I have found that when I rely on genuine curiosity to challenge racist ideas, humility to compliment my personal growth, and platinum empathy to model how I expect to be treated, I have a chance at reclaiming my story.
Tag: racism
Dear White People, If I’m Being Honest
https://youtu.be/IR_T8jEP_E0 This video was inspired by the words of James Baldwin and the famous debate he participated in at Cambridge University in the 60’s. In that debate, James Baldwin spoke of ‘the mill’ that people of color are exposed to from the time they are children through their adulthood. As I listened to that part … Continue reading Dear White People, If I’m Being Honest
Why Dating a Black Man Can Be Difficult
As a black man living in America, I believe I can speak for many others like myself when I say that some of us aren’t great at dating or relationships. Many of us grow into adulthood with a lot of baggage from our youth. Unfortunately, many of us are not equipped with the proper tools … Continue reading Why Dating a Black Man Can Be Difficult
I’m Not Every Black Woman
Recently, I went on a first date. I hadn’t seen anyone in several months and it was summertime. All the cute couples were out and, I'll admit, I was curious about having some masculine companionship again. I was a bit nervous about dating in Denver. I’m a young, black woman and I’m interested in white … Continue reading I’m Not Every Black Woman
The Cultural Kinking of Halloween
This story was shared by a Project Ava Storyteller. Learn more about the Storyteller Program. Halloween is a great holiday. It is a night of fear and fright and debauchery. It is a night of too much candy and too many screams over fake bones, fake blood, and fake spiders. It’s meant for gentle fun. … Continue reading The Cultural Kinking of Halloween
PSA: How To Avoid a Phở Fiasco
I know. It’s another piece about that Bon Appétit phở video. We just can’t get enough of that mess. And what a mess it was. If you’re tired of reading the dozens of thought articles this has spurned (as I am), I hope to provide a fresh perspective that might make the experience worth your … Continue reading PSA: How To Avoid a Phở Fiasco
Why Inclusiveness Efforts at Colleges Are Not Enough
No matter how many support systems the University of Denver has created for students of marginalized identities, the school has still effectively done nothing to solve the biggest reason for why those support systems are needed in the first place: its ignorant student body.
Why BuzzFeed’s “People Try Durian (The Smelliest Fruit in The World)” is Racist
If you’ve spent any time on social media, I can bet that you might have come across a BuzzFeed piece or two. Originator of the iconic listicle, with over 200 million audience members worldwide, BuzzFeed continues to dominate media in the millennial era. I happen to know first-hand how pervasive this content is to my … Continue reading Why BuzzFeed’s “People Try Durian (The Smelliest Fruit in The World)” is Racist
Confronting Myself (As A Fraudulent Activist)
Everyday I face an internal struggle of addressing my privileges; of choosing my battles; of attempting to be part of the fight when in reality I felt like a fraud.
Red Lips Evening Makeup Tutorial: for those who refuse to be silenced
I created a typical video makeup tutorial that would be found on Youtube, but instead of each voice-over and talk-through step being a guide to how to wear makeup, it was instead a spoken word poem about my personal experiences within Asian America – through learning about our history, understanding how we are racialized subjects, effects of being in the diaspora, and dealing with various forms of racism and ethnosexualization.