Community Producer Rochelle Kwan (a.k.a. YiuYiu) invites three of her favorite DJs to curate our first annual mixtape — and chat with them about how we can use music to reconnect our diaspora communities, across generations and borders. Our first annual international, transnational mixtape features musical selections from YiuYiu (of NYC Manhattan Chinatown), Les Talusan (a.k.a. Les The DJ of OPM Sundays), Arshia Fatima Haq (of Discostan), and Roger Bong (of Aloha Got Soul). The 22 specially curated tracks on this episode span the South West Asian / North African (SWANA) region, Hawai’i, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and their global diasporas. Just as each song and record comes with its own stories, this mixtape weaves in the personal stories that brought Roger, Les, Arshia, and Rochelle to music and DJing today. Need more music? Did we miss a favorite track of yours that the world absolutely needs to hear? Then check out our public Spotify playlist (a totally separate, community-sourced playlist that we’re pairing with this mixtape) to hear a bigger range of tunes from Asian and Pacific diaspora cultures — and add your own favorites! Resources, Reading, and Music READ “Vinyl-Only Nights Return to D.C.” by Haley McKey for District Fray Magazine READ "How an obscure '80s album helped this father and son connect" by Aparita Bhandari for CBC/Radio-Canada  READ + LISTEN “Kalapana's 1974 debut: the record that forever changed Hawaii” by Aloha Got Soul READ + LISTEN "Chinatown Records" by Rochelle Kwan for The Vinyl Factory LISTEN - DJ Muro - Hawaiian Breaks (with tracklist) by Aloha Got Soul LISTEN - OPM Sundays w/ Les The DJ & Joel Quizon on Twitch LISTEN - Phambinho w/ YiuYiu for NTS Radio LISTEN - My Father's Favorite Music by Discostan LISTEN - Disco Se Aagay by Nermin Niazi and Feisal Mosleh for Discostan LISTEN - Pacific Sounds (inspired by the sounds of Hawaii and the Pacific) SUPPORT Aloha Got Soul and Aloha Got Soul Bandcamp SUPPORT Discostan and Discostan Bandcamp SUPPORT YiuYiu Add your own diaspora tracks to our public Spotify playlist! About the DJs Les Talusan a.k.a. Les The DJ Les The DJ aka Les Talusan is a DJ, photographer, curator, teaching artist and organizer whose practice immerses people in the joy of discovery, empowerment, and community. This approach is informed by Les’ own story of resilience, liberation and courage as an immigrant, mother and v/s. Born and raised in Manila, Philippines, Les fell in love with music at a young age, DJing at local clubs and playing in bands. Les has lived in Washington, DC for over 20 years and continues to expand their talents, performing behind the decks in the U.S. and abroad. Arshia Fatima Haq - @discostan | @arshiaxfatima Arshia Fatima Haq (born in Hyderabad, India) works through film, visual art, performance, and sound, in feminist modes outside of the Western model. She is interested in counterachives and speculative narratives, and is currently exploring themes of embodiment, mysticism, indigenous and localized knowledge within the context of Sufism. She is the founder of Discostan, a collaborative decolonial project and record label working with cultural production from South and West Asia and North Africa. She hosts and produces radio shows on Dublab and NTS, and has produced episodes for KCRW's acclaimed "Lost Notes" podcast series. Her work has been presented nationally and internationally at museums, galleries, nightclubs, and in the streets. Roger Bong - @alohagotsoul | @rogerbong Roger Bong launched Aloha Got Soul as a blog in 2010 after graduating college with a journalism degree and — more importantly — after hearing DJ Muro's Hawaiian Breaks mix. Roger's love for story, sound and design has turned the blog into an independent record label that champions all genres and generations of music from Hawai‘i. He and his wife run the label from Honolulu. Rochelle Kwan (a.k.a. YiuYiu) - @rochellehkwan Rochelle Kwan, also known as YiuYiu, is a cultural organizer, oral history educator, and DJ based on Lenape land in NYC’s Manhattan Chinatown. Bringing together her backgrounds in organizing, history, and music, she trains everyday people to build multigenerational oral history projects and engage with their communities as classrooms. As a cultural archivist, DJ, and dancer, she works to amplify arts and culture as essential to community resilience and foster intergenerational relationships and dance floors. Rochelle’s also the Community Producer at Self Evident, where she leads our budding oral history program and helps to grow our listening party program through partnership and collaboration. Credits Produced by Rochelle Kwan and Julia Shu Music curated by Les The DJ (a.k.a. Les Talusan), Arshia Fatima Haq, Roger Bong, and YiuYiu (a.k.a. Rochelle Kwan) Edited by James Boo, with help from Sheena Tan Sound mix by Timothy Lou Ly Self Evident theme music by Dorian Love Our Executive Producer is Ken Ikeda About Self Evident is a Studio To Be production. Our show is made with support from PRX and the Google Podcasts creator program — and our listener community.

