisal Mosleh for DiscostanLISTEN -Pacific Sounds(inspired by the sounds of Hawaii and the Pacific)SUPPORTAloha Got SoulandAloha Got Soul BandcampSUPPORTDiscostanandDiscostan BandcampSUPPORT YiuYiu Add your own diaspora tracks to our public Spotify playlist! About the DJs Les Talusan a.k.a. Les The DJ Les The DJ aka Les Talusan is a DJ, photographer, curator, teaching artist and organizer whose practice immerses people in the joy of discovery, empowerment, and community. This approach is informed by Les’ own story of resilience, liberation and courage as an immigrant, mother and v/s. Born and raised in Manila, Philippines, Les fell in love with music at a young age, DJing at local clubs and playing in bands. Les has lived in Washington, DC for over 20 years and continues to expand their talents, performing behind the decks in the U.S. and abroad. Arshia Fatima Haq - @discostan | @arshiaxfatima Arshia Fatima Haq (born in Hyderabad, India) works through film, visual art, performance, and sound, in feminist modes outside of the Western model. She is interested in counterachives and speculative narratives, and is currently exploring themes of embodiment, mysticism, indigenous and localized knowledge within the context of Sufism. She is the founder of Discostan, a collaborative decolonial project and record label working with cultural production from South and West Asia and North Africa. She hosts and produces radio shows on Dublab and NTS, and has produced episodes for KCRW's acclaimed "Lost Notes" podcast series. Her work has been presented nationally and internationally at museums, galleries, nightclubs, and in the streets. Roger Bong - @alohagotsoul | @rogerbong Roger Bong launched Aloha Got Soul as a blog in 2010 after graduating college with a journalism degree and — more importantly — after hearing DJ Muro's Hawaiian Breaks mix. Roger's love for story, sound and design has turned the blog into an independent record label that champions all genres and generations of music from Hawai‘i. He and his wife run the label from Honolulu. Rochelle Kwan (a.k.a. YiuYiu) - @rochellehkwan Rochelle Kwan, also known as YiuYiu, is a cultural organizer, oral...

Duration:01:03:08