Okay, everybody. Time to meet another Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's Angry Reader is Carmen Sognonvi, longtime friend to this blog.Who are you?
I'm Carmen Sognonvi. If you've been hanging out on the Asian-American/racial justice interwebs for awhile, you may know me better by my maiden name, Carmen Van Kerckhove.
What are you?
I'm one of those fancy multiracial people you keep reading about in the paper since the Census results came out. My mom is Hong Kong Chinese and my dad is Belgian.
Where are you?
Brooklyn, baby!
Where are you from?
I was born in Hong Kong and spent my childhood bouncing around from there to Belgium to Shanghai. Finally, I moved to New York City in 1995 for college and have been here ever since.
What do you do?
My husband and I own Urban Martial Arts, a kick-ass mixed martial arts school in the Ditmas Park section of Brooklyn, NY. We have kickboxing classes, a karate summer camp, a karate after-school program, and of course, karate classes for kids, teens, and adults.
What are you all about?
That's a good question!
I spent nearly 9 years of my life working on racial justice issues. I founded the blog Racialicious, the podcast Addicted to Race, and did a lot of speaking and media stuff.
What most people don't realize is that while I was doing all that, I was also juggling a day job, starting Urban Martial Arts, and having a baby.
It was pretty nuts, and it was becoming clear that I needed to make a change.
Early last year I decided to "retire" from the racial justice work and focus full-time on Urban Martial Arts. Oh, and on being a mom. :)
So what am I all about? These days I'd say I'm all about entrepreneurship and parenting.
But the reality is probably more complex than that.
If you follow me on Twitter, you'll see that I can't help still being invested in social justice issues. I miss it sometimes, but it's good know that people like you and Latoya and Tamiand Jen and Diana are out there doing such awesome work.
All that to say, I'm still trying to figure out what I'm all about!
What makes you angry?
Posts like this. Stop hating on Keanu, Phil. You may be a cover model now, but Keanu's still prettier.
