- Conversation Piece: The Newsletter
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- You are amazing 💙⭐️
Hello there!
Welcome back to another edition of our newsletter, dear readers; if you’re joining us for the very first time, thank you so much! May is in full swing and so much seems to have happened in two short weeks. I appreciate you all for taking time out of your day to be with us here, even if only for a moment.
I was originally going to write about Asian America in Indiana: how we exist here, have for a long time, and are much more diverse than East Asian. However, Emily (my partner) and I have been watching the newest season of Queer Eye on Netflix* and it has GOT ME IN MY FEELINGS.
*we’re only on episode 5 so no spoilyyyyyyys please!
The biggest thing I’m feeling from this season (and every season, honestly) is just how important it is for each of us to be able to live and be who we truly are, to know we deserve to be who we truly are, to believe we are loved, we are beautiful, and our lived experiences are valid. Every person deserves to love themselves and to be loved for who they are.
I’ve cried in every episode; watching people reclaim something from their lives or lean into their identities or unpack their traumas and suppressed feelings resonates with me so much. Even though our lived experiences are different, I can empathize with the feelings the folks on the show are going through and trying to process.
That is my daily routine: processing my emotions and feelings, giving myself grace for my flaws and mistakes, and truly loving myself for who I am.
Something Tan France shared really stuck with me. He named a phenomenon called ‘American Happy.’ He defined it as “We smile, smile, but there is so much on the inside that hasn’t been processed. That is so true. I’ve always defined the way I navigated the world for the first 32 years of my life as “wearing a mask.”
And that mask what ‘American Happy.’ On the outside, everything looks great. Internally though, shit is going down.
I’m still working on that.
But the journey isn’t just the first step; it’s every step that comes after that.
In the spirit of Queer Eye and believing you can truly love yourself and be who you are, I want to reiterate the three affirmations laid out in this newsletter:
You are beautiful.
You are worthy of love.
You deserve happiness.
Bonus: Your lived experience is valid.
I hope this week is everything you need it to be! You deserve it.
P
This week on Conversation Piece…
The APAHM Conversations continue with Rohan Zhou-Lee! Rohan and Patrick discuss how erasure by white society contributes to internalized self-hatred in the Asian American community, the deep history of cross-community solidarity between Asian America and others, and the idea of Asian American identity as transcendent.
Meet Rohan
Rohan Zhou-Lee, pronouns They/Siya/祂/Elle, is a dancer, writer, and public speaker. They are also known for founding The Blasian March, a Black-Asian solidarity initiative through education and celebration. At CUNY's first ever LGBT-themed conference, Queeribbean Crossings (Caribbean Equality Project,) the Blasian March received a certificate from The Public Advocate For the City of New York in affirmation of the “work to unite diverse Brooklyn communities in love, fellowship, and support.”
Learn more about Rohan on his website: www.diaryofafirebird.com
Connect with Rohan on Instagram.
Later this week…
The APAHM Conversations continue with August Rocha!
GIVEAWAY: Tell Me the Dream Again by Tasha Jun
As part of our heritage month celebration, we’re very excited to be giving away a copy of Tasha Jun’s Tell Me the Dream Again: Reflections on Family, Ethnicity & the Sacred Work of Belonging. From the book:
Tasha Jun has always been caught between worlds: American and Korean, faith and doubt, family devotion and fierce independence. As she wandered between these seemingly opposing worlds, she struggled to find a voice to speak and a firm place for her feet to land.
The world taught Tasha that her Korean normal was a barrier to belonging — that assimilation was the only way she would ever be truly accepted. But if that were true, did that mean God had made a mistake in knitting her together?
Told with tender honesty and compelling prose, Tell Me the Dream Again explores what it means to be biracial in American today — and the joy and healing that comes with embracing every part of our story.
Despite our different lived experiences, I resonate with so much of Tasha’s journey: the struggle to claim our identities as Korean American, fighting assimilation in Indiana, and finding joy in all the places we were taught to look away from. It’s an honor to be able to share a copy of this with y’all here!
To enter:
Follow myself and Conversation Piece of Instagram.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Reply to this newsletter with your favorite conversation so far from the APAHM Conversations Series.
This contest is one entry only! Good luck!
What else is going on…
May is also Jewish American Heritage Month! Former guest and friend Liz Kleinrock has been sharing some incredible information that sits at the intersection of Jewish and Asian culture.
Head over to Instagram to learn more! If you’re really feeling her work, support her by signing up for her Patreon, where she shares even more incredible work!
Special Thanks!
Much love and gratitude to our media partners at Cold Tea Collective for amplifying The APAHM Conversations. Their support means so much! Check out our recent highlight in their latest feature!
Cold Tea Collective is a media outlet, sharing the stories of the next generation of the Asian diaspora. Their mission is to inspire the AAPI community through storytelling that will empower them to live their most authentic and fulfilled lives. To learn more, visit coldteacollective.com or visit them on Instagram @coldteacollective.
Final thoughts
I want to reiterate this for anyone who needs to hear:
You are beautiful.
You are worthy of love.
You deserve happiness.
It’s me. I’m the one who needs to hear 😅😭
Thank you to everyone who has been part of my journey so far. Thank you to everyone who has watched and listened to the show, specifically the APAHM Conversations Series. Thank you to everyone who is just doing dope stuff and living their lives.
Let’s keep building together. We deserve it 💙
P
To support this work: