Asian American History 101

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 46! Punk Rock was most popular in the mid- to late-1970s through the middle of the 1980s. Although it hit its peak for only about a decade, it captured the public’s imagination in that time with it’s anti-establishment, in-your-face, DIY style. The bands didn’t achieve success on their own though. Asian American clubs on the West Coast were a huge reason for the growth of the Punk Rock scene.  In this episode, we talk about three of the most influential clubs in California to give punk rock bands a chance: Madame Wong’s and Cathay de Grande in Los Angeles as well as Mabuhay Gardens in San Francisco. These clubs and their owners… Esther Wong, Ruby Chou, and Ness Aquino… all transformed their restaurants into clubs that served up culture-rich food and hardcore punk. We open the episode by talking about the LA Dodgers win and our memories of punk rock music. In our recurring segment we bring back the API Guide to the NHL where we talk about the National Hockey League players of Asian Pacific descent so listeners who to root for. If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or social media links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at info@aahistory101.com. Segments 00:25 Dodgers Win the World Series and Talking Punk Rock 05:51 The History of Asian American Clubs and the Punk Rock and New Wave Scenes 25:54 The API Guide to the NHL 24-25 Edition

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 45! We have a returning guest! We were so excited for the chance to bring back award-winning author and editor Karen Yin to our show. Last time we really focused on her editing career and her newest book The Conscious Style Guide: A Flexible Approach to Language That Includes, Respects, and Empowers. In today’s conversation, we get a chance to dive into her work in picture books. Her children’s books include Whole Whale, So Not Ghoul, and Doug the Pug and the Kindness Crew. Her next release will be Nice to Eat You which will be released by Scholastic in Summer 2025. We got a chance to talk to her about each of these books while also hearing about some behind the scenes perspectives on connecting with illustrators, getting the green light on projects, adding morals and diversity to children’s literature, puns, and more. If you want to purchase Karen Yin’s picture books or want to learn more about how you can develop your practice with conscious language, then find Karen’s work here, visit her personal website, bookmark the Conscious Style Guide website, join the Conscious Language and Design Facebook group, and follow her on Instagram (@karensoffice and @consciousstyleguide).  If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or social media links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at info@aahistory101.com.

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 44! We love eating a good Bánh Mì. The combo of fresh veggies, spice, savory protein, crunchy elements, fresh herbs, and acidic pickles makes for a satisfying meal. There’s a reason it’s so popular across the globe as a breakfast, lunch, or dinner item. In this episode, we discuss the history of French colonialism in Việt Nam and how the foods they brought in were adapted to become this iconic sandwich. And bonus! You get to hear our attempts at pronouncing Vietnamese names and words. We open the episode with a shout-out to the Dodgers World Series run as well as Natalie Nakase’s WNBA accomplishment. Then we weigh in on the Bobba controversy. We end this episode with one of our favorite recurring segments… Obscure API Comic Book Characters where we talk about I-Ching from the DC Comics Universe. Hear how this hero helped Wonder Woman, Superman, and more.  Photo courtesy of The Viet Vegan.  If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or social media links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at info@aahistory101.com. Segments 00:25 Intro: Dodgers in World Series, Natalie Nakase, and Bobba 09:59 The History of the Bánh Mì Vietnamese Sandwich 30:52 Obscure API Comic Book Characters, I-Ching

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 43! Today’s guest is Jaylee Hamidi who is best known for their acting, but is also both a writer and painter. Jaylee was born in Shanghai, China, but moved to Canada and now lives in Vancouver. They are a queer, gender-fluid, Chinese-Kurdish-Iranian creative professional.  They currently can be seen in their breakout recurring role as Allie in the Hulu, ABC Onyx show “How to Die Alone”, created and lead by actress Natasha. We love how Jaylee plays the character of Allie with candor and wisdom. In scenes with the main character Mel, they bond over the fact that they’re on similar life paths of falling in love with their whole selves and not settling for anything or anyone less.  In this episode’s conversation, we talk about representation, Jaylee’s writing, their paintings, building chemistry in acting, their hopes for future storylines on Allie, and so much more. Enjoy the conversation! Quick note: Due to some technical difficulties during the recording of the conversation, the audio cut out on a few of Jaylee’s responses. We apologize for any confusion that may result from this. If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or social media links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at info@aahistory101.com. Photo Credit of Jaylee Hamidi: Fortiv