Daphne Chen always held a special place in her heart for the Taiwanese girl group S.H.E. Growing up in Ohio, she’d listen to their greatest hits before falling asleep, clinging to their pop songs as one of her only genuine links to the island and the culture her family had left far behind. So years later, when Daphne realized that those greatest hits were actually covers of American pop songs by Destiny’s Child and the Legally Blonde soundtrack, she suddenly had a lot of questions... not just about S.H.E., but about why idolizing a Taiwanese girl group was so important to young Daphne in the first place. In this episode, we're sharing three conversations about the need to see and hear ourselves in popular culture — and the limitations of what pop culture can do to meet those needs. After Cathy chats with Daphne about their Asian teen idols in music, our intern Alex Chun calls up his favorite OnlyFans star, Cody Seiya, to unpack how watching queer porn has played such an outsized role in their own understanding of intimacy. Then, producer Harsha Nahata meets with two Indian diaspora culture writers to compare how — even with their differing upbringings and vastly different relationships to Bollywood movies — they began to question the role and the power of the Bollywood industry. Credits Produced by Julia Shu, Harsha Nahata, and Alex Chun Edited by James Boo and Julia Shu Sound mix by Timothy Lou Ly Music by Blue Dot Sessions and Epidemic Sound Self Evident theme music by Dorian Love Our Executive Producer is Ken Ikeda Self Evident is a Studiotobe production, made with support from our listener community. This episode was made with support from PRX and the Google Podcast Creator Program. Resources and Reading LISTEN — A totally legal way to listen to “Girls’ Dorm” by S.H.E. WATCH — “Know Your Chicken” music video by Cibo Matto SUBSCRIBE — Cody Seiya on OnlyFans READ — Coming Out as Dalit by Yashica Dutt READ — “The Urgent Question Gay Asian American Men Are Asking Themselves” by Richard Morgan for Esquire READ — “Consuming Diaspora” by Mitali Desai for Kajal Magazine READ — “The Specter of Caste in Silicon Valley” by Yashica Dutt for the New York Times READ — “‘Shining Indians’: Diaspora and Exemplarity in Bollywood” by Ingrid Therwath

This Fall many public primary schools in the U.S. switched back to in-person learning. But that can mean very different things for students, teachers, and parents — depending on their school system, local political environment, family resources, or language needs. We started getting word from listeners about their back-to-school experiences in July, and checked in with them as these first few months of the school year unfolded. Cathy and our team found out how a Chinese American mother of three navigated the anti-mask and anti-CRT activity surrounding school reopenings in Arizona; learned about the hidden harms of this transition from immigrant mental health advocates in New York City; and heard how having an immunocompromised family member affected an Indian American family in Minneapolis. While these conversations are by no means comprehensive, a recurring theme in these conversations was a sense of loss, which many students haven’t had the space to properly heal from. Credits Produced by Julia Shu and James Boo Edited by Julia Shu Sound mix by Timothy Lou Ly Fact checking by Harsha Nahata Music by Blue Dot Sessions and Epidemic Sound Self Evident theme music by Dorian Love Our Executive Producer is Ken Ikeda Resources and Reading WATCH: “Towards An Inclusive Reopening: The Mental Health Needs of Asian Children” discussion panel by the Asian American Federation, Sapna NYC, Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York, Hamilton-Madison House, and the Arab American Association of New York READ: “Anti-mask school law isn't justice, safety for our kids” by Yvonne So for the Arizona Daily Star READ: “Asian American young adults are the only racial group with suicide as their leading cause of death, so why is no one talking about this?” by Amelia Noor-Osho for The Conversation READ: “New York’s Once-Thriving Asian Businesses Struggle to Recover From 4,000% Unemployment Spike” by Amy Yee, Adre Tartar, and Christopher Cannon for Bloomberg READ: “Digital Literacy in New York’s Asian American Community” by Juo-Hsi (Sylvia) Peng for Advancing Justice | AAJC READ: “Teens in America: How the Covid-19 Pandemic is Shaping the Next Generation” by Maria Abenes for Psychiatric Times

