Overachiever Magazine: MAY 2021 by Overachiever Magazine

THE MAY ISSUE

FOUNDER & EIC Rehana Paul

LAYOUT & DESIGN Chloe Sun Francine Cayanan Marieska Luzada Meera Singh

CONTRIBUTORS ZOE KIM / REHANA PAUL / MADDI CHUN / ERICA CHANG / JEAN SUMBILLA / J. FAITH MALICDEM / A. MANA NAVA / MERICA WONG / JESIE SALCEDO / KATE ANDERSON-SONG / NEEKA BOROUMANDI / KARENNA UMSCHEID / CHARLOTTE DRUMMOND / LANG DUONG /NATALIE OBEDOS

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n ts

conte f o le

04 interview with hae.zy 08 why now? by j. faith malicdem 12 interview with joyce & amy by zoe

58 poetry roundup 62 interview with hannah johns by

16 reparations by erica chang 18 interview with rehma by neeka

salcedo

kim

maddi chun

65 ilove to hate the language by jesie 68 asian films to watch while social

boroumandi

distancing by karenna umscheid

jean sumbilla

paul

22 playlist: aapi appreciation pt. 1 by

70 interview with michelle li by rehana

24 asian storytellers and their lack of

74 pieces by chealsea jia feng 76 interview with sujuta day by kate

awards by a. mana nava

26 interview with malavika kannan by

anderson-song

33 an overpriced coffee shop and me by

80 pieces by sunnie liu 82 film/TV review corner: “definition

35 playlist: aapi appreciation pt. 2 by

84 interview with demie cao by

kate anderson-song erica wong

jean sumbilla

36 interview with annika oyung by maddi chun

40 orientalism and the yellow peril:

please” by kate anderson-song charlotte drummond

88 interview with drea darby by zoe kim

a brief look into the cornerstone of racism against asians in america by j. faith malicdem

42 overachievers 46 diversifying the asian american narrative by lang duong

50 miss demure by natalie obedos 54 interview with sophie kanno by maddi chun

written by Kate Anderson-Song

Hae.zy is a Korean-American independent artist from Boston, MA. She debuted in 2018 with her first single, “The Morning After”, recorded at the Berklee College of Music Studios. Hae.zy’s unique style explores several genres including jazz, pop, R&B, soul, and neo-soul, contributing to her authentic sound. Inspired by musical influences like Erykah Badu, Jhene Aiko, SZA, Ari Lennox, Amy Winehouse, Hae.zy’s music has an eclectic vibe, marrying futuristic melodies with a poetic lyrical style. Hae.zy passionately represents her Asian American roots, hoping to connect to her audience not only by expressing her eccentric sense of empathy in her music, but by speaking on important cultural matters. Social profiles: SoundCloud: @hae_zy Instagram: @babyhaez333 Spotify: Hae.Zy Facebook: @hae.zymusic Introduce yourself! Hey, my name is Hae.zy and I’m an artist/ musician from Boston, now residing in LA. I’ve been singing and writing music for most of my life and have a calling and love to connect with people all over the world through music. Your EP, Love letter, comes out on April 28, 2021. Can you introduce this EP? What inspired it? What is it about? And sonically, what is its sound? ‘Love letter’ is my love letter to the world, about Love. Love is the highest frequency to ever exist and through music’s direct connection to our hearts, I’m confident that these songs and messages will be delivered well. Each song was created through life experiences, whether it’s my own personal stories or it’s the stories of others, they were meant to be told. Sonically, every song is different in their own way but definitely have their own vibe and aesthetic. It’s kinda like opening doors to rooms in a house, each room has their own feel, smell and decoration. The whole album was inspired by jazz, r&b, soul, rock, reggae and pop.

The track “Mong (dreams)” on this new EP is set to have a music video released in May, and the song comes from a very personal place. Can you talk a bit about the inspiration behind this song? This is my mother’s pregnancy dream story while she was cooking me up in her belly. She told me this story not too long ago and I had to include it in the EP because it served as such a huge affirmation to my purpose. I hope this song connects families and loved ones together and encourages us to fill our own cups up with love so that we can all pour onto others. As a female Korean-American artist how has your cultural identity affected your creative upbringing? Your music? Your career? My family had always recognized the special gifts I was given at a young age so the support was solid in going into music as my career. Although, how I wanted to live out that journey was tough to stand firm in during my younger days. From middle to high school, I was pressured to audition for many singing competitions and Kpop music label competitions. But the standard in raising a performer rather

than an artist was something I was never interested in nor good at. Performing comes naturally when I’m feeling the most creative, inspired and in my power. So earning the respect as an artist rather than a performer was my priority - this took years of education and eventually establishing my own brand to find freedom myself. Where do you find inspiration for your music? I find it through stories, life experiences and human emotions. These things exist and they’re all real. I want to tell stories through music about what we go through, what we feel and how we all can relate and connect with one another. Going through life, we may be alone but it doesn’t have to be lonely. How has this time of COVID-19 affected you and your music/career? How have you been coping? I believe that this pandemic was the greatest thing to ever happen. Ever since I graduated college, I had tunnel vision on releasing this EP and working full time in making art + music. But while working 12-14 hours everyday and then coping with that every day hustle had me growing further away from my purpose. Through divine timing and the grace of God, I was finally able to finish this EP and release it to the world. Wishes granted. What does self care mean to you? How do you take care of yourself? Self care to me is loving God. And God is within me all around me, therefore I love myself and that rotation continues. I can be a control freak sometimes and that can cause me to block my own blessings. So making sure that I stay in alignment and let Spirit

take the driver’s seat of my life allows the blessings to flow into me and onto others. Is there anything you wish you knew when you began pursuing music? Any piece of advice you have for others pursuing their musical dreams? That none of this matters. We’re all here for a reason and once our life purpose is fulfilled and we find peace within ourselves, our souls go on another journey. So say things with your chest and do things with integrity but don’t be attached to the worldly things, because it doesn’t matter anyways. Here are some rapid-fire questions: Your go-to coffee shop order? Hot/Iced coffee (depending on weather) with oat milk and 3 raw sugars. Any special or secret skills (i.e. wiggling your ears, etc.)? My intuition. It’s not a special skill but it helps me dodge bullets and stanky energies. Music you’re listening to right now? Grounded by Ari Lennox. Ultimate comfort food? Sushi. What has been the highlight of your day today? Full moon in Scorpio. I’ve been going through it today. What is upcoming for you and your work? I’m plotting the next full album, filled with funk and jazzy beats. The next album is going to be filled with good vibes, dance tracks and soul. OM.

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M E M E D D C I C I L L A A M M TTHH

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Johanna Faith Malicdem is a junior studying journalism at Emerson College and is Overachiever’s Editorial Intern. She is also the creator and curator of the PieFace Column. Aside from writing, Johanna Faith has many creative endeavors, including film photography and music-making. She hopes to further media coverage on mental health as well as music and the arts. INSTAGRAM: @johannafaith THE PIEFACE COLUMN: https://www.piefacecolumn.com/ Trigger warning and reader’s discretionary note: discussion of anti-Asian hate, violence, suicide, racism, and sexism.

n journalism class over Zoom, my professor went on about the state of news today, addressing an anti-Asian hate-related news package one of my classmates had pieced together. “Just before class this morning, the Internet was plastered with headlines about a Filipino woman in New York…” I zoned out as if my brain had grown accustomed to blocking out harmful information. But still, I shut my camera off and turned down my volume as my face grew hot, tears pooling in my eyes.

With every passing day, a new frightening occurrence would overtake the news, and my rise in followers and retweets would parallel said tragedies. Why did it take this for people to finally listen to me and other Asian folks? –

Growing up, instilling the standards of white approval against my intrinsic Filipino identity and Asian appearance to combat my lack of whiteness was a habit I, like many other Asians raised in America, felt forced into. It was a Since the rise in anti-Asian survival tactic. It was instilled hate crimes earlier this year, at the cost of denouncing other I’ve felt myself endure the people who looked like me. It pressures of addressing the so- was a practice my first-generciopolitical implications of the ation mother and second-gen#StopAAPIHate movement, eration father adapted to at as well as my own experiences the cost of failing to practice as an Asian American. It felt Tagalog in our household and as though people were final- avoiding passing on family ly paying attention and like I recipes in order to please the needed to cater to audiences Americanized palette my sibnow that my voice was actu- lings and I had taken on. Bagel ally being considered, despite bites smelled a lot less intimithe years of hard work I had dating than dinuguan. poured into my work. Once I got to college, the

importance of my heritage and culture made itself apparent when I realized that I felt more at home with friends who understood the damaging trek to becoming white. It made my blood boil. Suddenly my trajectory in life would change because I found a new passion that involved directly combatting the white standards that made myself and other Black, Indigenous, and People of Color feel like we are less welcome, less worthy, and less human. Joining Overachiever was just one way for me to hone in on this passion, and for the editorial internship opportunity, I am forever grateful. – I soon felt more drawn than ever to executing projects that would involve deeply personal aspects of my identity. I would constantly dissect emotionally taxing experiences of my own. I had opened up about yellow fever and the queer experience as an Asian feminine-presenting person on live radio. I had revealed that my passion for

writing and t h e startup of my online publication were born out of the literal silencing of my voice–writing was, and still is, a tactic of communication and survival. Even when I distanced myself from my projects, I would still take on ones that revealed systemic racism and sexism in garment factories overseas or the recurring workplace prejudices against women and other gender minorities in STEM fields. As if the research and preparation that went into these projects weren’t already emotionally draining enough, I contributed a thorough academic analysis of Orientalism and the Yellow Peril as foundations for anti-Asian sentiments for Overachiever’s latest Asian American History issue. And of course, ironically, I’m writing this article—very meta. If I weren’t taking advantage of my ability to publish the work aforementioned, then the opportunity to spread awareness and knowledge would be going to waste. Or at least that’s what I’d tell myself. Being “on” 24/7 and carrying out this mission against racism began to take a toll on

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me. The worry of losing traction and skipping out on the opportunity to discuss rarely-addressed issues burdened me and left me feeling more burnt out than ever. It felt like I had to make up for my years of compliance by using every opportunity to educate or call out racist behavior in my academic and social circles. While these conversations were (for the most part) productive, many of them would

“Why are they just now paying attention? Why now, when this has been happening for centuries?” go nowhere. The discussion would only end in the other (read: white) person on the receiving end of my critiques trying to level out their faults with overcompensatory white guilt that would only make me pity them and feel ashamed for trying to call them out for their behavior in the first place. Now and then, they’ll post about my work or repost photos of me, and it leads me

to believe I’m just a poster child used for proof of allyship. *deep breath* Is this how it’s going to be from now on? People will only listen to me and accredit me when there is a tragedy at hand? Am I only going to be received well when I put myself in a vulnerable position to educate or call out someone? Why are they just now paying attention? Why now, when this has been happening for centuries? While I do recognize that being able to execute such projects, having a platform to share the voices of others, as well as bringing light to the varying injustices specifically endured by AAPI, I hope that there is a day when I am not pressuring myself to flesh out personal experiences to catch the attention of those who would not otherwise pay mind to me at all, whether it be my actual writing or my existence alone. It is not my responsibility, nor the responsibility of BIPOC in general, to educate and keep others in check. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in all fields, whether it be STEM, the creative realm, or what have you, have been doing so much to further their crafts and passions for themselves–not for the sake of white people.

– I pride myself in the work I’ve done. I take solace in knowing that there are (read: non-white) folks out there who have read or listened to my work who have been able to not only learn, but also to relate and identify with. But having to explain the origin stories of my ideas and of my passions breaks my heart more and more each time I do so. My self-proclaimed trajectory in life was still so clearly being defined by the hardships myself, my family, and other marginalized communities have been undergoing in the name of white supremacy. And that seems to be a recurring pattern: a marginalized person dedicates their life’s work to bettering the circumstances for those who come after them in an attempt to combat the trauma that has been inflicted onto themselves and their communities. Iris Chang, a Chinese-American journalist, political activist, and author, and Ronald Takaki, a Japanese-American academic, historian, and ethnographer, both dedicated their lives to addressing and re-

counting racism and violence experienced by their families, communities, and Asian people all over the world that had been suppressed from the public’s eye for so long. Both of them are highly regarded as influential trailblazers, and their work is still widely used today in academia. Both of them took their own lives.

has any sort of educational value pertaining to said identities. If you’re going to support BIPOC, uplift us in everything we do–not just when we serve any benefit to you. OM.

The stakes, the pressures, and the responsibilities people of color feel the need to adhere to are traumatizing. Yes, the work they produce is beneficial to many, as it furthers discussions, literature, and self-discovery for other Asian people, but why must it be at the cost of their own well-being? – Do not cherry-pick our labor. Do not use us as your proof of allyship. Do not assume that our sole purpose is to liberate ourselves and our communities. Do not tokenize us as your personal crutch whenever you mess up and need help figuring out how to come off as someone who isn’t racist. The entirety of our existence does not amount to the racism, prejudice, and xenophobia we have been subjected to. BIPOC do work (and have been doing work) that exists outside of our racial and ethnic identities. We deserve credit, attention, and love whether or not our work

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joyce & amy BY ZOE KIM

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Joyce & Amy (@harrysmamas) are a queer Asian married couple living in NYC with their dog (and namesake), Harry. What started out as simple fun & games on TikTok became larger than what they expected when an outpour of love, support, and a cry for more representation for LGBT+ Asians followed. Now, they are committed to doing what they can to help shed further light on Queer Asian visibility to say “we exist, we are here, and we matter”. All social profiles: https://beacons.ai/harrysmamas Instagram & TikTok: @harrysmamas YouTube: Joyce & Amy Email: harrysmamas@gmail.com Introduce yourselves! Hello! We are Joyce & Amy—we are your everyday couple who happens to be Queer and Asian. We live in NYC with our namesake and our pupper, Harry, and we are so excited to work together with Overachiever. Thanks for having us! How did you meet? A: Funny story about that—we apparently actually met back in 2016 at a NYC Pride party via mutual friends… I remember seeing a cute girl wearing a white tank top, but I had a girlfriend at the time and she seemed to have a girlfriend too, so I didn’t think much past that. J: I don’t remember this (lol). I don’t remember meeting Amy in 2016, but we met (again) in Fall of 2018 through NYC Pride Basketball League and we pretty much saw each other every weekend. A: Even though I don’t play basketball (lol). I used to go just watch the games and the fact that Joyce was in the league just became extra incentive to go hang out at the court… because I still thought she was really cute. J: It was pretty obvious that she was into me… and eventually, she won me over :) What inspired you to share your story on social media? What has the response been like? A: Honestly, we were just really BORED during the pandemic. And TikTok was the newest thing so we thought we’d try it, just for fun, and posted a

video about how Joyce decided to give us a chance since I had such a huge crush on her, and how it ended up with us getting married. J: The response has been mostly positive. We’ve received a lot of support but we also received a lot of sentiments around how there is a lack of representation of the Queer Asian community in media in general. A: This made us realize that our platform could potentially hold a bigger meaning for us and others as well, past just casual fun. It’s a way to show people that we are here, living our lives, and a “happy ending” is possible for Queer Asians as well. We especially want to get this message out to Queer Asian youths who may be struggling with their identity, just like Joyce and I have in the past. How have you handled sharing your lives with such a large audience? J: We’ve had to adjust a little bit in how we approach certain situations. For example, we do get negative comments as well, obviously. A: I’m definitely more sensitive than Joyce, so negative comments, admittedly, give me lots of anxiety. But we’ve had to not let every little thing get to us. Joyce had to tell me on more than one occasion to “let it go.” J: I don’t mean to say that to say fighting back doesn’t matter - there is obviously education and learning that needs to be done. But I want us to take care of our own mental health first in any case. That’s the most important thing to

me. We’re not afraid to share our lives or our personal stories with the larger public but we understand we can’t make everybody happy. But at the end of the day, we’re sticking to our personal mission of bringing more visibility to Queer Asian experiences - that is our ultimate goal that we don’t want to lose sight on. How do you approach creating content? J: Amy is definitely the creative director (and I like to say that I’m the featured talent). A: I actually have a background in theatre - my undergraduate degree is in acting. So I’m a creative person at heart and I’ve loved the process of having to come up with interesting and funny TikTok or Youtube ideas. My career right now is not a very creative role, so it’s been therapeutic to do more social media and come up with new content ideas. And the fact that I can do it with my wife is the cherry on top. J: We both have full time jobs so it’s hard to carve out time on weekends sometimes, but we try our best to create content that will be helpful or funny or somehow serve our community. A: Not every video is serious (most are not) but it’s the idea of normalizing our existence and the existence of the Queer Asian community. We can be funny. We can be serious. We can feel, we can experience, and we matter. Favorite part of being content creators? J: Being able to make people happy and laugh through our content. A: Relatability is also important to me. That’s how the world connects, right? Being able to relate to other people’s experiences and express empathy. I love when people comment “relatable!” on our videos. What advice do you have for LGBTQ+ Asians who are struggling with feeling seen and/or finding confidence in being

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LGBTQ+ and Asian? A: We’ve both been told in the past that we “can’t be gay because we’re Asian” and “I never knew Korean/Chinese/Asian girl can be gay”, and of course, “You don’t look gay.” These rhetorics are harmful. Fortunately enough, there are a lot of communities now that you can be a part of to find more people that are alike to your experiences. J: What worked for us is that we found communities that we felt safe and comfortable in. Even if you don’t live in a major city like we do, there are resources online and connections to be made with like-minded people. You are not alone. A: This might come across as obvious, but there is nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed about being LGBT+ AND Asian. Marrying both of those identities within yourself is really hard--I know, I’ve been through it. But I’m really proud to love who I love, and I am really proud of my Korean heritage. And I exist, right? I’m here for a reason, for a purpose. And I am LIVING PROOF that both of these identities can exist in one being. And that’s a beautiful thing. I want us to have more pride in ourselves and our being. What has (self) acceptance meant and/or looked like for the both of you? J: It’s been liberating to finally be able to express how I feel and not hide who I really am. I feel lucky that I now have friends and family who accept me for who I am. They’ve made my self-acceptance journey easier. A: I think it’s important to find your support system. When I first came out, I started with my closest friends and took it from there so that the probability of a positive reaction was at its maximum. Having the support of my closest friends from the start and being able to come out to people one by one with that support behind me has helped my self-acceptance journey a lot.

What room for growth do you see in the Asian LGBTQ+ community? What things do you currently see that you think are working? A: Let me start off first by saying, I love my Asian LGBTQ+ community and what it stands for. But sometimes, at least from my personal experience, I see a lack of desire to share our stories. I’m not saying everybody needs to go on social media and share their whole life but I do think the lack of visibility and representation stems from our cultural tendencies that we all have to be “normal” and being in the spotlight can only bring negative consequences. I hope that Joyce and me sharing our stories will inspire others to share our experiences more (especially in light of everything happening to our AAPI community right now) and not let our voices get drowned out any longer. J: In terms of what is working, I do appreciate and recognize that the allyship is really strong in the community. I see in online groups the amount of support that people get from posts, comments, etc and the amount of learning being done. I also want to specially point out that I see the younger generation being a part of these groups and I think it’s amazing that they get to start their self-discovery journey sooner and they get the good fortune to be more self-aware at a younger age. That’s incredible to me because it’s something I didn’t have when I was their age. Where would you like to see yourselves and your content go next? A: There is something Joyce’s dad says often in regards to Joyce’s sexuality and her relationship to me, and it is that “As long as she’s happy.” It’s so simple but I think it’s so important that to me, Joyce and my happiness is everything. And right now, being able to represent our community and potentially even help others come to terms with their identity makes me incredibly happy and is more than enough for me. I hope we can keep continuing our journey towards this direction.

“I’m really proud to love who I love, and I am really proud of my Korean heritage. I am LIVING PROOF that both of these identities can exist in one being. And that’s a beautiful thing. I want us to have more pride in ourselves and our being.” J: I hope our content will continue to spread and reach others, not just within our communities but beyond that as well. We can keep preaching to the choir but I’d like to see our message reach new audiences that may not be as conscious of our lived experiences. Our hope is to spread awareness, educate, and start conversations about the LGBT+ Asian stories and hopefully, for the future generation, they won’t feel so invisible anymore. Anything else you’d like to share? Thank you so much to those that already follow our journey, for however long or short period of time! We appreciate everyone for the love and support that we’ve received in the past 11 months. Thank you for the invitation to participate in this article - we are truly honored and grateful to be given a platform to share our views and our mission. We are filled with nothing but gratitude!

reparations BY ERICA CHANG @ericachang_ Erica Chang (she/her) is a Chinese Hawaiian American. She has traveled to several countries in Asia and has spent time studying trauma, memoirs and testimonies and often ponders how we can honor those who have come before us and the legacy they have enriched us with. Currently, she can be found in beautiful Tacoma, WA, working in higher education and teaching vinyasa yoga classes in her community. With yoga, she has found a melding of the best things in her life-laughter, sweat, community, and strength. These roles fill her cup, as do the mountains and ocean that surround her.

urrently, India, with a population of over 1.3 billion is suffering from a massive COVID-19 surge. There have been mass cremations, hospitals running low or out of medical supplies, and many patients dying due to oxygen shortages. Families are rushing from hospital to hospital, scrambling to find open hospital beds or space in the ICU for their loved ones. In April, it was reported that there were 6.6 million COVID cases. Daily cases have been continuously rising, with many going unreported. On May 7th, the Indian government reported more than 414,000 new COVID infections. Despite the United States is more than 8,000 miles and multiple time zones away from India, this situation is crucial and critical. Yoga is a multifaceted philosophy, medical practice, and way of life that originated

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from India that has been cul- and 72% of them are white turally appropriated, homog- women. Racism is so implicit, enized, secularized, and com- that one might not notice a mercialized in the Western white woman on a magazine world. In the West, the phys- cover, yoga video, or endorsical fitness of yoga is favored ing yoga merchandise the maover its spiritual aspect and is jority of the time. branded by white influencers who have reaped the benefits It is not until you do some of yoga, especially with the digging and ask yourself online boom during the pan- “What does yoga have to do demic. If you search yoga on with my community?” “Does Youtube or on Google, your it exist in my community?” results will consist of white “How do I contribute to yoga?” individuals as “most relevant” This is when you start to noor “most popular.” On glossy tice the inequalities and injuscovers of yoga magazines and tices. journals, nearly every spread features a thin white woman Yoga is a privilege of the wearing slim pants and a snug middle class, who can afford tank, the “appropriate” attire the unlimited memberships, in an advanced posture or sit- equipment, and clothing that ting in meditation with her would maintain and suseyes closed. tain the so-called “promise” of maximum function and While the mention of mag- maintain overall health. The azine covers may seem like a problem is not that BIPOC stereotype, it is rooted in reali- communities cannot afford ty. Over 36 million Americans yoga, there is just not a huge have stated they practice yoga emphasis for them to try. The

lack of representation fuels the feeling of potentially being “othered” especially with white women leading the charge and being significant figures on advertisements, billboards, and on social media. The way yoga is marketed is either entirely dismissive or ignorant of its connections to its ancient roots. This is appropriation at its worst. I urge these white women to decenter their whiteness and to center its dissolution. To understand how they have benefited or profited from yoga teachings by creating yoga businesses and yoga studios and how to honor yoga’s ancient roots. Know that the culture we exist in is perpetuated by white supremacy and that this culture replicates itself, quietly, and selfishly under the assumptions of good intentions.

Yogis, we must speak up and take action so we can increase freedom and liberation for all. Yoga is a practice for everyone and for everybody. Let’s honor that. OM.

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If you have benefited from, learned from, taught, or have profited from yoga, pay up and provide reparations. Do not let your own self-interest or ignorance get in the way of thoroughly examining how you are upholding white supremacy. Be willing to remove yourself from being defensive and stop saying “well, I am not like that” and be willing to speak up no matter how awkward or fearful you may be.

rehma

INTERVIEW WITH

BY NEEKA BOROUMANDI 18 | overachiever magazine

REHMA’s soulfully smooth vocals are woven in with jazzy and alt R&B beats, creating a dreamy experience that is transcendent and powerful. Growing up, life was nomadic and full of road trips across America peppered with a diverse soundtrack — from 80s pop to Bollywood disco and psych-rock to old-school jazz. Raised in a Pakistani-American household, she takes a deeply personal and curious approach to her music, creating a unique sound that balances the structure of classical training and a playful disregard of rules altogether. REHMA released her debut studio EP titled “Mercy” in 2020 — which explores the narratives of love, identity, and growth.

Introduce yourself! What’s good, Overachiever! I’m Rehma! I am a singer/songwriter based out of Los Angeles, CA. :) How did you get into doing music? It’s definitely been a life-long journey for me. My mom always loves to tell stories of me singing in the backseat on drives, as young as 2-3 years old. Growing up, a lot of the greats and legends—Whitney Houston being one of them–were what I enjoyed singing. Their songs and expressing myself through them felt like a magical escape. Most of my days were spent trying to belt out the challenging notes or singing karaoke on my Nintendo Wii. The first time I sang in front of other people was on a family vacation – I went up to sing “My Heart Will Go On” during a karaoke night. The restaurant became quiet and my family was so excited for me – they would volunteer me to sing it at family parties and weddings all the time. I began to take it seriously and joined the choir team which inspired me to start writing my own songs. Around the time I was 14, I was recording covers and songs in my closet on Garageband because writing and singing felt

cathartic. I would post them on YouTube, SoundCloud, and Twitter which is where a lot of the people who first started listening and supporting me found me. It’s actually how I ended up meeting Haseeb – who produced and helped me release a few singles and my latest project Mercy! Your debut EP, Mercy, came out last year. How has that been? What inspired that EP? It’s been beautiful. Mercy was a true labor of love and formative for me as an artist. I’m doing my best to remain present & continue to be grateful for all the people that are still listening to the project! To say that my first project got half a million streams is incredible, especially as an independent artist. We had a very small budget and a pandemic shifted a lot of my plans, so I’m really grateful people love it. It was all made possible by friends who were down with the vision and willing to collaborate, and the power of everyone who has supported us so far. The songs were all written over a span of 3 years, starting from when I was 17. Much of the EP was inspired by my lived experiences—real, tough things that were happening

at that time in my life. The project felt like a spiritual release. In a way, the project feels innocent because I was beginning to navigate things like identity, love, family, and all kinds of growth. By the time I put the music out, a lot of the material that I had created around and represented had been processed, so it’s really beautiful to see it resonate with people who are similarly going through or have been through those experiences. What is your favorite song off of the EP? What does that song mean to you? It’s always changing & hard for me to pick a favorite. Right now, I’d say “Dreaming.” This song feels special to me right now because I’ve been reflecting on my journey as an artist and performer lately. It was the first song I ever professionally recorded & reminds me of that time in my life as I was going through such youthful, spirited emotions. Do you feel as though you have found your voice with this EP? Do you think your future music will be sonically the same or have a new sound? Yes, I definitely discovered myself as a vocalist through Mercy. However, I know that artistry and musicianship is a constant work in progress. I’m going to keep evolving and breaking boundaries sonically and structurally, while holding on to my consistency as a vocalist. A lot of newer artists are good at genre-bending and breaking the rules. It’s what feels true and authentic to me, so that’s

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“A lot of newer artists are good at genre-bending and breaking the rules. It’s what feels true and authentic to me, so that’s what I’ll continue to do. “ what I’ll continue to do. I won’t give away too much, but trust that it will be epic! As a Female Pakistani-American, how does your identity coincide with your music? Has your identity influenced much of your musical taste or upbringing? Timing, places, people, everything plays a role in this universe. The reason I listen to the legends like Whitney Houston or Michael Jackson is because when my family immigrated here, that’s what was popular on the radio. My voice is influenced by the things I was surrounded by—a mix of surahs I would hear at tarawih, German Classical music in choir, or Bollywood disco on Sunday mornings as a cleaning soundtrack. It’s all made me who I am and what continues to inspire me. I’ll riff in certain ways or add specific instruments to pay homage to my South Asian roots. It’s a rich culture full of poetry, storytelling, melodies, and history that is important to me. What does your musical process look like? How was being in quarantine this last year impacted that process? My musical process is a mix of things –

chaotic, peaceful, insightful, observational, etc. I’m constantly coming up with ideas and thinking about what I’m creating. It’s been hard in the pandemic, but also helpful because it encouraged me to spend time alone. In those moments I’ve been able to release and process all that I’m feeling and experiencing, which helps me dive into the actual acts of creating, writing, and collaborating. The most challenging part has been sticking to an idea and staying committed to it. It’s easy to lose interest or faith in something, but I always try to ground myself in what inspires me and why I do this. I see that you love to post many TikToks. What do you think of TikTok’s impact on the music industry? Do you feel as though it has helped you grow? TikTok is wild. I credit a lot of the more recent success for my project to TikTok. Not only has helped so many musicians, such as myself, foster our communities and create in new mediums, it delivers music to the people that want to hear and support it. It’s allowed me to build a community that allows me to be myself without judgement, express myself in ways beyond music, while also challenging me to do more unique and fun things.

Scan for the Spotify playlist!

Who are your biggest musical influences? This is such a hard question! I have a whole playlist of the voices that have influenced me to sing which you can find right here.

Ariana, and SZA. That bad bitch energy encompassed across R&B, soul, alternative, and pop, etc. I am a big fan of your overall fashion and style. Where do you get your fashion inspiration? Thank you! I owe a lot of that to my sister, Rumsha. She’s been my stylist from the beginning and on the Mercy project. My inspiration is definitely very 70s, it was a time full of colorful, funky tones with a little bit of edge and glamour combined. Also, Cher. What advice would you give to other upcoming artists that want to get started in this industry? I would advise them to: believe in yourself and celebrate and express gratitude for every win. This is a tricky industry, but it’s important to remain authentic and hold onto your intentions. Be open to learning at every step of the way. Can you give us any insights on what we can expect from your future music and any upcoming projects? All I can say is, y’all ain’t ready. OM.

For an overall sonic influence, I lean towards Frank Ocean, The Weeknd, Rihanna,

: t s li iation y a c l e p pr ! p 1 t a r i a p p BY JEAN

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ILLA Jean is the D esign Editor for loves being a part of a com Overachiever Magazin e. She munity emp Aside from owering Asi her work fo a r n th wo e magazine, studying, be ing a coffee/ you can find men. bob he or a combin ation of all th a enthusiast, listening to r music, ree. If you did ican and P n’t know, the month fellow Can acific Islander Herit of May is Asian-Am order to ce adian readers, Asian age Month! Or for erlist, here’s alebrate and appreciate History Month! So our artists that calm, chill vibe play AAPI this in this p, in lis you may kn la ow or not yt featuring some AAPye I t k now of! As mention e d above, I m calm, chill ade are more uvibe of things, and if ythis playlist more on issue (hint pbeat… maybe keep ou’re wanting songs ththe found artis hint). From doing a an eye out for the n at hopefully, yts that I, myself haven deep dive on Spotifyext ’t ou found a , new artist toheard of until now an I d li s te n to as well Let us kno ! w w h at you thin ing us on o k song recom ur social media platfof the playlist by mes s orms or if mendation you have a ags too! ny

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asian storytellers and their lack of awards BY A. MANA NAVA @books.with.mana A. Mana Nava is a freelance writer and a dog-walking-while-reading hazard. Their fiction has been nominated for the Best American Short Story anthology. The nominated piece can be found in The Hopkins Review (issue 13.4). Currently, they are an editorial coordinator at Overachiever, contributor for the Drizzle Review, and editorial intern for the Macmillan Economics Team. Nava has received support from Kundiman, Asian American Feminist Collective, and Representation Matters Organization.

istorically, women and nonbinary/third gendered people were the storytellers that held society together. The role of a storyteller is still alive in our families. When our aunties begin to start to make a list of potential spouses or gossip about that family member we all have who is well into their 30s and 40s living hundreds of miles away from their biological family. We grimace through these spiels, waiting for it to end. However, what they’re doing is reinforcing and keeping alive the family tree and history—even if their intentions aren’t always benevolent. Gossip is one of the oldest forms of storytelling, often dismissed because of its proximity to women. It’s been deemed frivolous by men. The truth is that spreading idle gossip is a form of preserving family stories. So why is it Asian women and nonbinary/third gen-

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dered people rarely receive accolades for their narrative prowess?

thick-accented hyper-sexuals and Filipina/e actors played Latin roles.