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 42! It’s another installment of Most Forgotten Massacres. Today we’re going to talk about the Anti-Filipino Riots in Washington State. Although the discrimination and violence occurred in the 1920s and 1930s, the tension had been building for a few decades because the dislike of Asian laborers can be traced back to the Chinese during the Gold Rush and railroad days, the Japanese in the agricultural fields, and the South Asians in agriculture and lumber mills. For Filipinos in Washington State, many of them came in as U.S. Nationals, but they became labeled as Aliens after a few years. In this episode, we share some of the cultural, political, economic, and social issues that led to the violence against Filipino laborers in Washington. Predominantly occurring in Yakima Valley, Seattle, and Bremerton, the events highlighted a widespread problem that was exacerbated by politicians, labor leaders, nativist groups, and the media. In our opening we talk about Shohei Ohtani and the LA Dodgers as well as Adele Lim and the Princess Diaries 3. In our recurring segment, we talk about the National Federation of Filipino American Associations. They do a lot of advocacy and empowerment work. You can learn more or donate on their website.  If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or social media links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at info@aahistory101.com. Segments 00:25 Intro: Talking Shohei Ohtani and Adele Lim on Princess Diaries 3 05:50 The History of the Anti-Filipino Riots in Washington State 28:14 Organizations to Know: National Federation of Filipino American Associations

  Welcome to Season 4, Episode 41! We have two guests today… award-winning author Kyo Maclear and award-winning illustrator Gracey Zhang. Their latest collaboration is the whimsical picture book Noodles on a Bicycle published by Penguin Random House Children’s. It was released on August 27, 2024, so you can go out and get it now. It’s a great book that provides a historical snapshot into Tokyo’s bicycle food delivery people, or demae who were amazingly skilled at balancing a tower of hot noodle soup bowls on their shoulders while steering their bicycle through the crowded city streets. Based on memories from Kyo’s childhood, the book is the perfect pairing of poetic words and detailed, captivating illustrations. In our conversation, Kyo and Gracey meet for the first time and share about their careers, their latest collaboration, what they enjoy about working with each other, and so much more. For more on Kyo Maclear, visit her children’s book site, non-children’s site, and instagram @kyomaclear. You can see more of Gracey Zhang’s work on her website or instagram @graceyyz.  If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or social media links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at info@aahistory101.com.

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 40! You may not know what a steel guitar is, but once you hear the sound it makes, we guarantee you’ve heard music where it’s used. Originating in Hawaii, the steel guitar has gone on to spark innovation and integration into bluegrass, blues, jazz, country, and more.  In this episode, we share the origins of the Hawaiian Steel Guitar as well as some of the key players and events that made Hawaiian music so popular in the early 1900s. To learn more, we recommend checking out recordings of Sol Ho’opi’i, King Nawahi, Kalama’s Quartet, Sam Ku West, and other masters of the Hawaiian Steel Guitar. You can also read the book Kika Kila: How the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Changed the Sound of Modern Music by John Troutman. We also take time to discuss the big night of Emmy wins for Shōgun as well as the historic season for Shohei Ohtani. We close out this episode by talking about what we’re watching… DiDi the movie and Sarah Kinsley in concert.  If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or social media links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at info@aahistory101.com. Segments 00:25 Talking about Shōgun and Shohei Ohtani 03:10 The History of the Hawaiian Steel Guitar 19:16 What Are We Watching? The Movie Didi and Sarah Kinsley in Concert

