Podcast

In this second episode of Green Card Voices’ new series, podcast manager Asha Thanki and social media manager and former #LoveYourAsianNeighbors host Tri Vo sit down with Darian Spearman and Lily Luo, doctoral candidates at the University of Connecticut, to discuss how Asian Americans are communicating with their relatives about the movement for Black liberation, some political theory and history, and the steps they think must be taken next by communities to push forward. Starting with critiques of different letters meant to bridge communication gaps, this conversation asks listeners how they’re ensuring their outreach to family and communities are truly conversations, how they’re keeping the fire from burning out, and lessons we can learn from organizers in the racial justice space. Part two of this conversation coming soon! Join the Green Card Voices podcast community by becoming a Patron: https://bit.ly/ForOurGCVNeighbors Share our conversation with Darian and Lily online—using the #BeyondAllyship hashtag—and tell us how you are contributing to the movement and uplifting Black voices. Discussed or mentioned this week:

Time to Say Goodbye, “About those ‘letters to my Asian parents about anti-black racism'”

Connect with and read Lily’s online work at https://theyellowlilyblog.wordpress.com/ ABOUT THIS SPECIAL SERIES: Green Card Voices is based in the Twin Cities, and, after the police murder of George Floyd, we are pivoting our platform to elevate Black voices and direct our listeners toward resources and actions they can take today to benefit the movement for Black liberation. Throughout this series, we highlight the work of local organizers while addressing how different immigrant and cultural communities can better align with the movement to take actions beyond a performative allyship and better act in solidarity with our Black communities.

In this first episode of Green Card Voices’ new series, host Mahlet Aschenaki and podcast manager Asha Thanki sit down with Joy Marsh Stephens, Tomme Beevas, and Jeff Aguy to discuss their personal relationships to organizing, their efforts in the ongoing movement for Black liberation, and the steps they think must be taken next. Bridging public and private domains, Joy discusses the changes she sees structurally and culturally at the city government level; Tomme dives into the mutual aid work centered at his restaurant, Pimento Jamaican Kitchen, and his support for on-the-ground organizers; and Jeff analyzes how entrepreneurs and financial support of organizers and political candidates can help allies put their money where their mouth is. Learn more about:

Joy’s work with the City of Minneapolis’ Division of Race & Equity http://www2.minneapolismn.gov/coordinator/Equity/index.htm

Tomme’s restaurant Pimento, which now moonlights as a hub for relief services https://pimentokitchen.com/

Jeff’s work bridging public, private, and philanthropic divides: https://www.2043.co/

Join the Green Card Voices podcast community by becoming a Patron: https://bit.ly/ForOurGCVNeighbors Share our conversation with Joy, Tomme, and Jeff online—using the #BeyondAllyship hashtag—and tell us how you are contributing to the movement and uplifting Black voices. Discussed or mentioned this week:

Tomme Beevas, “If the Building Burns, Well, We’ll Figure It Out”

NAACP, “Twin Cities Economic Inclusion Plan”

ABOUT THIS SPECIAL SERIES: Green Card Voices is based in the Twin Cities, and, after the police murder of George Floyd, we are pivoting our platform to elevate Black voices and direct our listeners toward resources and actions they can take today to benefit the movement for Black liberation. Throughout this series, we highlight the work of local organizers while addressing how different immigrant and cultural communities can better align with the movement to take actions beyond a performative allyship and better act in solidarity with our Black communities.