Within the last thirty years, I yearned for BIPOC TV and Asian women finally started would watch reruns of Fresh getting recognition for their Prince of Bel-Air, Sister Siscontributions to contempo- ter, and That’s So Raven. TV rary storytelling. With the Os- stopped investing in diverse car season recently over, I was stories and would instead pour interested in looking at past money into all-white casts like nominees and winners. There Friends, NCIS, Gilmore Girls, is plenty of discourse about and The OC. how award ceremonies are performative and an inaccurate People who looked like my portrayal of the work being family always played supportproduced. While I know this is ing roles until Grey’s Anatomy. true, I also know that when a The show was created, promarginalized group wins a ma- duced, written by, and featured jor accolade a wave of diversity a diverse group of characters. follows. Investors and produc- I was blessed with Chandra ers will take a chance on “risk- Wilson, Sandra Oh, and Sara ier” stories because of the win- Ramirez. Their characters ner’s success. All of a sudden, weren’t reduced to racial stethese stories are marketable to reotypes and were allowed to the mainstream. be complex, flawed individuals. The cast of Grey’s Anatomy Growing up, I yearned would go on to win Emmys, to see myself on television. Screen Actor Guild Awards, It was an impossible wish Golden Globes, and more. The when Latina/e charac- success of a show created by a ters were portrayed as the Black woman started a wave

of diverse shows with BIPOC actors playing lead roles like Sleepy Hollow or Jane the Virgin. Hollywood slowly started to invest in stories created, written, produced, and acted by marginalized voices. Winning awards is crucial to proving to gatekeepers to invest in diverse stories. Looking back to early award winners, it appears that the first woman to win an award in Hollywood was Miyoshi Umeki for Best Supporting Actress in Sayonara (1957). The movie was a tale of a military officer who fell in love with an Asian entertainer. Not the most imaginative or unique story, but the ending was progressive for the 20th century. In the music world, Yvonne Marianne Elliman was the first Asian American to win a Grammy in 1978 for Album of the Year. After years of nominations Asian American women take home major wins this year. Chloe Zhao won best director for Nomadland and Youn Yuhjung won best supporting actress for Minari at the Oscars. 2020 was especially blessed for H.E.R. who won an Oscar and Grammy for the best original song “Fight for You” featured in Judas and the Black Messiah. Hollywood isn’t the only industry that is beginning to celebrate its Asian artists. The conversations about diversity and equity have been a popular topic in the publishing industry. A lot of the time, before there’s a movie script these big-budget movies these stories can be found on the page. In one of the oldest forms of storytelling,

Asian American women are finally winning awards for their work. Some of the biggest literary awards are the National Book Award, Pulitzer, Nobel, and Booker Prize. The last Asian woman to win the Booker Prize was Kira Desai for The Inheritance of Loss in 2006, before her was Arundhati Roy for The God of Small Things in 1997, and before her was Ruth Prawer Jhabvala for Heat and Dust in 1975. It’s been 15 years since an Asian woman has won the British award, but this Avni Doshi was close with Burnt Sugar on the long-list. The rotating judges for the Booker Prize have a better history awarding Asian women awards. The National Book Award has only been won by an Asian woman for Fiction in 2019 for Susan Choi’s Trust Exercise, Don Mee Choi’s DMZ Colony won for Poetry this year, and the Young Adult category has two women winners: Cynthia Kadohata in 2013 for The Thing About Luck and Thanhha Lai in 2011 for Inside Out and Back Again. The Pultizer, unfortunately, last awarded Asian women storytellers for Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel Namesake in 1999 and Sheryl WuDunn’s reporting in 1990. Malala Yousafzai deserves a special shout-out for her Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 since her memoir—I Am Malala—was published a year before and it played a huge role in starting conversations about how restrictive female education was while growing up in Pakistan. It should be noted that the majority of the Asians being celebrated by these well-

known awards committees are often East or South Asian. Having Asian narratives being reduced to a few regions only gives a small glimpse of the politics, histories, and stories of the biggest continent and population in the world. The West is slowly featuring non-Eurocentric narratives in its various forms: filmmaking, music, and literature. While these mainstream awards are a good barometer to measure the likelihood of Asian artists receiving larger budgets for their projects, it is important to look at niche foundations that hand out for awards. When it comes to literary awards, the Lambda Literary Foundations hands out annual awards for published works that feature LGTBQIA+ themes. There are a plethora of categories and the winners often have intersectional marginalized identities. Storytelling is an inescapable facet of the human experience. We are constantly trying to share our lived experiences, so we don’t feel alone. Art is created every day by people whose voices are shared and celebrated less frequently. We should share and celebrate all Asian art. It’s time to push for more voices and remember titles well after award season is over. There’s no expiration date when it comes to enjoying and sharing stories. OM.

interview with

by Kate Anderson-Song

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Malavika Kannan is a writer, feminist advocate, and Stanford English major dedicated to telling stories about women from underrepresented communities. Her debut YA novel, “The Bookweaver’s Daughter,” which was written when she was 17, was published in Fall 2020 from Tanglewood Publishing. She’s a widely-published essayist and commentator about identity, culture, and politics for publications such as Teen Vogue, Refinery29, The Lily, Nylon, and the San Francisco Chronicle, where she currently interns. As a creative, she has cultivated a following of nearly 40,000 across my social media platforms. Beyond the page, Malavika strives to uplift her fellow girls of color. In high school, she founded Homegirl Project, a youth-led digital collective that trains girls of color in political organizing. She’s organized with the Women’s March, March For Our Lives, and Giffords, and co-created Slam Gun Violence, a viral poetry campaign released by Refinery29. When she’s not writing, Malavika enjoys beaching, snacking, thrifting, reading, and calling her representatives. Social profiles: Instagram: @malavika.kannan Twitter: @malavikawrites Website: www.MalavikaKannan.com

Introduce yourself! Hi! My name is Malavika Kannan. I am 20 years old. I am a writer and I am currently an undergraduate at Stanford University. I’m a Young Adult author of a novel called “The Bookweaver’s Daughter” that was inspired by ancient Indian mythology. I’m also really passionate about writing about gender and race from a Gen Z political perspective, and I’ve gotten to write for many publications, such as the Huffington Post and Teen Vogue. And I’m currently the Race & Equity reporting intern at the San Francisco Chronicle. You have a YA fantasy novel, The Bookweaver’s Daughter, that was released last fall. Can you introduce this book and what inspired it? Yeah! So I had the idea for “The Bookweaver’s Daughter” when I was 12 years old and then I wrote a version of the book in high school, when I was in the middle of my Young Adult fantasy reading phase. It’s ultimately a story about a girl who’s trying to unlock her powers - about how language and storytelling can be used as a force for change. And I’ve placed her in this world

of ancient Indian mythology, which had the characters I grew up reading and loving as a kid. To give a mini synopsis, it is about a 14-year-old girl, Reya, who realizes that she is the heir to this magical lineage of powers in this ancient Indian kingdom. It’s up to her to save those powers, protect her family’s legacy, and take on the corrupt government. What was the process of publishing this book like? My process was a little bit unconventional because I was really young. So, when I was in high school, I didn’t have any idea of what publishing a book would take. Neither of my parents work in creative industries, so I was the first “creative” in my family and friend group. But I heard about a competition called the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, which, for any aspiring creatives in high school I highly recommend applying to. I submitted the manuscript for what ended up becoming “The Bookweaver’s Daughter,” which nobody except me had ever read - and it ended up winning their National Scholastic Medal, which was a huge mo

ment for me and kind of the first moment I realized “Wait, this hobby that I’ve been doing just for myself is something that other people think I’m good at and have enjoyed?” So it was really that first push of validation that made me think about publishing. With the Scholastic National Medal, “The Bookweaver’s Daughter” caught some attention and I was connected to people who could give me some career guidance. From there, I started submitting it to independent publishers and that’s how I got my publisher, which is a really adorable small press called Tanglewood Publishing. You’ve also written tons of articles on topics such as politics, identity, and culture - and have been featured in publications like Teen Vogue, Refinery29, and more. What inspires your writing? And is there a difference in how you approach an article versus a manuscript? I’ve always been interested in writing - especially how nonfiction can be used to start conversations that disrupt the narrative. I’ve been doing that for a while - my first publishing experience was actually my high school newspaper, which will always hold a dear place in my heart. Later, especially during 2018 when issues like gun violence so prevalent, I realized for the first time that people were hungry for our stories. Despite not yet being “experts,” our experiences and perspective gave us a lot of expertise to be writing on these issues. So, I decided I wanted to start telling some of these stories publicly as well. I think my process for writing fiction and nonfiction are more similar than you might think. The topics that inspire stories in my mind are similar - the experiences I’ve lived through, what it is to navigate the world as a young woman, as a brown woman, etc. I

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“I really do think stories have a lot of power to impact the way we discuss issues, power, and the way we center people in conversations. I want to use storytelling to address a lot of issues that are faced by brown women, young women, and queer women.” think that the ideas and experiences I have from my identity lend themselves to both fiction and to more critical analysis/critical essay/research. So, it’s kind of just which avenue I want to take. But I think the sensibilities and identity from both sides of my writing are the same, they’re just me. Next question, which is a bit of a pivot away from your writing: I was reading about the Homegirl Project, which you founded in 2018 - Can you introduce/explain Homegirl Project and how it came about? Yes for sure! So, when I was in high school, I was really fortunate to be involved in a lot of youth organizing movements, particularly in terms of anti-gun violence and voter outreach. I was really fortunate to have a strong organizing community. But I started to realize that while a lot of young people care about these issues, unfortunately not everyone gets to be as involved as they’d like or know where to find those guides. I think it’s the truth that it’s largely affluent

white youth/suburban youth who get attention afforded to them and I feel like if you don’t live in a liberal area or you don’t have that kind of support at home, it can be hard - especially for first generation girls, girls of color, girls in more conservative areas - to get involved in politics. I wanted to create a space for outreach. Because I think a lot of people complain that young people don’t do much, and I don’t think that’s true. I don’t think the idea that we don’t care is true, I think it’s just that there’s been very intentional coverage and disenfranchising of things. Like, there’s a reason why we don’t learn history past, like, the Civil Rights Movement. Or why we learn only parts of the Civil War in a lot of our curriculums. There’s a reason why we are not taught proper civics. So, I think my friends and I kind of wanted to close that gap, specifically for girls of color, by creating a space for us and by us. And that’s what we did. We created The Homegirl Project, which kind of became a political community-building tool or a political incubator, that was entirely operating via the world of Zoom and the internet a few years before COVID. We were really able to create a really cool network, put on some really great educational events, launch a fellowship, train a bunch of people - and while I’m no longer on Homegirl Project, I am super proud of the work we were able to do. This project connects directly to your work as an activist - Can you elaborate on your work in this area? What issues are concerning you now? Are there any resources that have helped guide you in particular? Yeah! When I’m thinking of “changemaking” in the broad sense - well, the first thing

I think I’ve realized is how much we all have to learn, myself included. Going to college has been a really good opportunity for me to stop, reevaluate what it is I want in my life and what role I think I’m going to play in this movement. And something that has arrived to me lately, in a lot of clarity, something that I’ve always known deep down but has been really confirmed, is that I really think that the role I want to play in this revolution is as a storyteller, as a creative, as someone, to quote Toni Cade Bambara, who “makes the revolution irresistible.” And I think that is a goal I want to place for myself here on out. I really do think stories have a lot of power to impact the way we discuss issues, power, and the way we center people in conversations. I want to use storytelling to address a lot of issues that are faced by brown women, young women, and queer women. I want to talk about those unspoken power dynamics in our relationships. I want to talk about how systemic issues can affect one person in the course of their own narrative journey. But, at the same time, I recognize that the world is literally actively burning down, so it’s hard. But there is a lot giving me hope right now. A lot of the direct actions that people are taking, for example. I’ve been really inspired by the work around racial justice that’s been taking place over the past year. A lot of direct calling of truth to power. Something I’ve been thinking about since having a platform now, is how I want to call out inequities as I see them. I want to amplify people who are doing the frontline work. And another big thing I’m thinking about is mutual aid. It’s something I’ve noticed really popping up during the COVID pandemic and it’s something that gives me a lot of hope - that we can take care of people without pomp and without fanfare. We as a community can directly take care of each

other without having to wait for the government or an election or a march. We can just do it ourselves. This time of COVID-19 and the rise of anti-Asian hate has been difficult for the whole Overachiever community and we know it has hit students very hard. How have you been coping with this time? How has your year been? How has your writing/work changed or been affected at all? Such a big question - I’ll try to speak to each point one by one. First, in response to the rise of anti-Asian violence, I think this past year during COVID-19 has been, I wouldn’t say a wakeup call, but kind of like a confirmation about what I think a lot of us know deep down, that our country is in a deeply violent, white supremicist place, and that bad things will keep happening as long as we stay this way. On one hand, that is a call for us to demand better from white people, and to organize. I was able to play a kind of interesting role during this time because I currently work as an intern at the San Francisco Chronicles, specifically covering race and equity. And, as I’m sure you know, the San Francisco Bay Area has been one of the hot spots for anti-Asian violence. So, what I wanted to do right now is go into the communities, amplify stories, and let people tell these stories. It kind of sucks that race and equity journalism has only really just started to be catered to/created for, as a result of these racial traumas. But at the same time, I was pretty interested to see how storytellers and journalists can make long-lasting investments in these communities. One response I’ve had to anti-Asian hate is feeling like I need to work better than before as a storyteller & journalist. I need to be more vigilant, more invested. On the other

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hand, it has also reminded me that all of us, and especially my East and Southeast Asian friends, need to keep cultivating our joy as well. I want us to have a lot of light to look forward to. To answer your question about what I’ve been up to over the pandemic: I took a gap year, which I was lucky to be able to do, because I was able to stay employed the whole time therefore continuously earn money, which I know is unusual during this time, as a lot of people have been taking really hard financial hits during the pandemic. But, for me, it’s been really good, just a really fortunate experience. I think that anytime you can spend stepping off that ever-accelerating ladder of school, capitalism, good grades, etc., is good and spiritually healthy. And I realize the way I live my life now feels really good. Obviously I work, but I don’t work too hard. I close my laptop by dinner every night. It feels truly sustainable and it’s what I want to continue going forward. It is what life could be like. And it kind of sucks that it’s taken a pandemic for us to see it. I’ve kind of had the time now to restock my creative juices. I’ve been reading a lot - I went from barely being able to read for fun in high school to now being able to read 5 or 6 books a month, which has done wonders for my creative process. I actually just finished writing my 2nd book, about last month which is super exciting! What does self care mean to you? How do you take care of yourself? How do you recharge? Wow, what a good question. Sometimes it’s hard for me to feel optimistic about selfcare because “self-care,” the way it’s been marketed in the form of capitalism, feels like putting on a band-aid that does not begin to address the real onslaught of pressures we face (like white supremacy and capitalism

and patriarchy). It’s hard for me to answer because, what does self-care mean? Does it mean taking an hour-long bubble bath when you know the next morning you have to get up and go back to work? I don’t know, but for me, at least, I’ve been trying to approach self care as a more sustainable “revamp” of the entire way I do things. For example, in college there was this real grind culture that I subscribed to, but now that I’m on a gap year, I’m trying to reassess things. Like, “No, I don’t want to work on weekends if I don’t have to,” or “I don’t want to answer Slack messages late in the evening”. It’s trying to really carefully reassess my boundaries with work, with how much outside news I consume, with accepting what things I can’t help others with and what things I can. Something really hard about living on the internet is that it keeps you in a perpetual state of awareness and frenzy about everything that’s going on and going wrong in the world, while our ability to do something is obviously not that proportionally high. So, I think for me, self-care is a lot of grounding, a lot of stepping away from social media, creating boundaries. Yeah, essentially being intentional with your time, which is so hard to do when everythings being thrown at you. Next question, on another note: is there anything you wish you knew when you were beginning to pursue writing? Is there any piece of advice you’d want to share with other aspiring young writers of color starting out? I feel like I’m still so young and just starting out doing this… I think I’m essentially still in my “fetus” stage, you know? I’ve just turned 20 years old. I finished exactly one year of college. I’ll literally repeat to you

something my mentors are telling me now, which is that there is just so much time. As a young writer, and particularly as a young writer of color, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to be exceptional. To be the best. To be the youngest and fastest and the prodigy. I know why we feel that way and why I have felt that way, because there are such limited seats at the table that we have a lot of scarcity mindsets, especially in the Asian-American community. A lot of us want to prove to our parents a sort of stability that we want to achieve quickly. And while I get that and I’ve felt that, I’d encourage people to remember that life is really so long, especially for writers. Something that continually shocks me is that, in the writing industry, you can be considered a prodigy even if you publish your first book at 30, which, for a lot of us, is over a decade from now. So, I would encourage people to really just take their time with writing, focus on getting the creative and joyful part down first. Figure out the things you love about writing first. Figure out your cautions. Figure out who you write with and exactly who inspires you. Worry about the career and capitalism stuff later. That’s what I’d recommend. So, now we have our rapid-fire questions: What is your go-to coffee shop order? I don’t really have a regular coffee shop order, but I can tell you my boba shop order! I go for a Jasmine Milk Tea with Lychee Jelly and Cheese Foam! Yum - you just inspired me to go get boba later. Next: What item(s) can you not leave your house without? I would say my laptop, my notebook, and my hammock.