This is the second part of a two-part story. If you haven’t heard part one, “Don’t Eat Nazi Shit Melons,” you can listen to it here. After the arrest of Indiana University Professor Cara Caddoo, the Mayor of Bloomington doubled down on anti-protest rules and police presence in the Bloomington City Farmers Market. But this failed to satisfy local activists calling for the removal of “Identitarian” Sarah Dye — and failed to mollify right-wing groups who were now turning Dye into a White nationalist media icon. As it became clear that the city wouldn’t change its position, differences between different groups of anti-racist activists became clear as well. And as Bloomington Police continued to arrest protestors in the market, local Black Lives Matter core council member JadaBee found herself at odds with her friend Abby Ang, who continued to amplify Sarah Dye’s links to the American Identity Movement while navigating the tense boundaries between “free speech,” “unacceptable protest,” and “arrestable offense.” Eventually, multiple new markets took root — including The People’s Market, a cooperatively-run alternative to the Bloomington City Farmers’ Market and co-created largely by BIPOC community members (including Abby and Jada).  Some in Bloomington would consider this addition of new markets to be a successful result of the farmers market protests of 2019. But for the local farmers and activists who continue to grow that alternative at great expense, the experience has left lasting scars and raises ongoing questions about what it takes to truly dismantle White supremacy. Credits Produced and written by James Boo Edited by Julia Shu Fact checking by Harsha Nahata Sound mix by Timothy Lou Ly Music by Blue Dot Sessions and Epidemic Sound Self Evident theme music by Dorian Love Our Executive Producer is Ken Ikeda Resources and Reading “Bloomington 2019: ‘The Year of the Farmers’ Market Controversy’” by Ellen Wu for Limestone Post Magazine “Identity Evropa’s Neo Nazi Organizing Plans Revealed in New Leaks” by Freddy Martinez, Caroline Sinders, and Chris Schiano for Unicorn Riot Black Lives Matter in Bloomington archive of blog posts and open letters “Man Drives SUV at Anti-Fascist, No Space for Hate Protestors Near Bloomington Farmers Market” by Lydia Gerike for the Indiana Daily Student “Five Protestors Arrested at Farmers Market” by Jeremy Hogan for the Bloomingtonian “Ethos of New People’s Market Focuses on Food Justice, Mutual Aid” by Ellen Wu for Limestone Post Magazine “A Graduate Student in the (Farmers’) Marketplace of Ideas” by Abby Ang for In the Middle “Confronting White Supremacy: The Negative Peace of White Liberalism” by JadaBee for Black Lives Matter B-Town IN “Food Justice Locally Part 2” by the Black Progressives Podcast feat. JadaBee, Lauren McAllister, and Martin Law