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 39! Our guest today is Sydelle Barreto, the Policy Manager of The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum. The NAPAWF (pronounced “NAP-off”) is the only multi-issue, progressive, community organizing and policy advocacy organization for Asian American and Pacific Islander women and girls in the United States. Founded in 1996 by a group of 100 AAPI women, these “founding sisters” came together to establish an organization that would amplify AAPI women’s stories and experiences. They recognized that the voices of AAPI women all too often went unseen and unheard, so they founded NAPAWF to center their lived experiences within the broader public narrative. NAPAWF focuses on four key issues that include: Reproductive Health and Rights, Economic Justice and Equal Pay, Immigrant Rights, and Racial Justice. They recently published a report called Clocking Inequality: Understanding Economic Inequity, the Wage Gap, and Workplace Experiences of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Women. It’s amazing what you discover when you disaggregate the data on the AANHPI community when you’re researching wage gaps. In this conversation, we talk to Sydelle about her journey to NAPAWF, the Clocking Inequality report, some of the key details, the policies we can adopt at the federal and local levels to support the AANHPI community, and what we can do as individuals to support change. To learn more, read the Clocking Inequality report, visit the NAPAWF website, and follow them on Instagram @napawf. If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or social media links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at info@aahistory101.com.

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 38! The U.S. elections are coming up, so it’s a fitting time to talk about the activist and suffragist Tye Leung Schulze. She broke barriers, but her life went far beyond being the first Chinese American woman to vote in a U.S. election. So in this episode, we go into more of the details of her incredible life and the the challenges she faced and overcame. To learn more about her as well as the lives of Chinese American women at that time, we highly recommend watching the Unladylike 2020 episode on her or the book Unbound Voices by Judy Yung. We open this episode by talking about some of the celebrations for people like Actress and Producer Sandra Oh and Paralympic champion Alice Tai. We close out the episode by talking about what we’re listening to. Gen is listening to Sarah Kinsley’s new album Escaper and Ted is listening to the audiobook Arsenic and Adobo by author Mia P. Manansala... and we highly recommend both! If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or social media links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at info@aahistory101.com. Segments 00:25 Intro and Celebrations… Sandra Oh, Alice Tai, Shogun, and Jessica Pegula 06:33 The History of Activist Tye Leung Schulze 20:32 What Are We Listening To? Audiobook of Arsenic and Adobo and Sarah Kinsley’s New Album Escaper

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 37! Our guest this episode is the talented watercolorist, comic artist, and writer, Tony Moy. We first met Tony at the 2024 WonderCon in Anaheim when he was part of a panel on using comic books to help fight anti-Asian hate… a panel moderated by Stephanie Lim of Third State Books that also featured Amy Chu and Sarah Myer (we had a chance to speak to Amy on S04E08 and Sarah on S04E24 so check those episodes out). Tony’s art is beautiful and vibrant. He’s done incredible covers and artwork focused on a variety of properties like Marvel, Star Wars, Studio Ghibli, and more. And he has also worked on his own stories and art. Our favorite series that he’s working on is called The 4Forty2nd, and it focuses on the heroic stories of the 100th and 442nd Regimental Combat Teams made up of Japanese Americans during WWII. They faced intense discrimination and incarceration and became the most decorated combat unit of their size in U.S. history.  We’re big believers in the need for diverse stories… and just like Tony Moy… we believe the true life heroic stories of Japanese American soldiers is something that needs more exposure. If you happen to be at New York Comic Con (October 17-20), then you can pick-up an ultra limited edition that collects the first three episodes of The 4Forty2nd (you can see the cover below). We’re keeping our fingers crossed that he publishes a graphic novel (or two or three) with all the stories on the 442nd RCT. We talk about his watercolor style, what inspired him to write The 4Forty2nd, how he researches, and so much more! To see more of Tony’s work, visit his website, go to The 4Forty2nd homepage or Webtoons site, and check out his Instagram. The 4Forty2nd is free on Webtoons, so it would be great if you also consider supporting him on Patreon.  If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or social media links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at info@aahistory101.com.