Cayden Mak and C.M. Samala from 18 Million Rising check in with each other and our series host Tri Vo in this final episode of Green Card Voices’ #LoveYourAsianNeighbors podcast series’ first season. In this episode, Cayden and Samala discuss how they’ve adapted to the online atmosphere of COVID-19, how debt holds labor captive, and what it means to be a co-conspirator. Though this episode was recorded prior to the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, its content remains a call-to-action for our listeners. Cayden and Samala call on guests to take action against systems of privilege and oppression in this country and in the world. As Cayden points out, saying that one believes something is not a high enough risk to take; co-conspirators stand in solidarity with others through action. In this same moment, with the pandemic ongoing, many folks must simultaneously stand up and take action while making space for grief. Samala guides listeners through finding that balance and sharing empathy with others. Learn more about Cayden and Samala’s work with 18 Million Rising and its important organizing work here: https://18millionrising.org/ Join the Green Card Voices podcast community and hear more from Cayden and Samala by becoming a Patron: https://bit.ly/ForOurGCVNeighbors Share Cayden and Samala’s conversation online—using the #LoveYourAsianNeighbors hashtag—and tell us your story of raising the voices, whether it’s your own or another’s voice, of Asian Americans. Discussed or mentioned this week: ● “This Is How Ignorant You Have to Be to Call Haiti a Sh*thole,” Washington Post ● Stephanie Black, Life and Debt ● David Graeber, Debt: The First 5,000 Years ● “Postscript: Grace Lee Boggs,” New Yorker ● Arundhati Roy, “The Pandemic is a Portal,” Financial Times ABOUT THIS SPECIAL SERIES:

As we continue to live in the middle of the COVID 19 pandemic, cases of xenophobia and race- based hate crimes targeting Asian American communities have escalated in an alarming yet not unprecedented manner. To combat the harmful rhetoric being spread and inflicted on our neighbors, Green Card Voices has launched #LoveYourAsianNeighbors campaign. In this special podcast series, we highlight the lived narratives of Asian Americans overcoming difficulties, finding abundance in the face of scarcity, and taking action towards a better future.

Theater artists and leaders—Lily Tung Crystal and Rick Shiomi—check in with each other and our series host Tri Vo in this continuation of Green Card Voices’ #LoveYourAsianNeighbors podcast series. In this episode, Lily and Rick talk daily challenges of COVID-19, the highs and lows of transitioning theatre to online platforms during the pandemic, and following passions even when your family doesn’t quite understand. The big questions Lily and Rick consider: How, with theatre companies shut down across the country, can artists grieve a career and the subsequent loss of income while also making space for the grief of losing an integral part of one’s identity? How do people value art in the midst of an ongoing crisis? As minorities within the theater space, and whose identities have been represented in yellowface, how can artists organize and make these injustices known? The takeaway is clear: The arts are more important than ever in these times. Learn more about Lily’s work as Artistic Director of Theater Mu and the company’s online offerings during this pandemic here: https://www.theatermu.org/ Learn more about Rick’s work as Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Full Circle Theater Company: https://www.fullcircletheatermn.org/ Join the Green Card Voices podcast community and hear more from Lily and Rick by becoming a Patron at https://bit.ly/ForOurGCVNeighbors Share Lily and Rick’s conversation online—using the #LoveYourAsianNeighbors hashtag—and tell us your story of raising the voices, whether it’s your own or another’s voice, of Asian Americans. Discussed or mentioned this week: ● Atacama by Augusto Amador ● Fire in the New World by Rick Shiomi ● The Empathy Project by Stephanie Lein Walseth ● Inside Out & Back Again by Min Kahng ● “The Asian American Dream,” Philip Kan Gotanda ● Building a Better ‘Mikado,’ Minus the Yellowface https://www.americantheatre.org/2016/04/20/building-a-better-mikado-minus-the- yellowface/ ABOUT THIS SPECIAL SERIES: As we continue to live in the middle of the COVID 19 pandemic, cases of xenophobia and race- based hate crimes targeting Asian American communities have escalated in an alarming yet not unprecedented manner. To combat the harmful rhetoric being spread and inflicted on our neighbors, Green Card Voices has launched #LoveYourAsianNeighbors campaign. In this special podcast series, we highlight the lived narratives of Asian Americans overcoming difficulties, finding abundance in the face of scarcity, and taking action towards a better future.

