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4.30.2021

They Call Us Bruce 125: They Call Us Vincent Chin

Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.



What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.

In this episode, we welcome our good friend Paula Yoo, author of the young adult book From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial that Galvanized the Asian American Movement. We discuss the legacy of the case, the incredible amount of research that went into this book, and the importance of chronicling this story for younger generations.

4.23.2021

They Call Us Bruce 124: They Call Us Kelly Marie Tran

Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.



What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.

In this episode, we welcome actress Kelly Marie Tran, who stars as the titular voice in the Disney animated feature Raya and the Last Dragon. She talks about getting her life-changing role in Star Wars, the surreal significance of playing a Disney princess, and the appropriate response to seeing yourself on a billboard.

4.16.2021

They Call Us Bruce 123: They Call Us Raya and the Last Dragon

Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.



What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.

In this episode, we welcome screenwriters Adele Lim and Qui Nguyen, and head of story Fawn Veerasunthorn, key creators from the Disney animated feature Raya and the Last Dragon. We discuss swords, swearing, and the challenges of making a movie during a global pandemic.

4.11.2021

Read These Blogs



Keeping Love Close
What does love look like in a time of hate? Asian and Asian American photographers respond.

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He Was Charged in an Anti-Asian Attack. It Was His 33rd Arrest.
Many people arrested in assaults on Asian residents in New York have had a history of mental health episodes, arrests and homelessness, complicating the city's search for an effective response.

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In Response To Anti-Asian Hate Incidents, Groups Step Up Trainings For Bystanders
Hollaback! offers trainings that give bystanders tools for intervening when they see someone being harassed or disrespected, with a focus on the person experiencing the conflict.

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Commentary: The casual racism of mispronouncing an Asian person's name
"Mispronouncing someone's name, accidentally or on purpose, at the very least demonstrates a selective laziness to learn the correct way to address or acknowledge a person."

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A Lifetime of Reading Taught Min Jin Lee How to Write About Her Immigrant World
"I don't remember how I learned to read books in Korea or America. As a child, I couldn't speak well or find friends, but I was a very early reader."

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Why So Many Asian Americans Are Learning Remotely
Asian American students are far more likely to be learning remotely than members of any other racial or ethnic group in the United States. Because of the racism.

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The Bay Area town that drove out its Chinese residents for nearly 100 years
Before the white residents of Antioch burned down Chinatown in 1876, they banned Chinese people from walking the city streets after sunset.

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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Hollywood Must Do More to Combat Asian Stereotypes
While progress in the portrayal of Asians is real, it has been maddeningly slow.

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‘Kung Fu’ Rights the Wrongs of Its Ancestor
CW's gender-flipped martial arts reboot of Kung Fu departs from its 1970s predecessor by having a predominantly Asian American cast.

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Maurene Goo Weaves a Web on All Things Cindy Moon, Journalism, and the Korean-American Identity
In celebration of Silk's grand return, acclaimed author Maurene Goo sits down with Women of Marvel to share her experience.


4.08.2021

They Call Us Bruce 122: They Call Us Rep. Grace Meng

Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.



What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.

In this episode, we welcome Rep. Grace Meng, who represents New York's 6th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. The congresswoman talks about taking leadership amidst tragedy in the Asian American community, seizing this moment of hypervisibility, and accepting our stories as American stories.

4.04.2021

Read These Blogs



Swelling Anti-Asian Violence: Who Is Being Attacked Where
Over the last year, people of Asian descent have been pushed, beaten, kicked, spit on and called slurs. Homes and businesses have been vandalized. The violence has known no boundaries, spanning generations, income brackets and regions. Using media reports from across the country, The New York Times attempted to capture a sense of the rising tide of anti-Asian bias nationwide.

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Atlanta Spa Shootings: What Korean-Language Media Told Us That the Mainstream Media Didn't
Korean American communities in Georgia and across the U.S. have been outraged at the differences between Korean-language and English-language coverage of the mass shootings.

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From colonialism to Covid: Viet Thanh Nguyen on the rise of anti-Asian violence
Anti-Asian racism is on the rise around the world. Pulitzer-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen reflects on his own experiences as a Vietnamese American – and the dark history that continues to fuel the current hate.

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Three children told me and my son to 'go back to China.' Here's how I reacted.
When Michael Kurima and his family faced racism, Kurima jumped into action.

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America Ruined My Name for Me
"I cannot detach the name Bich from people laughing at me, calling me a bitch, letting me know that I'm the punch line of my own joke."

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Sen. Mazie Hirono Wonders How Some Republicans Live With Themselves
"Even after being elected to the Senate in 2012, the Hawaii Democrat Mazie Hirono was, by her own choosing, a politician little known outside her home state. Then, around 2016 and the election of a particularly divisive president, Hirono, who was born in Japan and is the Senate's only immigrant, decided that staying under the radar was unsustainable."

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Asian American Runners Fight to Reclaim a Refuge
Amid rising racism, many have reported being slurred or coughed or spit upon on their routes in the last year.

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The History of Anti-Asian-American Violence
The filmmaker Renee Tajima-Peña discusses the Atlanta shootings, the murder of Vincent Chin, and the complexities of Asian identity in the United States.

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15 Asian American Children's Books to Read As a Family Right Now
"These stories recommended by Asian American children's book authors make excellent conversation starters about different cultures and the importance of respecting others."

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10 Essential Podcasts From AAPI Creators
"These podcasts explore the richness and complexity of Asian American identity, and emphasize how AAPI history is integral to American history."

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Catching Up With NYC's "Vaccine Daddy"
He helped thousands of New Yorkers get vaccinated. Now he's using his platform to combat anti-Asian racism.

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She Never Dreamed of Acting. Now She's an Oscar Nominee for 'Minari.'
The veteran Korean star Yuh-Jung Youn has had a thriving career for five decades — all because of a choice she made when she failed her college entrance exam.

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Sandi Tan "Unscares" Herself by Writing Her Worst Nightmares
The director behind Shirkers returns with a beautiful, demented, and deeply funny new novel called Lurkers.

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On Building a Brighter Future, Together
Nicole Kang, Leah Lewis, Momona Tamada, and Adeline Rudolph—talented actors and close friends—came together for a roundtable discussion full of love and support about the state of Asian inclusivity in Hollywood and their hopes for what's next.