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 36! It’s time to talk about iconic Asian candies again! These are candies and confections that originated in Asia but have meant a lot to people worldwide in the Asian diaspora. Today we’re here to share the history of Botan Rice Candy and Dragon’s Beard Candy.  Have you tried either? We think they’re worth looking for if you haven’t. Both are generally vegan and gluten-free, so they’re good for most people. If you have a nut allergy, you should avoid Dragon’s Beard, or you can make it yourself without nuts. If you like celebrating iconic Asian Candies, then check out S03E44 where we talk about White Rabbit and Kopiko as well as S03E47 where we talk about Hi-Chew and Haw Flakes. To begin the episode, we catch-up on a few current events including the Paralympics. In our recurring segment, we have another installment of “What Are We Watching?”, and we wax poetic about the Acolyte on Disney+ and Pachinko on Apple TV+.  If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or social media links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at info@aahistory101.com. Segments 00:25 Talking Koda Farms, Asian Taste, and Paralympics 06:27 The History of Iconic Asian Candies: Botan Rice Candy and Dragon’s Beard 19:52 What Are We Watching? The Acolyte and Pachinko

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 35! We often read to learn new information or to be entertained (or both). But we also love reading to improve ourselves, which is what we did with The Conscious Style Guide by Award-winning Editor and Author Karen Yin (S04E22). Today’s guest is Dr. Helen Hsu, whose new book is The Healing Trauma Workbook for Asian Americans published by New Harbinger. It was released in July and is informative, inspirational, and empowering. Dr. Hsu accomplishes that by creating an easy-to-use workbook that is segmented into concepts with an activity or question to make you reflect deeply and consider solutions. We really enjoyed going through the workbook and learned a lot about ourselves and how we react to stressors.  Dr. Helen Hsu is a clinical psychologist, educator, and author, and she is currently the Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) Director of Outreach, and a lecturer at Stanford University. With more than 20 years of experience through K-12 public schools, private practice, geriatric care, hospice, university counseling, and community-based health center, Helen also founded Hella Mental Health… an organization that’s devoted to nourishing the overall well-being and mental health of BIPOC communities through education and empowerment.  Hella is dedicated to lifelong learning of cultural humility and works with an anti-racist, LGBTQ+ affirming perspective. The workbook is the same way, which is apparent as you go through the activities and questions in it. Whether you realize it or not, so many people of AANHPI descent have experienced trauma in their backgrounds, and leveraging The Healing Trauma Workbook for Asian Americans can be a significant step towards healing and change.  In our conversation, we talk about Dr. Helen Hsu’s background, the decision to create a workbook, the inspiration for Hella Mental Health, how intergenerational trauma works, the use of mantras, and so much more. We hope you go out and get The Healing Trauma Workbook for Asian Americans, visit Hella Mental Health, or follow her work on Instagram or YouTube.  If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or social media links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at info@aahistory101.com.

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 34! In today’s episode we share The History of the Fight for the I-Hotel. August 26, 2024 will mark 19 years since the new International Hotel opened their doors. But do you know what happened to the old I-Hotel? It’s amazing how the community, civil rights activists, residents, and others came together to help fight for the rights of the people living in the I-Hotel who were predominantly Filipino and Chinese laborers. As terrible as the decades-long fight was for the residents of the I-Hotel, there were some positive outcomes that still help promote the rights of low-income seniors and their right to affordable quality housing. Additionally, the fight for the I-Hotel was a key moment in bringing together Asian Americans from a variety of groups to fight for a common cause… something that we can all use more of. To learn more about the International Hotel, you can watch the award-winning The Fall of the I-Hotel by Curtis Choy or read the award-winning I Hotel by Karen Tei Yamashita. And finally, there's a new book by Emil De Guzman called Red Sky: Recollections of the International Hotel, and it's published by the amazing Eastwind Books.  To close this episode we celebrate some of the API athletes who won in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or social media links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at info@aahistory101.com. Segments 00:25 Intro Discussing Hotels 07:09 The History of the Fight for the I-Hotel 34:10 Celebrations: Asian Pacific Olympic Highlights