Fred Lee and Na-Rae Kim, professors of Asian American Studies from the University of Connecticut-Storrs, check-in with each other and our series host Tri Vo. They discuss historical moments—including the H3N2 pandemic of the 1960s, the Vietnam War, and the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII—that have shaped the sinophobia of the COVID-19 crisis. Looking even further into the past, they share the stories—and acknowledge the missing stories—of their grandparents and great-grandparents in Korea, Taiwan, and Southeast China. Finally, they share their hopes for the memory of our current moment and the future of Asian America. Join the Green Card Voices podcast community and hear more from Na-Rae and Fred by becoming a Patron at https://bit.ly/ForOurGCVNeighbors Share Fred and Na-Rae’s conversation online—using the #LoveYourAsianNeighbors hashtag—and tell us your story of raising the voices, whether it’s your own or another’s voice, of Asian Americans. Learn more about Fred and Na-rae’s scholarship at UConn’s Asian American Studies institute at https://asianamerican.uconn.edu. UConn’s Asian and Asian American Studies Institute, or AAASI, is proud to launch an arts initiative to respond to the challenges and concerns faced by all of our college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Check out the courageous work from AAASI students at the following webpage: https://asianamerican.uconn.edu/illustrated-profiles/ Discussed this week:

“Virus X and Ending the Forever War,” Jason Oliver Chang

“Coronavirus and America’s Vietnam Syndrome,” Long Bui

Dangerous Crossings, Claire Jean Kim

Parable of the Talents, Octavia Butler

ABOUT THIS SPECIAL SERIES: As we continue to live in the middle of the COVID 19 pandemic, cases of xenophobia and race-based hate crimes targeting Asian American communities have escalated in an alarming yet not unprecedented manner. To combat the harmful rhetoric being spread and inflicted on our neighbors, Green Card Voices has launched #LoveYourAsianNeighbors campaign. In this special podcast series, we highlight the lived narratives of Asian Americans overcoming difficulties, finding abundance in the face of scarcity, and taking action towards a better future.

During the first week of Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month, our series host Tri Vo talks to Rev. Dana Neuhauser and Rev. Tyler H. Sit, spiritual leaders at New City Church in Minneapolis, MN. They share stories of confronting and adapting to the COVID 19 pandemic both in their personal lives and in their church. When communities can no longer physically gather, Dana and Tyler discuss what it means to maintain spiritual practices, to practice a mindset of abundance during a time of heightened fear and toilet paper hoarding, and to continue to collectively approach some of life’s biggest questions. Join the Green Card Voices podcast community and hear more from Dana and Tyler by becoming Patron at www.patreon.com/gcvpodcast Share Dana and Tyler’s conversation online—using the #LoveYourAsianNeighbors hashtag—and tell us your story of raising the voices, whether it’s your own or another’s voice, of Asian Americans. Learn more about New City Church at grownewcity.church Discussed this week:

Simpson Housing Services

Paycheck Protection Program (a government loan designed to help small businesses keep their workforce employed during the COVID-19 pandemic)

Minneapolis Gap Funding (Rental assistance and funds for small businesses available regardless of documentation status)

Community Care Circles

ABOUT THIS SPECIAL SERIES: As we continue to live in the middle of the COVID 19 pandemic, cases of xenophobia and race-based hate crimes targeting Asian American communities have escalated in an alarming yet not unprecedented manner. To combat the harmful rhetoric being spread and inflicted on our neighbors, Green Card Voices has launched #LoveYourAsianNeighbors campaign. In this special podcast series, we highlight the lived narratives of Asian Americans overcoming difficulties, finding abundance in the face of scarcity, and taking action towards a better future.