Any good films/TV shows/books you’re watching/reading right now? I just finished this coming-of-age festival book called “Prep” by Curtis Sittenfield. I’m watching Fleabag right now - oh, and Minari! Oh, and I’m also reading “Parable of the Sower” by octavia butler right now my friend got it for me for my birthday last month! Ultimate comfort food? Hmmm, I would say dosa - it’s like a South Indian crepe. What has been the highlight of your day today? Okay, I’m gonna be real and share that I just woke up (because I just flew home from California, so I’m still in PST) - so I’ve literally only been up for all of 30 minutes. So let’s say the highlight so far has been this interview! I mean that sounds good to me, I’ll take it! So then, final question, What are you working on right now? What is upcoming for you and what does life look like in the immediate? Something that I’m looking forward to both life-wise and career-wise is that I have my vaccine scheduled for later this week! I just finished my second novel, and I’m in the process of doing publishing things with it. And, literally on the plane ride home, I had an idea for another book, which is great because I had felt completely emptied after having finished this one. As for today, I work at the San Francisco Chronicle, which I mentioned, so I just have to push some more articles out, talking about race and how racism is affecting young people and other underrepresented communities.

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Amazing. Thank you so much for talking with Overachiever! It’s very exciting to hear about everything you’re doing. Sure! Thank you so much for thinking of me again! OM.

An Overpriced Coffee Shop and Me

BY ERICA WONG @ericawongg

Erica Wong (she/her) is a proud Chinese American and a second-year student at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is double majoring in Communication and Sociology, with interests in environmentalism and intersectional activism. In her free time, you can find her practicing yoga, hiking, making new playlists, trying new recipes, and spending time outdoors!

or the first 18 years of my life, I grew up in rural Maryland, about an hour away from the Washington D.C. neighborhood where my great-grandparents settled once they immigrated to the United States. Building a new home in our nation’s capital, my great-grandmother opened a laundromat in the city’s Chinatown. This tiny shop, nestled on the corner of Massachusetts Avenue, was where my grandmother later worked, where my father grew up, and where gentrification has recently turned the building into an overpriced coffee shop. Four generations later, I see myself in the renovated building that once harbored the foundations of my Chinese American heritage. Growing up, I never saw my father’s side of the family as traditionally Chinese. My grandmother’s favorite foods are tomato-and-cheese sandwiches and cherry pie. Her native tongue is English, and her

D.C. accent comes out every time she pronounces “Washington” as “Warshington.” My father, punished in elementary school for speaking what little Toisan he picked up at home, now only knows English. He watches football on Sundays and listens to country music on the radio during car rides.

“What remains a century after my great-grandparents crossed the ocean to come to America lies within me, the product of four generations of cultural shame and assimilation.” Being socialized in a conventionally “American” way, I unknowingly rejected my own culture from a young

age. Looking back, it is painful to see the intricate layers of my identity that I had shed to prove my American-ness to those around me. Sitting in the cafeteria in the sixth grade, I decided from then on to make myself peanut butter and jelly sandwiches every day for lunch instead of risking my peers calling my Chinese food “weird.” Staring intently at my face in the mirror, I decided that my nose was too flat and round to be pretty, nothing like the slim, upturned noses of my blond-haired, blue-eyed friends. Sitting in the backseat of my mother’s car, I decided I no longer wanted to attend Chinese school in fear of being seen as one of those Asian kids. I was conditioned into being ashamed of my heritage and family history. Instead I assimilated into white American culture to feel able to succeed in this country—the same country that whitewash-

es history to the point where my roots are allotted one paragraph in a 1,000-page history textbook, the same country that turns my face into a token model minority to drive a wedge between communities of color, the same country whose leader fueled violent hate crimes against the Asian American community during a deadly pandemic. And yet, I still craved acceptance, burying my cultural identity underneath my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, unaccented English, and colonized mind. But no matter how much of myself I erased, I was always seen as Asian first, American second, a foreigner in the only place I call home. Untethered to my culture, I found myself free-falling, trying to navigate my way through the stereotypes and subtle racism that emanated throughout my majority-white hometown. Without my roots, I could not stand up for myself when a stranger came up to me, bowed, and said, “Konichiwa.” I stayed silent when my high school English teacher, noting how I do not have monolids, nicknamed me “Big Eyes” to differentiate me from the two other girls of East Asian descent in the class. I did not defend myself against classmates who laughed when they found out that I call my father “Baba” instead of “Dad.” Without my roots, it was easy to fall.

Every so often, I visit the little red brick laundromat-turned-coffee-shop, peering in from the sidewalk but never stepping foot inside. I watch as my family history is painted over with signs displaying menu items and prices, the scent of detergents long gone and replaced by that of earthy espressos, the sounds of women gossiping in Toisan faded into the whir of espresso machines. I watch as my family history is reduced, expunged, covered up, forgotten. But my family history is not a laundromat. It is the way the sounds of exploding firecrackers dance in my ears every Lunar New Year, the way my grandmother hums old songs in the kitchen, the way we can never order enough fun guo at dim sum—it is my very existence. I can re-learn those parts of myself that I had tried so hard to unlearn. I can reconnect with the roots that give me the courage to stand tall and unwavering.

“I am four generations of stories that tell of joy and sacrifice, resistance and rejection, fresh linens and roast-

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ed coffee beans, and I want to tell them all.” OM.

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Annika Oyung is a social media creator and second-year student at Claremont McKenna College where she is dual majoring in media studies and philosophy. Annika has cultivated a following on TikTok where she posts about daily life, fashion, mental illness, memes, and a variety of miscellaneous subjects. Instagram: @annika.oyung TikTok: @fadedfairy420 What type of content do you make on TikTok? How did you get started? When did you begin to gain a following? There is no overarching theme to any of the videos I make other than them all generally being random and low effort. One of my first videos that went viral was just a montage of me tripping on mushrooms with my friends at the Oregon coast for my birthday. I started making videos for fun at the beginning of quarantine around April of last year. I don’t even remember when I started to get followers because my “content” if you can even call it that has stayed the same. Most of my videos are just me talking to the camera in a “vlog” style where I just blabber about my day or what I am wearing. I talk pretty candidly about things that are going on in my life especially regarding my mental health but I also post about way less serious stuff like fashion, music, and pop culture. You promote your use of psychedelics in your videos, why do you use psychedelics and what do you think are the benefits of using them? My interest in psychedelics began when I first tried mushrooms as a high schooler. It’s such a cliche to be like “psychedelics changed my life” but for me, I did feel way more open to new experiences and put the problems I perceived that I had into perspective. Though I first started using them recreationally, I later became interested in their medicinal properties especially with the potential they have to treat mental illnesses. I have borderline personality disorder so I live with a lot of anxiety and de-

pression and have been treated with a variety of different pharmaceutical drugs with mixed results. The book “How to Change Your Mind” by Michael Pollan which talks about the history of using psychedelics for medical purposes was very educational and fascinating to me. I have a strong interest in alternative medicine though I think far more research needs to be done in these realms and that begins with the process of legalization. With that being said, I do not think psychedelics are something that should be messed around with, and to anyone who wants to start using them, I would say definitely do your research beforehand. You also promote the use of weed in your videos, why do you use marijuana and what do you think are the benefits? I don’t smoke as much weed as when I first made my account and I put 420 in my username as a joke. In Oregon, weed culture is omnipresent. In high school, so many people got weed from their parents because they grew it. My mom’s boyfriend is a weed farmer. Using it frequently probably benefits some people but I think it can also cause harm for sure especially on developing brains. I have noticed it can sometimes help with quelling anxiety which is the reason I started using it more in the first place, but certain strains can also cause anxiety so it is kind of a toss-up. I noticed that after prolonged consistent use I feel somewhat slower. Like any drug, weed has side effects and it is important to be aware of what can happen if you abuse it. You grew up in Southern Oregon, what

was it like growing up in one of the whitest states in America? Oregon’s lack of diversity wasn’t something I thought had a deep and lasting impact on me up until last year. I went to a psychiatrist to get an ADHD diagnosis and while on the topic of my other mental health issues like depression and anxiety, we fell on the topic of social anxiety and he asked somewhat out of the blue “Do you think growing up with very few people who looked like you may have contributed to feeling anxious in social settings?” I had always thought of social anxiety as an internal issue rather than something that stemmed from my environment but this changed the way I looked at some of my mental health issues. I went to a public school that had a handful of Asian students and I was used to being the only Asian person in a classroom at any given time. If I did happen to coincidentally be put in a class with one of the three other Asian girls in my grade I could expect to be accidentally called that person’s name by the teacher. Almost all of my friends growing up were white and I always felt a little bit out of place. My experience made me realize that the racism people of color face in predominantly white spaces can have a lasting impact on a person. You make a lot of fashion videos, when did you find your sense of style? Where do you like to shop/thrift? I still don’t necessarily feel like I have a stable sense of style, the clothes I wear change frequently depending on what is in trend and what I see a lot of my friends and people I follow wearing. Recently I have been trying to work on establishing a more timeless

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“The representation of Asian people in the media could use improvement though I have seen growth in the industry in the past few years.” personal style because I do think that the way trend cycles quickly rotate is very bad for the environment and my bank account. When I thrift I like going to Goodwill stores outside of big cities. I buy and sell a lot of my clothes on Depop as well. What do you think are some of the biggest issues facing the Asian community, right now? I think the most concerning issue is the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes that have been occurring since the beginning of the pandemic. It has been something that has caused a lot of worry in my life especially given that my family lives in an area where there are not that many other Asian people but there is a significant population of rural white people who are prone to xenophobia and racism. As always, the representation of Asian people in the media could use improvement though I have seen growth in the industry in the past few years. What has your experience been like growing up part Chinese? My mom is a mixed-race Chinese-American who deviates from most stereotypes about Asian mothers. As a nature-lover and self-proclaimed hippie, she shaped the idea

that I do not have to identify with any specific culture or nationality and can just live life however I want. In a way, it is kind of cool to exist in this sort of in-between state where you can choose to identify with certain parts of the different cultures you belong to. The downside is that I feel somewhat disconnected from my Chinese heritage. I grew up with very few other Asian people in my life and my family is fairly assimilated into American culture. I ended up taking Mandarin in high school even though my mom doesn’t speak it. When I was a kid we celebrated Chinese New Year and my mom read us some books about Chinese traditions to inform us about our heritage. Do you have any activities, interests, etc that you do to keep in touch with the Asian aspect of your identity? I took Mandarin in high school and I enjoyed learning how to write characters and it feels good to be able to recognize some of them. I read modern Asian-American authors just because it feels good to hear people of a similar background share their stories. I also read a lot of Chinese philosophers and literature about Confucianism since I take a lot of philosophy classes.

spectives. What is your favorite Asian food dish? I work at a Thai food cart so there is a lot of Asian food in my life which I am very grateful for. I am the least picky eater ever and I will genuinely eat and usually enjoy anything that is put in front of me. Picking one dish to be my favorite is an impossible decision but I love all forms of curry and Asian noodle dishes are also amazing. Pad see ew is so good. Tikka Masala too. I love all forms of sushi as well. I genuinely can’t choose just one. Dream vacation? I’m not sure. I would love to visit Thailand at some point. I haven’t even been thinking about traveling since COVID has lasted so long. Once again I can’t choose, I want to go to so many places!

Mengzi who was a Confucian philosopher is one of my favorites. A pillar of his philosophy is that humans are inherently good unless their environment otherwise dictates. I feel like so much of the Western philosophy I read is about how human nature can be evil and perverted so I enjoy hearing other per-

orientalism and the yellow peril: a brief look into the cornerstone of racism against asians in america BY J. FAITH MALICDEM @johannafaith Faith Malicdem is a freshman studying journalism at Emerson College and is Overachiever’s Editorial Intern. She is also the creator and curator of the PieFace Column. Aside from writing, Faith has many creative endeavors, including film photography and music-making. She hopes to further media coverage on mental health as well as music and the arts. THE PIEFACE COLUMN: https://www.piefacecolumn.com/

n Edward Said’s first chapter of Orientalism, “Latent and Manifest Orientalism,” the emergence of the Oriental culture–a cumulative impression of the East projected by the West–is delineated and broken down to assist scholars and Asians and non-Asians alike in critiquing the harmful and warped iteration of Asian culture. The Yellow Peril is an extension of Orientalism, as it projected a prejudiced characterization of Asians, misleading the Western public to believe that Asians were foreigners who posed a threat to Western ideals, cultures, and the economy. In the name of capitalism, the exploitation of Asian immigrant labor has had astronomically harmful effects on the politicized development of race relations, labor ideologies, and immigration

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legislation alike in America. The study of history, culture, and academia in Western countries have revolved around Eurocentric ideologies and the white perspective, allowing for the portrayals of Eastern and non-white cultures to be taken into the hands of European scholars to formulate impressions of what these cultures consist of, and what they represent. Said’s critique of Orientalism addresses the relativity of Oriental studies, as the sector is, after all, a mere “school of interpretation” of what Eastern culture is, rather than being a school of true fact, involving the input of Eastern scholars who practice and live the Oriental culture (Said, 1978, p. 203). According to Said, because Orientalism is an imposed product of politi-

cal force, all Europeans who have contributed or referred to the concept of Orientalism are inherently racist, imperialistic, and ethnocentric (Said, 1978, p. 204). Unfortunately, as aforementioned, the study of history, culture, and academia have been so heavily influenced by Eurocentric ideologies and standards that the Orient has stood to be a reference point for European and white Americans idealizing westward expansion, capitalistic gain, and the idea of superiority on the basis of nativism. Because hate, defensiveness, and superiority coincide with the fear of what one does not know, anti-Asian violence and hate crimes have occurred on multiple occasions in America, and are a direct result of Orientalism’s

widespread influence. In 1870, The Yellow Peril was furthe exponential growth of ther imposed by the Chinese Chinese migration to Califor- Exclusion Act of 1882, which nia in search of jobs as an in- resulted in ethnic antagonism– dustrial revolution ensued. In or the outward acts of violence turn, the 1867 Anti-Chinese and mistreatment of subordiUnion pledged to avoid em- nated peoples based on their ploying the Chinese, and the ethnicity–and drove many union would later be absorbed Chinese workers from their into the Workingman’s Party jobs in agriculture and railroad of California within the next construction simply due to the year. This party would rally notion that they were a popand fight for the rights of the ulation that possessed all the white laborer, particularly the “social vices,” with no regard Irish laborer, who was threat- for the freedoms and liberties ened by the affordable and of America’s culture, and with subservient labor provided by souls that resembled that of Chinese coolies who would a “heathen” according to Uni“defy the law… and utterly dis- versity of California, Berkeregard all the laws of health, ley professor, historian, and decency and, morality” (Okihi- ethnographer Ronald Takaki ro, 1994, p. 35). This impres- in his narrative history novsion of Asians, in this particular el Strangers from a Different instance, the Chinese, was de- Shore (p. 101). Orientalism rived from a mere impression and the Yellow Peril go hand in of their people and culture was hand as they both derive from motivated by the fears perpet- a white, ethnocentric viewuated by job loss among the point, and are perpetuated by white working class. This can Western capitalists seeking be identified as an effect of the immigrant workers for two Yellow Peril, which is known reasons: cheap labor costs and to represent a threat posed by the redirection of the blame Easterners, whether they are from CEOs to Asian workers of South Asian, Southeast, or when the white working-class East Asia descent. The threat ultimately loses their jobs. was undoubtedly thrust onto the overarching American As a result of the priimpression of Eastern immi- oritization of capitalism upgrants by the constant wedge held by the West, labor ideolodriven between the white gies have largely circumvented working class and Asian immi- the notion that the progress of grant laborers by factory own- civilization also meant the exers and workplace CEOs on pansion westward to accomboth the East and West coasts modate for new modes of proof America.