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 33! One of our favorite guests is back for another conversation… it’s award-winning author, illustrator Nidhi Chanani who returns to share a little about her upcoming picture book Quiet Karima that will be released on October 8, 2024. It’s a beautifully painted book that is about Karima, who taps into the magic and music in the world when she’s quiet. If you’re unfamiliar with Nidhi, just know that she’s an amazing illustrator, author, and artist. She writes and illustrates picture books, graphic novels, and more. Some of our favorite books by Nidhi include Pashmina, Super Boba Cafe, the Shark Princess Series, and What Will My Story Be? In this episode, we take time to get an update on Super Boba Cafe 2, talk about her recent vacation, discuss doing work for Disney, contemplate being an ambivert, talk about the upcoming Quiet Karima, and so much more. Looking for more of Nidhi? Then we recommend that you listen to our last conversation with Nidhi S03E41, pre-order Quiet Karima, get Super Boba Cafe (or any of her other books), follow her on Instagram @nidhiart, and visit her website, Every Day Love Art. If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or social media links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at info@aahistory101.com.

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 32! Do you know who the first Asian Pacific American Olympic champions were? We didn’t know, so we researched, and are here to share it with you! In this episode we talk about the lives of Duke Kahanamoku, Vicki Manalo Draves, and Sammy Lee, our first Asian Pacific American Olympic heroes.  It’s amazing what each of them overcame to be able to represent the United States in the Olympic Games… and not just represent but become champions. Their accomplishments should be part of the curriculum in every school in the U.S. because in so many ways, they embody what we think of when we talk about the American Dream. To learn more, here are some media to help you: Waterman, a film about Duke Kahanamoku that was directed by Isaac Halasima Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku by David Davis  Surfer of the Century: The Life of Duke Kahanamoku by Ellen Crowe Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story by Paula Yoo  The Story of Olympic Diver Sammy Lee by Paula Yoo Changing the Game: Asian Pacific American Female Athletes (includes a section on Vicki Manalo Draves) by Mia Wenjen In our recurring segment, we talk about what we’ve been reading, and Ted shares some thoughts about The Poppy War trilogy by R.F. Kuang.  If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or social media links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at info@aahistory101.com. Segments 00:25 Asian Pacific American Olympic Update 06:51 The History of Asian Pacific American Olympic Champions: Duke Kahanamoku, Vicki Manalo Draves, and Sammy Lee 30:23 What are We Reading? The Poppy War Trilogy by R.F. Kuang

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 31! Have you ever wondered why Vietnamese Americans seem to dominate the nail salon industry in America? Although not all Vietnamese Americans are nail technicians, there are enough to make up approximately 50% of the nail technicians in the $8 billion per year American nail industry.  It all started with the celebrity activist, Tippi Hedren, an actress known for being in The Birds, Marnie, and many more features. She has made an effort to work on a variety of causes throughout her life, and that includes helping the Vietnamese American refugees starting in 1975. In this episode, we share the origin of the Vietnamese American Nail Salons. To learn more, check out the documentary by Adele Pham called Nailed It! We open the episode by talking a little about AAPI athletes in the Olympics, API Emmy nominees, and other current events. In our recurring segment we introduce “So Annoying” where we take a topic that annoys us and talk about it. Today we’re talking about people who question the meat in Asian restaurants.  If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or social media links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at info@aahistory101.com. Segments 00:25 Intro, current events, catching up 09:09 The Origin of Vietnamese Nail Salons 19:55 So Annoying, Accusations of Dog Meat in Asian Food