On this week’s episode our series host Tri Vo checks in with Hoang Murphy, the Founder/Executive Director of Foster Advocates, and MK Nguyen, a cultural worker based in the Frogtown Neighborhood of Saint Paul. With attention to both immediate needs and future possibility, they talk about making it through shelter-in-place with intentional community-building, the impact of the COVID 19 crisis on youth in Minnesota’s foster care system, and accessing resources in our communities and within ourselves Join the Green Card Voices podcast community and hear more from Hoang and MK by becoming Patron at www.patreon.com/gcvpodcast Share Mk and Hoang’s conversation online, using the #LoveYourAsianNeighbors hashtag. Share with us your story of raising the voices, whether it’s your own or another’s voice, of Asian Americans. Discussed this week:

Foster Advocates

The Southeast Asian Diaspora Project (SEAD)

National Vietnamese Progressive Group

PIVOT, The Progressive Vietnamese American Organization

Movement Generation

Culture Strike

Center for Story-based Strategy

Education for Liberation

St. Paul Bridge Fund (an emergency relief program for families with children and small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic)

Paycheck Protection Program (a government loan designed to help small businesses keep their workforce employed during the COVID-19 pandemic)

Small Business Assistance Loan

ABOUT THIS SPECIAL SERIES: As we continue to live in the middle of the COVID 19 pandemic, cases of xenophobia and race-based hate crimes targeting Asian American communities have escalated in an alarming yet not unprecedented manner. To combat the harmful rhetoric being spread and inflicted on our neighbors, Green Card Voices has launched #LoveYourAsianNeighbors campaign. In this special podcast series, we highlight the lived narratives of Asian Americans overcoming difficulties, finding abundance in the face of scarcity, and taking action towards a better future.

Our first episode of #LoveYourAsianNeighbors special series dives into what it means to be in community during the pandemic, to center those with the least access as we create solutions, and to find abundance in the face of scarcity. We’re joined by series host Tri Vo, and community leaders Bo Thao-Urabe, Founder and Executive Director of the Coalition of Asian American Leaders (CAAL), and Nausheena Hussain, Founder and Executive Director of Reviving the Islamic Sisterhood for Empowerment (RISE). To find out more about Bo and Nausheena’s work please visit, caalmn.org revivingsisterhood.org Discussed this week:

Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Minnesota

Minnesota’s Discrimination Hotline

Join the Green Card Voices podcast community and support immigrant storytelling: www.patreon.com/gcvpodcast Please leave us a rating and review on iTunes. This helps more people find our work. ABOUT THIS SPECIAL SERIES: As we continue to live in the middle of the COVID 19 pandemic, cases of xenophobia and race-based hate crimes targeting Asian American communities have escalated in an alarming yet not unprecedented manner. To combat the harmful rhetoric being spread and inflicted on our neighbors, Green Card Voices has launched #LoveYourAsianNeighbors campaign. In this special podcast series, we highlight the lived narratives of Asian Americans overcoming difficulties, finding abundance in the face of scarcity, and taking action towards a better future.

Thorunn Bjarnadottir first came to the University of Minnesota as an international student. Since then, she has built a life in Minnesota with a family born on multiple continents. Today Thorunn is the Director of Intercultural Education at the University of Minnesota’s International Student and Scholar Services. Through her work, she helps people from around the world navigate cultural differences. Join our community on Patreon and support immigrant storytelling: patreon.com/gcvpodcast

Diversity & Inclusion Strategy for the Minnesota Twins Baseball Club. He is a tireless community advocate who strives to build rich partnerships and create better opportunities for those just arriving in the United States. But Miguel’s story begins in Puerto Rico, where he grew up and broke in his first baseball glove. Join our community on Patreon and support immigrant storytelling: patreon.com/gcvpodcast

Muhend Abakar is well-known for his athletic achievements—from the soccer field to the basketball court to the 3,200-meter relay. Growing-up first in Sudan, then Egypt, and finally, the United States, sports were a familiar way for Muhend to connect with new people in unfamiliar places. Join our community on Patreon and support immigrant storytelling: patreon.com/gcvpodcast