duction and agriculture, thus leading to widening trade opportunities. This ideology of productivity equals expansion and thus exploitation has had a direct impact on the culture surrounding labor in the 19th and 20th centuries. “Get labor first… and capital will follow” was the mantra sugar planters Hawaii followed that played an integral role in the arrangement of the 1875 Reciprocity Treaty which allowed for the exportation of sugar from the islands to the mainland (Takaki, 1989, p. 24). The hiring of Chinese laborers soon followed in a calculated manner, taking advantage of the less fortunate situations they may have been in in their homelands due to war and political turmoil, only to pay them low wages and pit them against white workers and native Hawaiian laborers. On the east coast, the emergence of tensions between a dual economy in the South and traditional economy in the North displaced independent white laborers and artisans, and the Civil War’s push for monopoly capitalism encouraged the exploitation of racial minorities, as they were seen “as tools they used to undermine the white small producers and proletariat,” according to Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Ethnic Studies, Edna Bonacich in her academic paper, Labor Immigration Under Capitalism: Asian

Each issue we feature some of our readers to highlight the diversity and stories of Asian women, non-binary individuals, and other gender minorities around the world. Here are this issue’s Overachievers! 42 | overachiever magazine

sarah

“My name is Sarah and my Chinese name is 丽绣 and my pronouns are she/her. I am a Chinese adoptee living in Canada. I feel this is important to mention as we should also be included when celebrating API month and want others adoptees to see a familiar face. I am a university student and am really passionate about advocating for social justice issues. Extremely grateful to Overachiever Magazine for their ongoing work to amplify our voices and for bringing us all together.”

In many ways, Duyen Ha began cooking decades ago, during those many weekends spent with her mother preparing traditional Vietnamese dishes for family gatherings. After moving to the city, she felt homesick, and so she continued this tradition, bringing friends and strangers together through her cooking. Duyen got her start in NYC at Marlow & Sons, shucking oysters. Eventually, she packed up her chef’s knives and crossed the pond to attend Ferrandi, a prestigious French culinary school. She graduated at the top of her class and began her career working at world-renowned restaurants in France. Within the past several years she has worked with award winning Michelin starred chefs such as–Alain Passard at Arpège; Mauro Colagreco at Mirazur; and Gregory Marchand at Frenchie. At heart, she remains a Vietnamese American kid from Upstate New York. After several years of working at distinguished restaurants, Duyen has ventured off on her own journey to start a wine company called, BONDLE. She is the Co-Founder and CEO and they specialize in importing French wines in a curated, seasonal collection and sells it directly to consumers in the United States in magnum format. The launch is geared to happen in Summer 2021 with a strong focus of the culinary community through pop-ups, collaborations and recipes for members. Duyen’s cuisine and wine company marks the arrival of a new voice, a chef whose exceptional talent. Her culinary background draws from personal family histories and contemporary fine dining–creating a completely new vocabulary in gastronomy and wines that is all her own.

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duyen ha

Tiffany is HK-born, Canadian-raised lawyer based in London, UK. She aspires to combine her passion for dance music with her legal career to become a leading music and entertainment lawyer. Besides her day job, she is an advocate for racial justice. After conducting a bake sale fundraiser last year to raise funds for a Bail Fund in response to the BLM movement and protests, she began developing ikigai. ikigai is a social enterprise bakery that specializes in unique Asian-inspired baked goods. Limited edition items include miso banana bread and Levain-style white rabbit and chocolate chunk cookies. In response to the unfortunate increase in Asian hate crimes since the beginning of the pandemic, ikigai became her passion project. She wanted to create something more long term and wanted to utilize the power of food to spread awareness and create dialogue on issues that people from Asian-ethnic backgrounds are facing today. Her vision is to utilize ikigai as a platform to highlight different charities that are doing great work in our community. She pledges to donate 50% of all profits from her sales and plans to partner with a different charity every quarter. For more information and to check out the other items on her menu, please visit www.instagram.com/ ikigai.thebakery.

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diversifying the Asian American narrative Written by Lang Duong @duolanga

Lang Duong is a proud Vietnamese-American daughter and graduating senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She plans on pursuing a Ph.D. in psychology with research interests focused within the Asian community. She enjoys starting new hobbies and never finishing them, but it has allowed her to learn new skills, such as embroidering, crocheting, painting, and more! Intelligent. Docile. Hardworking. Passive. Diligent. All words used to describe America’s “model minority.” The oxymoronic status of Asian Americans’ role within the American hierarchy has continuously enforced systemic racism against other minoritized communities. However, it has also been used to oppress Asian Americans through the erasure of their narratives and hardships. This past year, we have witnessed firsthand the invisibility of the Asian American narrative. From March 19, 2020 to February 28, 2021, StopAAPIHate reported a total of 3,795 hate crimes – a drastic increase from previous years. While we cannot prescribe the specific cause of this spike, hate speech such as the “Chinese virus” and “Kung-flu” used by our former president can only be presumed as the primary contestant. Additionally, throughout the entire year, severe hate crime incidents rarely made a presence on mainstream media outlets despite Asian organizations fighting for representation and support. Instead, one year later, it

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took 8 victims on March 16, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia for us to get the recognition we needed. Among the flood of posts and support on Instagram that following week, one stuck out to me the most – a quote by Steven Yeun said, “Sometimes I wonder if the Asian American experience is what it’s like when you’re thinking about everyone else, but no one is thinking about you.” And I began to reflect: We KNEW Asian hate crimes were rising. We KNEW the words used to instill blame on East and Southeast Asians. We KNEW it would only get worse. Why are we JUST NOW receiving recognition on social media? Why are people JUST NOW posting in solidarity with the Asian community? Why did it take EIGHT lives for change to occur? And for the love of God, why are they not calling this as it is – A HATE CRIME? My algorithm on social media does a splendid job sheltering me from the haters. I’m surrounded by GoFundMe accounts for the victims’ families, ways to support the

AAPI community, educational events to attend, and more. But my algorithm didn’t shield me from the hate lingering outside of my bubble. I read comments about Asian wealth and fortune. I watched videos of anti-Blackness’ prominence within the Asian community. I heard rumors about the victims’ side job as sex workers. All of these were used as justification for the horrific acts of hate this past year. But these are all just stereotypes – false generalizations of the greater community. What do people actually know about the Asian American narrative? Do people believe our tangential whiteness automatically grants us liberty, rights, and wealth?

My dad is the fourth of six children. He had a difficult upbringing in Vietnam – so difficult that he decided he would never set foot in the country again. When his oldest brother was about to turn 18, his parents decided it was time for the four oldest children to flee along with a couple of his cousins and his aunt in fear their sons would be enlisted into the army when they came of age. The first attempt was unsuccessful. They were caught by soldiers and, luckily, spent one night in jail. My dad recalled a scare tactic the soldiers would use where they pulled a gun next to his ear and fired to temporarily deafen him – of course. This was in addition to repeatedly punching and kicking him in the stomach. The second attempt was successful, if success means making it out of the country; however, stories are told of “successes” ending in abandoned ships, pirates, and cannibalism. His boat made it all the way to a refugee camp in Indonesia, but the journey was not without crowded spaces, vomit-filled water barrels, and starvation. He, his three siblings, his two cousins, and his aunt stayed at the camp for about a year, until they were chosen by

a foster family from Salem, Virginia. While the present “foster family” encompasses financial and emotional support, this was not the reality then. Foster families served to assist incoming immigrants to assimilate into American culture and help them create new lives here. My dad’s foster family helped him and his siblings get enrolled into high school, find jobs, obtain housing, etc. Unfortunately, as a 16-year-old, his poor English could not carry him through to graduation. He performed terribly in all subjects except math. Instead, his counselors strongly suggested he dropped out – he did. He and his siblings scrambled for jobs at a factory, but they soon realized this lifestyle was not sufficient and would not help them get the rest of their family to the States. They all worked full-time jobs, took classes at the local community college for several years, and were accepted to transfer to 4-year universities, including Virginia Tech, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and University of Tennessee. They are all now employed as mechanical, electrical, and civil engineers.

My mom is the second youngest of ten children, seven girls and three boys. In contrast to my dad, she speaks fondly of her memories from Vietnam. She reminisces about the big house her family-owned, her relationships with her classmates, the education she received, and more. However, her world was turned upside-down when that big house was taken by the soldiers. When her dad passed away when she was 15, her oldest brother stepped up to take care of the entire family. He was a pilot for South Vietnam and his status enabled him to immigrate to the United States first. He decided it was best to get an American education and stable job before he sponsored the entire family to come over. In the meantime, my grandmother struggled to make ends meet for the rest of the children. Immediately after school, my mom and her sisters would travel to my grandmother’s shop to sell beansprouts and other assorted items. Like my dad, my mom attempted to flee the country by boat with her best friend, Nhu. Their attempts were too alike because soldiers also captured her. My mom and Nhu were both 18 years old, so their prison sentence would have been long. In-

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stead, Nhu decided to attempt to eat their IDs but could only finish my mom’s. Nhu spent several months in jail, while my mom only served a couple. Decades later, my mom named my youngest sister Nhu. Upon high school graduation, my mom was accepted into one of the best universities in her area. Due to her family’s wait for her brother to sponsor them, she had to decline this opportunity. It simply did not make sense to pursue a higher education when her family could leave any day. Instead, my grandmother allowed her to choose an artisanal course of her choice – she chose sewing. When my mom’s entire family finally made it to the States, my mom had to pick up jobs here and there to support herself. She worked at various fast-food restaurants, including McDonald’s and Burger King, cleaning bathrooms. After several years, she was finally able to land a job at a Vietnamese-owned clothing alterations shop in Charlotte, NC. This paved the way for her current path. She now owns and runs her own successful alterations shop in Greenville, NC.

My mom and dad had different experiences that led them both to the United States. Their current careers were not simply handed to them and the American Dream was never the goal. They did not come to this country with heavy pockets and full hearts, but left Vietnam penniless and angry. To revisit Steven Yeun’s quote, Asian American experiences have been completely left out of the narrative they worked so hard to become a part of – specifically, they have been completely cascaded by the model minority myth and Asian fetishization. I’ve come to understand the importance of diversifying the Asian American experiences. We are not a monolithic group and neither are our hardships – we encompass a diverse array of stories that deserve to be heard and understood. Solidarity does not solely come in the form of education, but it’s a pretty good first step. OM.

by Natalie Obedos In this issue’s Miss Demure, she wants you to never forget that most people can’t recognize you from only your forehead. 50 | overachiever magazine

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Asian_Soph is a mixed Japanese, German, and Scottish activist and daughter of an immigrant. She runs the pages @mixedpresent, @mixed_made, and her personal page is @asian_soph. She uses her platforms to build community with other mixed folx, amplify voices and share stories, and as a means to share educational resources and calls to action to dismantle systemic oppression, white supremacy, and the patriarchy. Feel free to connect with her to share the stories and the struggles of the mixed diaspora and to aid in the fight against systemic injustice. Social profiles: Instagram: @mixedpresent / @mixed_made / @asian_soph

Sophie Kanno (AKA Asian Soph) is an activist who works specifically to uplift the mixed community. She is one of the people in charge of @mixedpresent, an instagram account that shares the faces and stories of mixed people. As well as creating and running @mixed_made, a great place to find more of Kanno’s work and other resources to educate yourself on the mixed diaspora. You can also follow her on her personal instagram page @asian_soph. “My Parents really celebrated us being mixed race.” It is no wonder that Kanno has become an activist within the mixed community, as her parents always exposed her to different holidays and food that were from all sides of her family. Something Kanno’s Dad always told her was, “you’re a whole member of each of your cultures.” Growing up, Kanno’s parents shared both of their perspective cultures and family traditions with their family. Kanno’s dad would envy how cool it was that she was able to be a member of multiple ethnic communities. “I love old school hip hop.” When listening to hip hop by artists like

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Tupac, N.W.A, and Method Man, Kanno said, “I felt invigorated.” She described how those rappers and artists were talking about real life and their struggles in their music. While simultaneously thinking about the experiences she has as a mixed person and as the daughter of an immigrant, she began to educate herself on the inequalities and equities of the world. Kanno used this passion and knowledge to become the activist she is today. “Honestly it came really naturally to me.” “I grew up around mostly BIPOC folks.” In her hometown, the high school she attended had more diversity than the other school in town. “I’m so glad I grew up on the West side because of that.” Kanno talked about how growing up around other children of immigrants she noticed most of them all had similar mindsets. “‘Oh yeah my parents do that too,’ or ‘oh yeah that happened to my dad, also.’ And through all that you really start piecing everything together.” “Black and Asian people have come together historically.” Kanno ran a Black and Asian solidarity series through Mixed Present, where she

discussed history, Hip Hop for the Asian community vs Kung Fu movies for the Black community, and the “American Dream,” as well as many other topics with a bunch of different people. “Ultimately at the end of the day, the real enemy is the system of white supremacy that has been created.” Kanno described that oftentimes white supremacy doesn’t get confronted the way it needs to because different BIPOC communities are constantly “fighting over the scrapes” that are left for us. “Like these crabs in a bucket mentality.” Kanno mentioned household Black activist names such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. “But in the Civil Rights movement there were prominent Asians who fought alongside these people [. . .] But it doesn’t serve white supremacy to talk about that.” Kanno believes in coming together, validating each other, and being open with one another in order to dismantle systemic white supremacy.

also said it can be really great to find mixed spaces, and then use the confidence you gain from those spaces to enter other ones. “I’ve had to become really aware of the fact that when I’m around other Asians, I’m like, ‘let me prove to you how Asian I am,’ and it’s like really ridiculous.” Kanno and I also spoke about affirmative action, the census, and wanting to check multiple boxes under the race section of paper work. Go check out and follow @asian_soph to keep up with what Kanno is up to!

“Ultimately at the end of the day, the real enemy is the system of white supremacy that has been created.”

“Not quieting or making invisible or invalidating the mixed race experience.” Holding space and really making an effort to hear people out versus getting defensive when people have different experiences is a way that Kanno thinks spaces could be more open to mixed people. “As mixed folks, we always feel like we are not enough for either of our groups.” The more open spaces are to the mixed experience the more a part of a group mixed people will feel. Kanno

Favorite Food? Sukiyaki, a one dish Japanese stew. Go To Boba Order? Kanno doesn’t have a go to, but is obsessed with cheese foam, and of course is a boba lover. Would You Survive a Zombie Apocalypse? Yes!

Fun Fact? Kanno has dual-citizenship in Japan! OM.

poetry roundup Each issue we feature pieces of prose and poetry from Asian women, nonbinary, and gender minority writers around the world. Here are this issue’s pieces!

“Visit from the Afterlife” by Joan Missiye You were sitting in the sun On the blue chair in my kitchen Sipping a cup of coffee That I told you was grown in the shade At the Ghanaian border. You found me as I hid myself away in the tall grass Fifty kilometers from the paved road. And thousands and thousands more between where you left us And where we left you. You were sitting in the sun On a bench outside a stone church, Where your youngest daughter In bridal white clutched her new husband’s hand Held in perfumed embraces A steady smile as the summer heat crawled its way beneath the tulle and the lace. I stood in the crowd and willed her to see you there But she held her tears inside longing for you. You were sitting in the sun When I thought I was the farthest away I will ever be. The sand in my eyes and in between my teeth. I held pieces of my broken heart in my hands And I threw them in the wind. You gathered them gently and brought them back to me. “Didn’t you know that I am in every piece?” My insignificant heart stopped breaking at the edge of the Sahara. In the vastness, I stood up and ran. Freedom in the light that I could never chase to its end. Maybe I never buried you at all.

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“DO YOU SEE NOW?” by Empress Han (aka, Mila C.C. Konomos) This isn’t the first time But how many times Over how many generations Before you see that this isn’t the first time How many hundreds of years How many millions of lives Until you see— Do you see— Do you see now-No such thing as a model minority Do you see now— All the blood covering Your American dream Now do you see— We’re tokens and trophies Until we’re targets & scapegoats for the rage & the hate of a nation Where Our Skin is not white enough Our Skin is not brown enough Our Pain doesn’t hurt enough For anyone to care enough So we hide Lay low Lay down Erase ourselves Until we’re invisible Shadows of pleasure and Bodies of commodity Under the pressure To be Everything for everyone Swallow dignity No room for self-pity We eat silence

and secrets Absorb violence and tragedy Centuries Of wars and thieves, Laws And policies sanctioning atrocities to rid the earth of yellow peril and perpetual foreigners except when we’re constructing your railroads or farming your sugar cane comforting your soldiers birthing babies for your white mothers pawns serving in your empires You think I’m here because I wanted to be I’m here because no one wanted me But only to fulfill their dreams Build their dreams Scream their dreams In my bed at night My daughter at my side Hold her close Hold her tight Pray & whisper I’m raising her right So she can see— No such thing As a model minority So she can see— No such thing As an American dream I rise I weep I fight Hoping She won’t ever have to see Her own blood covering Your American dream.

“you matter” by Divya Chhotani the reason i tie a red string on my left arm is because my mother told me it wards away evil evil afar and evil inside the reason I don’t eat my crust still is because I want to stay connected to my inner child the one that loved to kick and scream and run around the playground and be like the other kids who used to sit at the lunch table and didn’t have crust on their pb&j’s the reason I started listening to one direction and taylor swift was to connect to my girlfriend and to understand and learn all the lyrics, a challenge I accept and will learn, to make her smile and happy so I can hold her close and tell her “does it ever drive you crazy” while we’re laying in bed and her hand is on my heart and we can finally say how the night has changed as we fall in love more as the seasons change and time comes and goes the reason i put chat masala on my popcorn is because I wanted to be like my mom who loves and adores spice just like I do and I’m always in competition with her to see who can tolerate the most spice the reason I came to school wearing a kurti, an Indian garment, during diwali time was because I wanted to show how proud I was of being part of a really rich culture likewise, the reason I got into sports was because my father and other male figures in my life introduced me to a ball and since then I fell in love with anything that was round and I could get my hands on whether it was a basketball or playing cricket on the street or even learning how to play volleyball and failing miserably with every bump the ball made, I felt more and more accomplished I feel like I always have to prove something to someone whether it’s identifying my emotions even though I don’t have the words to explain the tsunami of tears waiting to overflow from my eyes and ready to coat my lips with its salty sadness I feel like I’m behind people’s shadow when everyone else is out and about and I’m just stuck in the four corners of my house, going crazy and paranoid being locked in a room and not wanting to see daylight I realized that I stumbled upon darkness when I couldn’t even see the light I met my friend depression during multiple summers where I just lay on my floor drinking caprisuns and had junk food and re watched friends episodes, only to go back to bed and fall into the safety of my bed, who’s arms are safer than anybody I know I’m scared of watching new movies because I’m nervous of how it’s going to go? whether my favorite character that I took a particular liking to may face consequences or even struggle with an addiction or even perhaps dies due to heroic acts

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I find comfort in rewatching old things because I know how the story plays out and there isn’t anything to be afraid, finally the monsters and evil things in the world can’t get to me if I’m safe and being protected by my favorite stuffed toy and my tears and legs working together to rock my limb body to sleep like a child in a craddle who is crying and needs a pacifer yet this child is learning slowly how to be more self reliant and self made. slowly but surely I believe that I can attain a sort of independence where I won’t need to turn to vices or believe that happiness isn’t in the cards for me it’s a new chapter where I can learn and nurture my inner child and not feed it the old habits I’ve tried so hard to break over the years the reason I started journaling was because someone once said it was super therapeutic the reason I started to write poetry was because one teacher during my youth said I could and then I did, I nurtured my craft and realized that every piece of work I create is like a child and I’m a child with a blank canvas that can paint my traumas and tears and make it art that can be relatable to someone who is in need someone who needs a reason to be alive someone who needs someone to hold them accountable yet be that person for them who is loving and caring I learned recently that the love I’ve been dealt with my entire life has only been conditional a love that I had to work for and prove my worth to get which isn’t fair I shouldn’t be fighting to gain love from people when all along the person I should’ve been giving love to was myself through all the hardships it should’ve been on me to plant and give my all in everything I’m doing. I’m allowed to have days where I can’t get out of bed and some days where I just can’t seem to see the silver lining but that doesn’t make me weak, it makes me strong by identifying and understanding what I need I can openly say here that it’s okay if you need anything and you’re allowed to speak up you’re allowed to choose who you give your love and time too and you telling people things about you that are personal doesn’t mean that you’re a burden, it just makes you so much more admirable and strong you’re beautiful and empowering because you’re a human being cut from one original cloth you matter.

Hannah Johns was adopted from China at 7 months old, and grew up in Texas with her mother and father. “I consider myself very fortunate, and I had a very happy childhood.” As an adult, Johns has found more community than she did as an only child growing up. In her hometown there was not a large adoptee community, “I was kind of an outlier.” She also grew up considering herself a “guinea pig for transracial adoption,” in her small town. “ A lot of people looked at me as a social experiment.” Johns is now a social worker in New York City, and unapologetically shares her mental health journey on her social media account @ endlesswanderer. “A lot of the anxiety that I had for being a Chinese transracial adoptee, was not having acceptance by the rest of the Asian community; and being seen as othered. Even though I am already seen as othered by the white community.”

Johns said adoptee communities are where she feels she can heal and not find herself intimidated by more traditional Asian communities. This year, while attending an Anti-Asian hate protest in New York, Johns felt this sense of hyper-consciousness of her, “non-Asian-ness.” Feeling like, “Oh my gosh! They can tell, they can totally tell that I’m moving within this space and I’m not Asian.” But, Johns says these anxious feelings get better and better as she continues to explore and accept her identity within the Asian diaspora. “I was just the token Asian.”

systems at play in social work, but as she continued with her education in social work the need became very clear. “I’m still in kind of a decolonizing and learning mindset, uhh and it’s rough, and it’s hard, and it’s not pretty, and it’s the work that I signed up to do. But the process is necessary.” “Sometimes, unfortunately, it does take a bit of scariness and getting up into someone’s face.” When talking about getting those around us to decolonize and educate themselves, Johns spoke of the realities of that. But that ultimately it is all for the greater good. “I try not to parade around in and like point fingers, so much, as I do trying to decolonize myself first.” Johns was very honest about having to look at the ugly side of yourself and examining how you subscribe to harmful ideals. For Johns, honesty and explaining her process of educating herself is the best way to get other people to start the same process.

Growing up in a white community, Johns found she occupied mostly white spaces. Johns is actively working to stop giving white people the benefit of the doubt, decolonizing herself, and identifying more and more as an Asian-American. Johns described these things as a key way of makIt wasn’t until after college that ing her relationships with people, Johns began to examine her iden- “more equitable and stronger,” tity as a Chinese American. In especially with the white people “Adoptees are not a monolith.” college, Johns found herself shy- in her life. ing away from other Asian stu“Just because I have gone through dents because she did not want to “Seeing humans as humans, and a system like that, does not make be, “found out,” as being a “fake not as charity pieces.” me an expert in it.” When I asked Asian.” However, the spaces she Johns if she had any ideas on ways has now entered that are pre- “It’s been a big learning experi- to better any adoption systems, dominantly Asian, she has found ence, coming from an adoptee’s she told me there are so many to be, “very welcoming.” perspective working in child wel- experiences and feelings that she fare, I don’t think that I prepared can only speak to her experience. “What’s really been beneficial myself enough for it. I don’t know “For me, looking at my own perfor me, is finding other adop- if I could’ve ever prepared myself sonal adoption through a social tees and other Asian adoptees; enough for the kind of work that work lens and a decolonizing who are kind of coming from I am doing.” Johns reflected on lens, it’s kind of a hard thing to the same place of ‘I don’t know originally not fully understanding come to terms with sometimes.” where I fit in.’” the need to dismantle many of the Johns pointed out that the causes

and effects, concepts, and systems of adoption are all things that have to be examined. “It’s not all sunshine and rainbows. [. . .] adoption does start with separation.”

Hannah is a social worker in Manhattan. Raised in Texas, she moved to New York to receive her Masters of Social Work from Columbia. Hannah is a passionate voice for every cause that she has ever learned about and is determined to use her “The test subject for this experiment known as voice to support others. With a history of photransracial adoption and international adoption.” tography, she has long been interested in storytelling. Her pre-COVID free time was spent Johns is not the only person who has been adopt- traveling but she currently finds herself in a raped in her family. And this was the catalyst to her idly increasing plant collection. sharing her writing about being adopted. “Really trying to explain how I’ve dealt and coped with OM. the trauma of adoption. [. . .] Hopefully I am able to leave something of my own roadmap for my younger family members who are also adopted.” Fun Facts about Hannah! Favorite Food? Thai and Filipino Bucket List Travel Destinations? New Zealand, South East Asia, and Continental Europe. Favorite Book? Les Misérables (it has an adoption storyline!) Hannah also liked the musical version. Do you think you would survive a zombie apocalypse? Yes! Hannah has plans with her college Quidditch team to take over a Costco if an apocalypse ever happens. Favorite Movie? The Lord of the Rings series and the 10 Things I Hate About You (when she is feeling sad) Go check out Hannah’s Instagram @endlesswanderer and more of her work via her linktree. She is also currently doing a book club podcast with her college friend where they read and chat about Ibram X. Kendri’s “How To Be An Antiracist.”

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iLove to Hate the Language BY JESIE SALCEDO @jbcs11

Jesiebelle Salcedo, or Jesie graduated from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Arts in Canadian Studies with Distinction, and a Bachelor of Elementary Education specializing in English as an Additional Language in 2016. She currently works as a teacher. To date, she has worked with many immigrant youth both in a local non-profit setting and within the school system, fuelling her passion for anti-Black and anti-racism education. When Jesie travels, she loves exploring the food culture. In her spare time, she enjoys baking up a storm for her friends and loved ones, reading, and writing to process the world around her.

econd-generation and third-generation Filipinos become the butt of a joke or shamed for not knowing our parents’ dialects. Some people think we make excuses not to learn the language, refusing our Filipino identity and favouring Western or other Asian cultures. In some cases, this may be true, but our perpetual foreignness tied with traces of colonization lurks underneath this love-hate relationship with our dialects. These jarring experiences amplify insecurities and open wounds of rejection, driving a wedge of isolation, disconnection, and resentment between our souls and our cultural identities. Sometimes when I walk down the street, a random kababayan approaches me and chatters away in Tagalog. My mind freezes,

deciding if I should pretend sentment. to understand or be honest. Choosing the latter frames me We live in a time when difas a fraud, attacked with unso- ferent cultural and religious licited questions like, “What groups speak up about their you didn’t learn? Why didn’t community’s issues. The Internet is making it harder for your parents teach you, ha?” BIPOC issues to be silenced. Shame or walang hiya (wa- But decades before the panlah-ng hee-ya) is deeply em- demic and the rise of social bedded in Filipino culture and media, the Western world was is a manipulative colonial tool and continues to be a pool of in controlling the thoughts assimilation. Teachers in the and actions of Filipino indi- ‘90s and 2000s rarely fostered viduals. Walang hiya severs students’ acceptance of their communities, pitting other cultural identity. If multiculFilipinos against each other, turalism was brought up, it and constricts different ex- was through shallow means of pressions of Filipino identi- sharing food instead of deep, ty. Walang hiya labels others intentional, and rich learning. as unworthy and manifests re- When I started school in the late ‘90s into the early 2000s, assimilation was the goal. Assimilation was a means of survival, of fitting in. At nine years old, I moved from a cultur-

ally diverse school to a predominantly white space. In shock, I didn’t know where I fit in. I was a chameleon, blending in and shifting between different worlds, slowly adapting to the slang, attitudes, and the culture until I could easily mimic my peers. Around my best friend, I felt safe, and free to be myself, but a part of me felt ignored, unseen, and unheard for years outside of our bubble.I concealed much of my Filipino identity, whitening my attitude instead, only revealing pieces of my Filipin-ness to those I could trust My best friend at the time was half Filipino and was the only one who truly understood the Filipino part of me. On the bus, we confided in each other and shared commonalities of our Filipino identity from the food to our families. As I grew older and aware of those around me, I started quietly rejecting Filipino culture by avoiding OPM (Original Pinoy Music), teleseryes (dramas), and movies with the excuse that I didn’t understand Tagalog—when really I hated that Tagalog was a secret code I couldn’t fully decipher. I also denied foods that were “too Filipino” like daing ng bangus, pinakbet, dinuguan, and toyo, and opted for foods palpable for Westernized tastes. Gradually, I developed a cloak of shame around my Filipino identity, concealing my true desire to express my Filipin-ness. In Western schools, racialized kids were labelled as ESL (English as a Second Language) students left and right. English has been my first language since birth, yet my teacher assumed I could not speak it properly because of my refusal to speak in class when in reality, I hold a shy, quiet nature. Shame consumed me as my teacher insisted, I enroll in an ESL class. My Mom protested, arguing I didn’t even speak Tagalog let alone Ilocano, but my teacher kept pushing, thinking she knew best. I wanted to scream at my teacher. “I don’t need this. I speak English fine!” Instead, I sat there, powerless, accepting the inevitable. From Grade 2 to the day I graduated high school, ESL was tattooed on my forehead. Thinking back to those useless classes is met with distorted, blacked-out memories. Those classes regressed my oral English language skills. To this day, I still have trouble formulating and verbalizing my thoughts. The trauma of being mislabelled messed with my self-esteem and deeply distorted my views of both languages. English was a priority; Tagalog was a second thought. English brought opportunity, success, and intelligence, but Tagalog was shameful and dirty. I was caught in a cycle, vying for my teacher’s approval. No matter what I did, I could never scrub those letters tattooed off my forehead. I felt like I was never good enough in either language, perceiving myself as stupid in both. I internalized these poisonous attitudes and deprived myself of learning Tagalog/Ilocano for much of my life. Nowadays, I see the value of Tagalog and Ilocano as a means to heal, reconnect, and relearn. I hold my truth and shed the colonial mentality of English holding the utmost superiority to other languages. As a teacher, I always encourage families speaking more than one language to continue communicating their home dialects. Languages carve paths of knowledge and sow seeds of belonging and guidance. Languages break barriers and bridge people together. Each second and third-generation Filipino has their own stories and complicated relationships with the language and cul-

“I w

I a

ture, some more damaging than others. Reducing our reluctance to learn our parents’ language(s) is shallow and disregards the complexities of living in the diaspora as a perpetual foreigner from birth. Cultural reconnection should be internally driven, not forced upon. Healing from our past with culture and language requires reflecting on hard truths. Even if a person refuses, we should not shame them because there may be deeper complexities concealed below. Reconciling our relationships to our Filipino identity is messy and complex but can also heal our inner wounds. Instead of dichotomizing Filipino identity, we should start seeing it in more fluid terms, allowing for the flexibility to express different definitions of Filipino/a/x identities. No matter how far you are in your journey to find peace in your identity, know that it doesn’t make you any less Filipino. OM.

was born on stolen, colonized land, far from my ancestors and cultural roots. I was born struggling to express my parents’ mother tongues, stumbling on every word. was born in a land where I am perpetually foreign, othered because of my brown skin, the shape of my eyes, my presence. I was born in a time where cultural acceptance was disguised as cultural assimilation.

was born living in a rose-coloured multicultural paradise where all cultures appear to coexist peacefully.” 67

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Karenna Umscheid is a Thai-American writer and high school student from Beaverton, Oregon. When she’s not studying or doing homework, she’s watching a movie, reading, rock-climbing, or thrifting. Some of her favorite movies are Goodfellas and I, Tonya, and her favorite book is Gone Girl. She hopes to one day be a journalist in Asia, run political campaigns, and write and direct movies. INSTAGRAM: @karennaumscheid / TWITTER: @itskarennau

ight now is a time to both stay inside and support Asian businesses. So order some Asian food, and stream some films made by Asian filmmakers and starring Asian actors. Here are some of my favorites! If you haven’t been living under a rock, you may have heard of Parasite, Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-Ho’s latest film and first Best Picture winner in a foreign language. It has recently been added to Hulu and is available to rent or buy on Amazon. Watch it, but go in without knowing anything about the plot. If you must, watch the trailer. But trust me - it’s incredible, and the less you know about it, the more you’ll enjoy it. An underrated gem, also released in 2019, is Lulu Wang’s The Farewell. Inspired by her heart-wrenching true story, Wang’s film follows a Chinese-American woman who travels back to China when her grandmother was diagnosed with cancer. Her family stages an impromptu wedding to see their beloved Nai Nai, as she remains unaware of her condition. It’s a beautiful and

heart-breaking story about the disconnect between the East and the West that resonated deeply with me. Watch it for free on Amazon Prime or Kanopy. Hirokazu Kore-eda’s 2018 film Shoplifters brought home the Palme D’or at Cannes Film Festival, and deservedly so. Shoplifters is an amazing story of an impoverished Japanese family who take in a young girl they found in the freezing cold, together making a living through petty crime and living happily for a while. This film is powerful and definitely tear-jerking, I don’t believe I could write anything that can do it justice, just please go watch it. Shoplifters is available on Hulu. Sweet Bean, or あん, is a splendid and touching film by Naomi Kawase about a Dorayaki shop owner who meets Tokue, an old woman who offers to help make the red bean paste that fills the Dorayaki. It’s a light and pleasant film about friendship and food. Watch it for free on Kanopy.

an adventure along the Thai countryside through the eyes of a man going through a midlife crisis and his elephant, Pop Aye. He travels in search of his hometown, to return Pop Aye to his family. The visuals of rural Thailand in this movie are absolutely stunning. Watch it for free on Kanopy. The 1993 film The Joy Luck Club, based on the Amy Tan novel of the same name, is an incredibly moving story about the bonds between Chinese mothers and daughters. It’s a little dated, but the ideas and emotion are timeless. It’s a tragic and honest look at family and history. Rent it on Amazon, and watch with your mom. Remember that Asian businesses are struggling right now, so do what you (safely) can to help keep them alive. Order from local restaurants or buy your necessary groceries at Asian grocery stores. Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay home if you can! OM.

Kirsten Tan’s Pop Aye is

interview with

ll e l e e e h c i m BY REHANA PAUL

Michelle Ye Hee Lee is the incoming Tokyo/Seoul bureau chief of The Washington Post and the president of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA), a professional nonprofit of more than 1,800 members across the U.S. and in Asia dedicated to greater diversity in newsrooms and in news coverage. Michelle previously covered national politics and government accountability, including campaign finance, political influence operations, ethics in government, voting access and lobbying efforts. She was a reporter on The Washington Post Fact Checker, writing political fact checks with a focus on the Trump White House, 2016 presidential candidates and congressional leadership. Prior to joining The Post in 2014, Michelle was a politics and investigations reporter at The Arizona Republic. As AAJA’s president, she is a vocal supporter of greater representation and inclusion in the news industry and news leadership, and of thoughtful news coverage of underrepresented communities, especially Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Under her leadership, AAJA has set the standard for news coverage of AAPI communities during the coronavirus pandemic and the rising reports of violence against Americans of Asian descent. Michelle was born in Seoul, South Korea, and grew up in Guam. She graduated from Emory University with a degree in international relations and English. Twitter & Instagram: @myhlee What are your thoughts on the current representation and treatment of AsianAmerican women, non-binary people, and gender minorities (W/NB/GM) in newsrooms? Surveys consistently show that the majority of journalists in newsrooms, especially in leadership, are white and male. The lack of diversity throughout the news industry has been a persistent problem, and one that becomes more acute the higher up you go in the management chain. That means when it comes Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI), especially AAPI women, non-binary people and gender-minorities, we are often the only AAPI, or one of very few AAPIs, in the newsroom. Most of us are in the rank and file, with no authority over editorial, financial or personnel decisions. Yet we disproportionately shoulder the responsibility and unseen labor of ensuring fair and accurate representation of the AAPI community, which is an impossible and unfair task because the AAPI community is so diverse. One AAPI journalist can’t—and shouldn’t be expected to—represent all AAPIs. The chronic lack of representation in newsrooms affects our journalistic credibility.

Whose lived experiences and realities are we reflecting in our news coverage, and how? What questions are we asking and which sources are we relying on, to make sure our news coverage authentically portrays the communities and audiences we serve? Newsrooms that truly reflect and authentically represent the diversity of our country are a win for journalism, trust in media and our audiences. What is the most rewarding part of your work with AAJA? AAJA’s mission is to diversify the news industry and news coverage, and ensure that minority communities—especially Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders—are covered thoughtfully and accurately in the media. I truly believe in this mission, and it’s what led me to join AAJA as an 18-year-old college student. The most rewarding part of my volunteer work with AAJA is working with and learning from a community of journalists who are passionate not only about the profession, but also about making the industry more inclusive. They spend their free time mentoring other journalists, raising money for scholarships for students, debating and setting

guidelines for news coverage affecting AAPI communities, and supporting other AAJA members because they care so deeply about the mission. The AAJA community, and my work with the organization, has made me a better journalist, leader, friend, and person, and I’m incredibly grateful. What is the most difficult part of your work with AAJA? Journalism is constantly evolving and financially turbulent. It creates opportunities for AAJA to be innovative and nimble as we help shape the future of journalism. But it can also be challenging to constantly need to think one step ahead of emerging industry trends, in order to help our journalists be prepared for those changes. We’re a nimble organization and we constantly experiment and adapt. Our programs help develop the next generation of newsroom leaders and news entrepreneurs, and we’re always thinking five to ten years ahead. It means we have to set a vision that anticipates changes in an industry that is in a deep identity crisis, which is not always easy.

unfairly blamed for the coronavirus pandemic. Despite that, our journalists have been leading the coverage of violence against AAPIs, and too many are working against the inertia and disinterest of their newsrooms to push their editors and managers to care. Generally, journalists are not wired to think about how stories affect us, for fear of seeming biased or incapable of doing the work. This is especially the case for AAPI journalists because mental health is still a stigma in our community. But being a journalist in a global pandemic, through massive layoffs and buyouts, while reporting on repeated attacks against people who look like you or your family members -- that can take a toll. And acknowledging that does not make you weak or a bad journalist.

“Newsrooms that truly reflect and authentically represent the diversity of our country are a win for journalism, trust in media and our audiences.”

So I’ve been doing my best to remind our journalists that they are humans, and that’s okay. That our humanity and journalism can coexist, and that empathy can be a powerful tool that can strengthen our journalism. And that they are not alone, and that there is a community of journalists who see them and support them.

Asian journalists have been working overtime since the beginning of the pandemic and rise in hate crimes against Asians, which have only intensified in recent weeks. We simultaneously are racing to report on these, leading by example in writing in an unbiased manner, and coping with intense grief.

What can news and media organizations around the world do to more accurately tell Asian stories? First, newsrooms need to recognize and acknowledge that they can, and need to, do better in their representation of AAPI communities. They also need to be more intentional and thoughtful about recruiting, hiring and promoting AAPI journalists, especially for leadership positions.

How are you dealing with all of this, and do you have any suggestions for how other Asian journalists can cope? Since the coronavirus lockdowns began in the U.S., Asian American journalists have gotten yelled at and harassed while on the job, and

There needs to be consistent, year-round cultural competency trainings in newsrooms so that everyone in the newsroom is equipped with the resources, sources and context to report on underrepresented communities accurately. The responsibility of getting it right can’t fall on one

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journalist in a breaking news situation; it needs to be a constant group effort, from all corners of the newsroom, led by diverse and diversityminded leadership. Newsroom leaders also need to build relationships with community leaders so that their coverage is more comprehensive and reflective of the experiences of the community. There are so many important and interesting stories about Asian Americans beyond food. You’re a busy woman! What do you do in your free time? I used to have hobbies once upon a time! But nowadays I just try to carve out time for myself to recharge. I work out and binge-listen to my favorite podcasts. I love to cook, and I’m on a (lengthy) quest to perfect Korean dishes that remind me of my mom and grandma’s cooking. What is your go-to coffee or tea order? Strong black coffee, sometimes with a splash of half and half.

looking to go into journalism? No matter your background, the important thing is to get the basics right: Study the works of journalists you admire and learn how they do their work. Recognize that your unique life experiences are an asset to your journalism and embrace your uniqueness fully, even though there will be many people throughout your career who will tell you otherwise. And always pay it forward. What, in your opinion, is the biggest problem facing Asian women, non-binary people, and gender minorities today? A major challenge facing AAPIs, especially AAPI women, is chronic invisibility. This is a challenge that thoughtful news coverage can help improve, by bringing more stories about the experiences and the history of our community to the forefront. We saw this challenge reveal itself in real time in the way news outlets reacted to the Atlanta shootings in March; too many newsrooms were rushing to declare the attacks as not racially motivated because the suspect said so, without considering the long and intertwined history of racism, sexism and sexualized violence against Asian women. I’m heartened by the many news stories that have emerged in the aftermath of the shootings, which have sparked nuanced and contextualized dialogue around the experiences of women of Asian descent in this country. And I am proud of work of AAPI journalists working to bring more visibility to AAPI women, nonbinary and gender minorities, including AAJA’s Women & Non-Binary Voices Affinity Group.

“Recognize that your unique life experiences are an asset to your journalism and embrace your uniqueness fully, even though there will be many people who will tell you otherwise. ”

You’ve covered a wide range of topics in your career, from campaign finance to the Koreas. What has been one of your favorite things to cover, and why? This is a tough one! I have many favorite stories. One of the best things about journalism is that you’re constantly learning new things and meeting new people. The most memorable stories for me are ones where I pushed myself way out of my comfort zone and succeeded -- whether it’s learning a new policy matter, resolving a challenging sourcing situation, working with new multimedia elements, teaching myself a new data analysis skill, etc. What advice do you have for Asian women, non-binary people, and gender minorities

“Saving Face” (2020) Digital, Screenprint This piece is about my experiences with hiding my true emotions as an Asian woman. Too often I have minimized myself in the past in order to not cause a stir, but I have found that these feelings always find a way of leaking out one way or another, and it more often than not is a disservice to myself when I am denying my true emotions, or when someone is being disrespectful to me.

“Beijing” (2020) Digital This piece was inspired by my childhood memories in Beijing. My family is from Beijing but I only moved there when I was ten years old. Although I felt alienated from the culture at times, I remember the awe I would feel when I would fly Chinese kites with my mom, looking up at the beautiful designs soaring up in the sky above me while the wind blew the kites away into the horizon.

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“No, I’m not “Just” a Stay-at-Home Mom” (2021) Digital This piece was inspired by an article that I read about an Asian mother taking a leave from her job to care for her child, and her struggle with walking a tightrope between being a meticulous mother and still holding onto her former self. She describes her Asian aunts as smiling approvingly at her commitment to stay home, but describes their disinterest in her intellectual activities. Especially during the pandemic, many women have been forced to lay off their careers as a result. It is shocking to see the lack of cultural and policy shifts to counter this.

Make it “Escapism” (2020) Digital This piece was inspired by a dream I had where I had a little girl right beside my pillow, looking as if she wanted to escape out into the night. I was in my last year of college so I attributed this dream to some growing pains and uncertainty about my future.

With her infectious personality and unique sense of humor, Pittsburgh native Sujata Day has established herself in Hollywood as a multi-hyphenate performer, creator, writer, and director. She honed her improv comedy and sketch-writing skills at Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre and regularly performs in UCB’s hit Asian AF show. Sujata is known for her starring role as CeCe in Issa Rae’s The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl. She has recurred for three seasons on HBO’s Insecure. Sujata is a Sundance Lab screenwriting fellow, Sundance Film Festival influencer, and HBO Visionaries Ambassador. Her narrative short film, Cowboy and Indian, sold to a major studio for series development with Sujata writing, executive producing and starring. Social profiles: @sujataday (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook) Introduce yourself! I (Sujata Day) am from a small town outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I did plays and musicals starting in elementary school and throughout college. I got my engineering degree and moved to Los Angeles to work for a consulting firm. I took acting classes, got headshots, and found an agent. I booked three national commercials in a row after getting laid off from my consulting gig. I met Issa Rae on Twitter ten years ago and played her best friend on Awkward Black Girl. I continued to work with Issa on HBO’s Insecure. And I’ve been creating my own content, both in film and television. Your debut feature film, Definition Please, is currently touring the film festival circuit. What is Definition Please about and how did this movie come to be? Definition Please follows a former spelling bee champ still struggling to make good on her childhood promise while contending with a complex family life. I won my fourth grade spelling bee, and went on to regionals to lose in the first round by misspelling radish. I spelled it with two d’s instead of one. The loss haunts me to this day, so I made a movie based on that premise.

Definition Please centers on an Indian-American family, and speaks a lot to their cultural identity. How did your own cultural identity and experiences influence this story? I grew up around many South Asian-American families and was very in touch with my Indian heritage growing up. I went to Hindu summer camp, took Bharatnatyam classes, and had close Indian friends. I think it took me about a month to write the first draft and then, of course, many months of getting notes from trusted friends and family and rewriting. The film is not autobiographical but still deeply personal to me. I wanted to convey a very American story with a family who just happens to be South Asian-American.

lar hat I had to wear at the time. I approach everything similarly, methodically, and with 100 percent focus. What inspires you? Do you have any role models? I’m inspired by Black women in entertainment who have paved the way for all women of color like Issa Rae, Tracy Oliver, Ava DuVernay, and more. Some I’ve worked with, some I haven’t. I’m inspired by their tenacity to stay in this business even after so much rejection. It inspires me to keep going and tell the stories I want to tell.

“Don’t worry about perfection. Just make the thing and get your work out there.”

You are a multi-talented artist (performer/creator/writer/director)— how do you balance these different hats? Are there more similarities or differences in how you approach projects when taking on these different roles? I’m really good at time management. I have a planner that I write in where I make my list of things to do and cross them off as I complete them. I feel very accomplished when I cross things off, no matter how small. The key is to have a great team around you for support. My amazing cast and crew really made all the difference in allowing me to focus on whatever particu-

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Is there anything you wish you knew when you were beginning to perform and create? Is there any piece of advice you’d want to share with other aspiring young Asian artists just starting out? Don’t worry about perfection. Just make the thing and get your work out there.