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 30! This is an ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) encore rebroadcast of The History of Chop Suey Fonts from S03E18. It was a favorite of ours to research because it amazes us how something not created by Asian Pacific Islanders has become so closely aligned to our businesses.  We’ve all seen them. Typefaces that signal an ethnic establishment. For businesses, especially restaurants that sell Asian food, it’s not unusual to see the use of a “Chop Suey Font”. These fonts have also been used for politics, advertising, media, and other businesses. Whether named Chop Suey, Wonton, or any number of mimicry typefaces, using these fonts sends a message that it’s a place that’s exotic, foreign, yet somehow accessible. We discuss the history of these fonts and whether they’re racist.  If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or social media links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at info@aahistory101.com. Segments 00:25 Intro 00:59 The History of Chop Suey Fonts

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 29! Eastwind Books has been an institution in Berkeley as well as a pioneer for Asian American and multicultural bookstores across the country. The co-owners, Bea and Harvey Dong have been longtime activists in the Asian American community, so we were honored to get a chance to have them on as guests to talk about their lives. The work of activists like Bea and Harvey make our podcast possible. One episode was never going to be enough to cover everything they’ve done, but we did our best to connect on some major topics. Bea and Harvey take time to talk to us about their early activism in the 1960s and 70s, how they met, the start of Eastwind Books, the importance of becoming a publisher, and more. We’re so glad that they are continuing to give voice to the voiceless, even if their physical location closed in 2023. Patrons can still purchase books on the Eastwind Books website and subscribe to their newsletter to hear about their latest community events and publications.  If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or social media links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at info@aahistory101.com.

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 28! George Helm Jr. was a Native Hawaiian musician, activist, and passionate leader. He believed in Hawaiian sovereignty and protecting the land… embodying the values of Aloha ʻāina perfectly. Known for his beautiful falsetto voice and articulate reasoning, he was a founding member of the Protect Kaho‘olawe ‘Ohana (the PKO or ‘Ohana for short) grassroots organization that was determined to save Kaho’olawe Island from years of decline at the hands of invasive animals, plants, and U.S. military weapons testing. In this episode, we talk about the history of George Helm Jr., Kaho’olawe Island, and some of the other activists who spent years trying to end the military abuse of the island. The organization they started in the mid-1970s, Protect Kaho‘olawe ‘Ohana, still exists to this day, and continues to clean up all the bullets, bomb fragments, missiles, grenades, and more that were tested on Kaho’olawe. Visit the PKO site and see how you can help through donation, volunteering, and sharing their story. To learn more about George Helm, the PKO created a video about him and Kaho‘olawe that’s available on YouTube. There’s also a great award-winning short film about him called Hawaiian Soul, the book Ho’i Ho’i Hou: A tribute to George Helm & Kimo Mitchell by Rodney Morales, and George’s posthumous album True Hawaiian.   If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or social media links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at info@aahistory101.com. Segments 01:22 Intro 02:03 The History of George Helm Jr. and Kaho’olawe Island 29:20 Protect Kaho’olawe ‘Ohana

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 27 and Happy Canada Day (if you're reading this on July 1)! In this episode, we share a conversation with Chad Soon, an educator from Vernon, British Columbia, and the author of the book The Longest Shot: How Larry Kwong Changed the Face of Hockey. The book is written for middle grade students… which is a great age for getting started reading diverse stories… and it’s illustrated by Amy Qi. The Longest Shot is available for purchase in both hardcover and Epub formats through Orca Book Publishers, Amazon, Apple Books, and other booksellers.  In the book, Chad has created an engaging retelling of Larry’s life, the racism he faced, his various accomplishments, and his positive attitude throughout his challenges and triumphs. Chad also shares stories of how he learned about Larry, what it was like becoming friends with him, why Larry deserves to be in the Hockey Hall of Fame, which other players of Asian Pacific Islander descent are inspiring, and so much more. As Chad mentions in our conversation, Larry Kwong’s career and life are defined by more than just the single shift he was allowed to play for the New York Rangers in 1948. You can learn more about The Longest Shot through the Instagram account @larrykwongbook and more about Chad through his personal account @soondatkwong. We highly recommend getting a copy of The Longest Shot for yourself, your kids, and anyone who wants to be inspired by a story of success in the face of racism. If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or social media links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at info@aahistory101.com.