Regina Santiago tells her story of immigration, education, and optimism. It’s a story that unfolds in the many diverse classrooms where she has been both a student and a teacher: from a Filipino Catholic elementary school, to an American-style school in Indonesia, to a small liberal arts college in the Midwest, and finally to the classroom where she currently teaches first and second graders in St. Paul, Minnesota Join our community on Patreon and support immigrant storytelling: patreon.com/gcvpodcast

Vy Luong grew up in Châu Thành district in Tiền Giang province, Vietnam. His immigration story begins much earlier and spans multiple generations of his family. Vy’s grandfather is an American that served in the Vietnam War. Her mother is half American. After the war, they lost contact. When Vy was in sixth grade, his family left home in Vietnam to move to the United States to reunite with his grandfather. It’s been 40 years since his mother has seen his father. Vy hopes to become a family physician after the support he received from moving to the US. Join our community on Patreon and support immigrant storytelling: patreon.com/gcvpodcast

Tommy Beevas grew up in Kingston, Jamaica. The loss he felt leaving behind the familiarity of his grandmother’s kitchen was the spark of his entrepreneur journey in the United States. After winning the Food Network’s, Food Court Wars, Tommy left his corporate career to open Pimento Jamaican Kitchen in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Pimento’s flagship location is now a staple of Minneapolis’ Eat Street, a celebrated hub of international food. Join our community on Patreon and support immigrant storytelling: patreon.com/gcvpodcast

Iya Xiong is a first-generation Hmong immigrant in a diaspora community that is well in St. Paul, Minnesota. After waiting years for a visa, Iya and her parents came to the US to join her siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins. In 2018, the Hmong community crowned Iya Miss Hmong MN. She was the first pageant winner born outside of the United States. Join our community on Patreon and support immigrant storytelling: patreon.com/gcvpodcast

Getiria Onsongo grew up in Kenya. He first arrived in the US as an international student at a small liberal arts college in St. Paul, Minnesota. After graduation, he continued to build his life and career as a computer scientist in the Twin Cities. Looking back at the string of circumstances and opportunities that have shaped his life, Getiria considers himself lucky and hopes to break down educational barriers for future generations. Join our community on Patreon and support immigrant storytelling: patreon.com/gcvpodcast

Ameeta Jaiswal-Dale grew up in India, in an area of the country well known for its apple orchards. She first emigrated to study economics in France where she received her doctorate from the Université de Rennes. After living and teaching in Minnesota for many years, Ameeta synthesised her knowledge of the apple industries and food cultures in India, France, and the United States to co-found Panache, a Minneapolis-based brand of artisan apple juice infusions. Join our community on Patreon and support immigrant storytelling: patreon.com/gcvpodcast

After living in San Salvador all their life,  Luis Angel Santos Henriquez moved to the US without speaking any English.  Once in the US, they became one of many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and gender-nonconforming immigrants who finally found a place where they can be safe and be themselves.  Since, Luis Angel completed Wellstone International High School, and is currently pursuing their bachelors degree in Human Services at  Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minnesota. Join our community on Patreon and support immigrant storytelling: patreon.com/gcvpodcast

Important Note: If you identify as a member of the LGBTQIA community, and you need access to resources and/or access to safe spaces, there are two amazing organizations out of many to check out: @outfrontmn (www.outfront.org) and @nami_minnesota_helps (www.namimn.org). **DISCLAIMER** Some of the content within this episode is very sensitive in nature.

The first episode of Green Card Voices’ Podcast features Fadumo Yusuf, a mechanical engineer working to bring new medical device technologies to the market. When Fadumo was in 8th grade, her family resettled to Minnesota. There, a high school teacher noticed her aptitude for STEM and encouraged her to join a club focused on invention. Now, this Gates-Millennium Scholar works for a medical device company, writes short stories and poems, and mentors young girls pursuing STEM. Her story is also part of GCV’s collection of 20 personal essays by immigrants and refugees working in STEM and living throughout Minnesota (published in February 2020). Join our community on Patreon and support immigrant storytelling: patreon.com/gcvpodcast