This time of COVID-19 and the rise of anti-Asian hate has been difficult for the whole Overachiever community. How have you been coping with this time? I give myself a break, especially from social media. I’m on text chats with different groups of friends and we support each other. In a similar vein, what does self-care mean to you? How do you take care of

yourself? I sleep a lot. I get at least 8 hours of sleep every night. Here are some rapid-fire questions: Your go-to coffee shop order? Iced green tea What item(s) can you not leave your house without? My phone Any good films/TV shows you’re watching right now? The Larry Sanders Show Ultimate comfort food? Pizza What has been the highlight of your day today? My homemade chai What is upcoming for you in your life and your work? I have a TV series in development, and I’m pitching my second feature. OM.

“30°N” by Sunnie Liu Medium: ink and colored pencil

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“Wanderlost” by Sunnie Liu Medium: colored pencil and collage

film/TV review corner: “Definition Please” Written by Kate Anderson-Song @k8andersonsong Kate Anderson-Song is on the editorial team at Overachiever Magazine. She is a NYC-based writer, artist, and performer, with a background in Cinema Studies & Drama from New York University. You can find Kate on Instagram @k8andersonsong and @thek8pages where she posts her art, and you can find more of her work (and tons of other great stuff) here at Overachiever Magazine!

elcome back to my (Kate Anderson-Song’s) Film/ TV Review Corner. Today we’re talking about Sujata Day’s debut indie feature, Definition Please, a charismatic Indian-American family drama about growing upand-out of expectations and reshaping relationships. The story follows Monica Chowdry, played by writer-director Sujata Day, who, after reaching the high of winning the national spelling bee in 4th grade, is now an adult struggling with her expectations to “overachieve” (*wink wink*) - which push against her small at-home life taking care of her widowed mother (Anna Khaja), tutoring local kids, and hanging out with her childhood best friend (Lalaine). Yet, when she’s offered the chance to move forward with her own bigger dreams, she hesitates to take the leap. Throughout this warm drama, the complex family dynamics, especially her strained relationship with

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her older brother (Ritesh Rajan), are revealed to be puzzle pieces keeping her grounded in this smaller life. Known for her role on Insecure, Day steps into the character of Monica with ease and groundedness, moving without fanfare through the many different dynamics of her life. Standout moments of chemistry can be seen with her best friend (Lalaine), who brings realistic humor and friendship into the foreground, and her brother (Ritesh Rajan), who highlights the tension between childhood selves and adult selves and displays a compelling performance of wide-swinging emotions while upholding a playfulness that keeps their sibling relationship believably youthful. Her brother’s experience with bipolar disorder also opens up important and often untouched conversations around mental health within Asian communities and the effects that mental health can have within families (extra relevant for May, which is not only

AAPI Heritage Month, but also Mental Health Awareness Month in the US). The comedic waves that surface in the face of the heavier drama, and the almost episodic pacing between different scenes/locations allow you to really settle into Monica’s life. You can’t help being drawn to these characters, not because they are infinitely good or larger than life, but because of how truly life-sized they are. The audience is walking, sitting, and experiencing the usually hidden everyday tensions that build up to create the messy and complicated snapshot of the Chowdry’s true lives. With elements of Bollywood classics, soap operas, indie coming-of-age tales, and TV comedy that blend with well-known tropes of strain between 1st generation and 2nd generation experiences, and struggles with familial expectation, it is clear that Sujata Day knows exactly what the rules and conventions are - and exactly how she wants to blend and reshape them. She’s pulled the familiar into this microscopic vision with specificity and ease so that the Chowdry’s feel real in their complexity and their levity. Definition Please is a slice-of-life journey of reconciliation and redefining yourself within your family and your community. It leans into a truth that feels almost too

obvious when stated: we all have unique stories that are important to share, because it is within these specific stories that we get to relate to being human. For more on this film and on Sujata Day, check out our interview with Sujata Day in this issue (May II issue). Definition Please is currently doing the film festival circuit, and more information about the production and where to view it/how to book a screening can be found at www.SujataDay.com/Definition-Please. OM.

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Demie Cao is a Chinese-American singer-songwriter whose love of performing started from a young age as a ballet dancer. After 13 years dedicated to the art, Demie turned her focus to the music industry with her distinctive style and fierce lyrics, and energetic dances. Demie continues to grow as an artist and is training under MSTR RCKS, and in the past, has trained within the K-Pop music industry in Seoul, South Korea, and took part in writing camps in Beijing, China. Demie’s official debut in China was with her single, “NIGHT VISION,” which landed on Billboard Asia’s 2019 “Best of Rap: URBAN ASIA Vol. 2.” Demie has also appeared in promos for 88 Rising, CJ E&M, and KCON. In May 2020, she made her English debut in May 2020 with her single “YUNG,” which garnered immediate attention and landed her on Spotify’s Editorial New Music Friday lists in Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines. After the release of her first EP, Thicker Lines, Demie made NME’s 100 Essential Emerging Artists of 2021. Demie Cao is signed to 5A LABEL/Steel Wool Entertainment and distributed by EMPIRE and EMPIRE ASIA. Social profiles: Spotify: Demie Cao Instagram and Facebook: @demiethedestroyer YouTube: Demie Cao Twitter: @demthedestroyer Introduce yourself! Hey, my name is Demie aka Demie the Destroyer, and I’m a rapping ballerina, aggressive introvert mixed with nocturnal animal. Nice to meet you. How has your musical journey evolved over the years? What motivated you to start, and how has your music changed since then? As any Asian-American high school girl, I was a massive fan of Korean pop. It was the first time I’ve seen people of my ethnicity and who looked like me do popular music, so I have to say that K-pop was really the catalyst of my journey. Being older now, I just think my music is just a little more mature. I always liked the sentimental aspects of songwriting and my process has really shifted more towards being personal and

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introspective rather than just catchy tunes I guess. What did you love most about making your first EP, Thicker Lines, and releasing it to the world? It was such a long time in the making. I was honestly just relieved to have it get released into the world. There are many songs on there that are so old, I no longer relate to them myself. But yeah, I just love that something I’ve written at home can be heard by people around the world. It’s kinda wild. How would you describe your newest single, “Circles”? What’s the story/inspiration behind it? “Circles” is a song portraying a relationship with someone that has fallen apart at the core, but still wanting to hold onto it be-

cause that person was once a home. It is a song that is very personal to me, and I hope it really just speaks for itself.

career? Don’t focus too much on your circumstances. The hardest part is always the beginning.

What are some of the most fulfilling things about being a part of the music industry? What can be frustrating? The most fulfilling is definitely just watching your vision come to life. I just love the process of coming up with an idea and then watching it get executed. The industry can also be frustrating too. I don’t always feel like I have all the freedom to do what I want, but I’m learning to be more assertive with what I want. I think that’s important.

What’s next for you? Any exciting projects? “Circles” is coming out on May 14 and all the visuals are directed by me so I’m super excited about that. Other than that, I’m just writing and working on new music for yall. <3 Thank you for sticking around. OM.

What do you consider your greatest accomplishment? Just having the balls to do this shit in the first place honestly. I am probably the most reserved person out there, and I don’t know how I ended up here in this industry, but I am proud of it. Who are some amazing Asian female artists you want our readers to check out? That’s a real good question, there’s really not that many out there. But Audrey Nuna comes to mind, The Blossom, and Luna Ligo check em out. What do you think are the biggest challenges facing Asian women today? I’m not sure if I’m an ideal spokesperson for this, but at least for me, it’s hard to get taken seriously in a room full of white men (or just men in general) as a 5’2” Asian girl. They just kind of expect you to nod and go along with whatever. Do you have any advice for young Asian girls who want to pursue a singing

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Drea is a 2nd year Entomology PhD Candidate in Dr. Brian Lazzaro’s lab. She investigates the impact of nutrition on infection outcome in fruit flies, particularly studying the genetic and physiological mechanisms by which dietary sugar shapes resistance to infection. As a Graduate School Dean’s Scholar and Ford Foundation Fellow, Drea serves the Cornell community and beyond as an E-board member of the Black Graduate and Professional Student association, Co-leader of the Diversity Preview Weekend, and co-instructor for the Science of Bias Seminar at Cornell. When she is not advocating for diversity and inclusion in academia or experimenting on flies in lab, she is a plant mom and likes to play video games, watch anime, read comics, and make cosplay. Social profiles: Twitter: @drea_drby Introduce yourself! My name is Andrea Darby. I go by Drea. I use she/her pronouns, identify as biracial, and identify as African American and Filipino American. My father is black and my mother is an immigrant from the Philippines. I am a PhD candidate in the field of entomology at Cornell. I study the impact of diet on infection, survival in fruit flies-- like the common kitchen fruit flies that you’ll see buzzing around your home. How did you get into fruit fly research? My introduction into research was actually a fruit fly lab. So I’ve always have worked on flies. One of my mentors in undergrad would call me the “fly girl”. I like, ride or die fly.

I just thought bugs were super cool. I say bugs-- I’m in this context I meant microbes but yeah, I switched my major to biology against my mother’s wish. That was a dark time, but I was okay! What do you enjoy besides research? I identify as a weeb so I’m really into anime and manga. I cosplay, make my own cosplay, and go to cons (in a non pandemic environment, and I also play games. Yeah, I fantasize about being like that weeb professor who has wall scrolls in my office and various anime figurines around.

“But if you know what’s right for you and how you feel, you can heal and grow and move forward with your life.”

During the semester I was applying for nursing school, I took a microbiology class. And that class changed my whole career trajectory. During the lab course, you get to like identify a bacterium based off its genus, using all sorts of different biochemical tests and bioinformatics. And I was like “Yo, this is so dope! How do I do something like this as a job, ‘cause I... don’t want to be a nurse?”

How did you end up at Cornell? My introduction to Cornell Entomology was through the Diversity Preview Weekend, which I am currently an organizer for as a grad student. The goal of DPW is to increase the number of applicants that come from historically underrepresented and excluded backgrounds in fields like entomology, for example. I was really touched that a program like this would go out of their way to do something like this and put in the money. And that kind of demonstrated to me that, yeah,

they really care about this stuff. Now that I’m here, I do think that compared to peers that I have in other departments at Cornell, I do think our department is doing positive things that others maybe aren’t considering doing. I know peers in other life science departments that don’t see value in having a diversity preview weekend. So I know that weekend was very integral for me at least. How has your experience at Cornell been so far, with regards to DEI? When I came here for interview weekend, I did have some one faculty caution me against certain types of people I would want to work with because, “it would probably not be the best experience for [me]”. But they did not go into any details about why or how come. But I wish they had told me who because they would have given me more guidance on how to navigate this space.

Cornell entomology who aren’t your traditional students?” I don’t even know what a traditional entomologist would be, but I always think of a white guy. And so I was just really, really frustrated by how I would plug and chug and continue with my days during the summer. I mean I have a unique background in not just being an Asian woman but being a black woman too. And at that time I was feeling like, “I’m still coming in and doing work and carrying on while all this tragic stuff is going on in the world.” I saw that would work, but I’m just like, “When do we have time to process and grieve?” I feel like our department still needs to work on supporting students. And that’s not just a problem unique to Cornell entomology, it’s honestly a fact across places outside of this institution. Broadly, I would say we’re at the awareness stage, but now trying to get into the real work. What’s driving you to become a professor? Being the one student of color-- that always really messed me up. And I had always thought, “throughout my entire education, I have never had a black or Filipino instructor”. And I just thought, “this isn’t right.” And that was kind of like my main motivation to actually go off to get a PhD. And that’s what really inspired me to be a professor—to maybe be a student’s first black and Asian professor.

Mentors here warned me of being asked for a lot of DEI related service because of the manner of how I came to Cornell by being a recruit through DPW. We have diversity fellowships for Cornell graduate students, and I am also a recipient of one of our diversity fellowships. So I do kind of have this label of me being the diversity student, even though we have other grad students that one would probably also call the same thing. It’s funny because one person isn’t diverse, like a single human being isn’t diverse! I also love interacting with other students and I really enjoy teaching. Research is cool too, but I I felt like during the summer of 2020 was when really enjoy human interaction. I went through a my eyes were kind of really being opened in lot of traumatic stuff in undergrad, and continue terms of how much diversity and inclusion, or to go through hard situations. I always felt that the issues of black people for example, or other with the majority of my professors, it just felt minoritized groups in this country really were hard to be vulnerable about struggling and say, not at the forefront of people’s minds in our de- I need a couple more days to complete XYZ aspartment. signment, or like I just don’t have the capacity to come into class”. I just didn’t feel like I had a lot of I felt like DPW was like, “Yeah, we’re doing empathetic instructors coming up in my underthis great thing for diversity and inclusion,” but grad. I want to be part of like the change in the that was really it. I started thinking, “How much culture in academia and tell students that it’s ok do you really care? About the safety, the men- to have a life outside of being a college student. tal space of these students who come through Like, we all are humans and we all go through

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pain and we have suffering. And sometimes that and values of yours to really lean into when you homework assignment that you have to do at mid- need help. night isn’t the most important thing in that moment of your life. What has acceptance and self-love of your identity and your identities looked like for Do you feel pressure to help out with or lead you? DEI efforts? I’ve really been trying to combat code switching. In the summer of 2020 we had a DEI committee When I was in Kansas, I really felt like I had to and it really felt like the department expected me repress any aspect of my identity, that wasn’t “like to be on that. Of course, they didn’t just directly a scientist”. I would always be so self-conscious beask me to be on it, but there was external pressure ing around a lot of white people. I felt like I had from the hope that I would come on board. I did to assimilate and I’ve been really trying to combat decide to step down from that committee because that here. I just didn’t have the emotional capacity to do that kind of work, because it is really emotionally ex- Sometimes I’m afraid to answer the “what are hausting. Not only to advocate for your own needs, you?” question, because I’ve gotten responses that but the needs of other people. exoticize me. Lie, “Oh, that’s an interesting combination.” But I’ve been getting over that as much A big adult moment for me was to acknowledge as I can, just trying to be really accepting of both that this is something that really matters to me, and of my racial identities especially. Not being afraid I want to see some tangible change happen in this to wear hoops or something that could be considdepartment, but also recognizing that I shouldn’t ered “black fashion”, or just being really open about always have to do this stuff. I shouldn’t always have talking about my Filipino heritage, including sharto feel like if I don’t do it, who else is gonna do it? ing my experiences and trying to not be ashamed to share like the good, the bad, and the ugly. How do you suggest other BIPOC students go about challenging authority and/or advocatOM. ing for themselves? In practice, it’s so much easier said than done. But if you know what’s right for you and how you feel, you can heal and grow and move forward with your life. And that sometimes involves making yourself uncomfortable. I mean you don’t want to trigger a panic attack or anything like that—but to the extent that you are capable at this moment. I’ve done a lot of personal work leading up to how I addressed authority, having a Filipino mom who basically taught me to not challenge authority. So, I really felt like this kind of transferred into other aspects of my life, like professional settings. One part is having people in my circle that I trust and that I can talk to you and be very encouraging in terms of giving me a voice. Really like relying on other people to lift me up, because I can’t do everything alone. I would say it’s hard to identify allies. But, look for people who do have shared missions

om.

Overachiever Magazine: MAY 2021

Articles inside

interview with drea darby by zoe kim

interview with demie cao by charlotte drummond

film/TV review corner: “definition please” by kate anderson-song

interview with sujuta day by kate anderson-song

pieces by chealsea jia feng

asian films to watch while social distancing by karenna umscheid

interview with michelle li by rehana paul

interview with hannah johns by maddi chun

interview with sophie kanno by maddi chun

diversifying the asian american narrative by lang duong

orientalism and the yellow peril a brief look into the cornerstone of racism

playlist: aapi appreciation pt. 2 by jean sumbilla

overachievers

interview with annika oyung by maddi chun

poetry roundup

an overpriced coffee shop and me by erica wong

asian storytellers and their lack of awards by a. mana nava

playlist: aapi appreciation pt. 1 by jean sumbilla

interview with rehma by neeka boroumandi

why now? by j. faith malicdem

reparations by erica chang

interview with malavika kannan by kate anderson-song

interview with joyce & amy by zoe kim

interview with hae.zy