In the summer of 2019, a public fight unfurled in Bloomington, Indiana — over accusations that Sarah Dye and Douglas Mackey, who sold produce at the city-run farmers’ market, were members of an organization classified by the Southern Poverty Law Center and Anti-Defamation League as a white nationalist hate group (an association that would soon be confirmed). Abby Ang, a graduate student at Indiana University in Bloomington who had also become a community organizer, picked up on a series of chat leaks and reports from local farmers and activists about Sarah Dye, taking action to further publicize this connection and pressuring the city to remove Sarah and Doug’s farm from their market. But when the city refused to do anything of the sort, Abby found herself in a fast-moving conflict that included the full spectrum of American politics: liberal elites, progressive organizers, antifascist activists, right-wing militias, farmers, customers, police, Black Lives Matter leaders… and of course, White nationalists (or in this particular case, as they preferred to be identified, White Identitarians). The story eventually hit mainstream national news, the farmers’ market became a political battleground, and an Asian American professor was arrested by Bloomington Police — showing what it really looks like to wield White power in America. Credits Produced by James Boo Edited by Julia Shu, with help from Cathy Erway Sound mix by Timothy Lou Ly Production support from Alex Chun Fact checking by Harsha Nahata Music by Blue Dot Sessions and Epidemic Sound Self Evident theme music by Dorian Love Our Executive Producer is Ken Ikeda Resources and Reading “Bloomington 2019: ‘The Year of the Farmers’ Market Controversy’” by Ellen Wu for Limestone Post Magazine “What if Your Farmer Is a White Nationalist?” by Kayte Young for Earth Eats, WFIU “I Yield My Time” statement during LAPC public hearing on June 2, 2020 “Federal Charges Filed in Carmel Synagogue Hate Incident” by U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Indiana Southern Poverty Law Center brief on Identity Evropa / American Identity Movement Anti-Defamation League brief on Identity Evropa / American Identity Movement “Identity Evropa’s Neo-Nazi Organizing Plans Revealed In New Leaks” by Chris Schiano and Freddy Martinez, for Unicorn Riot No Space for Hate web site and “Market in Context” Timeline “Video: IU Professor Arrested After Demonstration at Farmers’ Market” by Adam Pinsker for WFIU (original video by Dina Okamoto)

Self Evident's third season starts this month. Subscribe where you get podcasts, and help spread the word to your family and friends! 

During the current refugee crisis in Afghanistan, we’ve seen Asian Americans working to resettle Afghan refugees and help them build new lives. Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Hmong Americans in particular have been reminded of their own refugee stories — not just the stories of leaving their homes, but stories of the challenges they’ve faced in rebuilding their lives. So we’re presenting a story from Re:Work, a women-led radio show and podcast from the UCLA Labor Center that spotlights the voices of workers, immigrants and people of color. In this episode, Re:Work looks at how the American criminal justice system continues to marginalize youth from communities of color through the story of Phal Sok, a Cambodian refugee. His story shows how too often, low-income refugee youths are seen not as needing protection, but as the ones Americans need protection against. Check out Re:Work wherever you listen to podcasts! 

We’re presenting an episode from Shoes Off, a podcast about Asian Australian culture hosted by Jay Ooi. In conversation with performers and scholars, producer Thinesh Thillai explains how power and status, and in particular, caste, enable art forms from marginalized communities to be co-opted. Shoes Off takes a close look at the history of Bharantanatyam, a style of Indian classical dance commonly studied and performed in modern-day arangetrams. Who holds the power in propagating Bharantanatyam and who is being erased in this process? Check out Shoes Off wherever you listen to podcasts! 

This week, we’re playing an episode from Making Contact. Making Contact produces media that analyses critical issues and showcases grassroots solutions in order to inform and inspire audiences to action. The episode, based on a documentary by filmmaker Grace Lee, is called “American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs,” and it’s about the life and legacy of the famed civil rights activist.  Making Contact takes a close look at Boggs’s lifetime of vital thinking and action; from labor to civil rights, to Black Power, feminism, the Asian American and environmental justice movements and beyond. Revolution, Boggs says, is about something deeper within the human experience — the ability to transform oneself to transform the world. Check out Making Contact at radioproject.org. or wherever you listen to podcasts! 

We’re playing an episode from an exciting new podcast by our friends at APIENC, an organization that builds transgender, non-binary, and queer power for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the Bay Area (you might’ve heard their director, Sammie, on one of our previous episodes). The new podcast is called Dragon Fruit, and it’s all about the history of trans and queer Asian and Pacific Islander organizing, some juicy conversations about love and relationships, and reclaiming space for healing. In this episode, community members explored love, intimacy, and relationships. What does love mean for each of us and what does love beyond romance look like? How has our understanding of love changed over time? And how do we navigate being in relationship with each other? Content warning: This episode mentions issues of sex, touch, and conflict. There is a gentle reminder before each section so you can skip certain parts if you like. Check out Dragon Fruit Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts!