The May Lee Show

May is back after a few weeks off to revive, refresh and renew. It's been a trying 2+ years, but she's ready to highlight and tackle AAPI issues and topics again ..the ups and downs, the victories and losses, the love and hate, and everything in between. While May was taking a break from the show, she still stayed active on social media. So this episode is called "Hiatus in Review". It's a compilation of May's commentary, updates,  and riffing about social, political, cultural news and issues that she posted on social media. As a bonus, May gives you a peek into some day-in-the-life scenes, including some furry cameos. It's a unique episode, but leave it to May to play by her own rules, but always with purpose!Please subscribe to the podcast on YouTube and all podcast platforms. Review and rate the show as well! 

May recently did an Instagram Live with activist and NY assembly candidate, Grace Lee. She is the woman who was misidentified as Michelle Go, the woman who was pushed in front of an oncoming subway in NY,  by ABC News when attending a vigil for Christina Yuna Lee, who was brutally murdered in her NYC apartment.  They talked openly about how AAPI women need to fight against the invisibilization and dehumanization and the need to empower each other as well as other BIPOC communities in order to truly see systemic change. 

It's been 2 years since "The May Lee Show" launched as a scrappy, experimental vodcast that set out to elevate AAPI voices and issues. It's been a challenging two years...COVID-19, Anti-Asian Hate, social and political unrest. But something happened recently that made May stop and assess her purpose very deeply...the suicide of Cheslie Kryst, former Miss USA, attorney and correspondent for "Extra". In this episode, May, a 55-year-old Asian woman, explains why the suicide of a very successful 31-year-old black woman has shaken her deeply and is prompting her to take a breath and pause. It's honest, it's raw and it's exactly what she wants to say to whomever wants to listen.

On New Year's Day 2022, local news anchor Michelle Li received a racist voicemail from a viewer who had an issue with her story on foods that people eat for New Year's. In the short 20 second story, Michelle mentioned in passing that she had traditional Korean dumplings to celebrate the holiday. The viewer accused her of being "Very Asian" and that she should "keep her Korean to herself". Michelle posted a video herself silently listening to the voicemail on Twitter and it immediately went viral. The uproar was explosive, especially since the AAPI community has been and is STILL dealing with anti-Asian hate for the past two years. Michelle and fellow broadcast journalist Gia Vang decided to turn the hate into something powerfully positive by taking what the viewer meant to be derogatory, "Very Asian", and turn it into something that represents Asian pride...#VeryAsian. That hashtag has, of course, gone viral. Michelle and Gia have a very honest, genuine and, at times, raw conversation with May about the call, the unexpected reaction and why #VeryAsian is so significant to so many. 

What a year it’s been, AGAIN! 2021 has been another year full of ups and downs, turmoil and triumphs and overall craziness. BUT, we’ve learned a lot about the world, each other and, hopefully, ourselves. So as we get ready to head into 2022, May wanted to share something uplifting that she experienced with a group of dynamic young women who give us all hope about the future. They are part of “Girl Power Talk”,  a purpose-driven organization empowering today’s most capable youth with the confidence, knowledge, and opportunity to become tomorrow’s global leaders. They interviewed May recently for their series, “People We Admire”, but May decided to turn their Zoom interview into the final 2021 episode of “The May Lee Show”. Why? Because the conversation is  insightful, inspiring and empowering. A tagline that may adopted recently is “Make an Impact” and these young women of “Girl Power Talk” are doing just that. Happy New Year everyone! 

The world of live theatre is largely still a white dominated industry with Asians being a very small minority. Just look at the numbers...66% of theatrical actors and 81% of directors are white, while Asian American directors stand at just 4.5%. When it comes to playwrights, nearly 72% are white versus 5% AAPI. No one has a better perspective on the ups and downs of AAPI playwrights than the masterful David Henry Hwang, one of the most prolific writers, librettists and producers in theatre. His award-winning productions include M. Butterly, Yellow Face, Aida and Soft Power, just to name a few. Hwang has constantly examined social, cultural and political issues through his work and has often questioned identity, racism and belonging. In a new documentary, "The First 20: 20 Years of Asian American Playwriting" on All Arts. Hwang is one of several AAPI playwrights who reflect on their journey and how Asian stories have and continue to evolve on stage. May's conversation with David Henry Hwang delves into his long journey, which includes his own Asian hate attack in 2015 when he almost died and his outlook on how storytelling can make a positive difference. To watch the documentary use this link. http://allarts.org/thefirsttwenty

There's something about baking that warms the heart. From the wonderful aroma of cookies in the oven to the fluffiness of a chiffon cake, baked goods are always a crowd pleaser. But let's be honest, when we think about baking, we often equate it to western flavors and styles. Brownies, cupcakes, croissants etc. It's not too often you hear bakers using pandan or miso or gochujang. Enter Kat Lieu, founder of Subtle Asian Baking, a community she created to celebrate baking with an Asian twist. After a fruitless search for one source that aggregated Asian baking recipes, Kat decided to start her own. So as the holiday season kicks off, May decided to speak with Kat about how it all began and how this community of bakers has helped empower the AAPI community and beyond and fight Anti-Asian Hate one cake at a time! And of course, Kat brings on some of her special baked goods on the show so get ready for some holiday treats! 

Who doesn’t love coffee? It’s a beloved beverage worldwide, but if you ask coffee lovers who are the biggest producers of coffee beans, most would likely answer “Brazil” or “Columbia”. You’d be hard pressed to get anyone to answer “Vietnam” and yet, the southeast Asian country is the second biggest producer of coffee in the world, but because of false narratives and stereotypes, Vietnamese coffee has been dismissed as inferior. Sahra Nguyen, a Vietnamese American entrepreneur, set out to change that ill-conceived story by starting Nguyen Coffee Supply, from the ground up. She disrupted the conventional coffee industry monopolized by Arabica beans by introducing the world to the beauty of Robusta beans and, at the same time, began the fight against the invisibilization of Asian culture, food and people. The treatment of Vietnamese coffee is a metaphor for how Asians have been treated for centuries. 

As a college student, Lela Lee was an angry young woman, but she wasn't sure why. So one night, she took that anger and created a cartoon, "Angry Little Asian Girl". But, she didn't share it. In fact, she put her away FOR YEARS! A local film festival and a twist of fate, however, helped revive Lela's private, therapeutic project and the foul-mouthed "Angry Little Asian Girl" became a kind of hero to women and girls everywhere who were...you guessed it...ANGRY! Lela bootstrapped the raw, honest and hilarious cartoon series doing everything from selling t-shirts to creating a Kickstarter campaign. But how things have changed! Lela and the "Angry Little Asian Girl" along with her friends are ready to take it to the next level! May talked with Lela about the big news and shares her unusual story of success all thanks to a simple drawing that symbolizes the powerful intersection of being female and Asian. 

Question: Why is it that when the subjects of voting rights or voter suppression or election results are talked about by the media and politicians, AAPIs are almost always left out of the conversation even though AAPIs are the fastest growing ethnic group AND voting bloc in the country? To this day, Asian Americans are too often an after-thought or even invisibilized in the political arena, but the AAPI Victory Alliance is trying to change that by elevating voices, building partnerships and supporting AAPI political leaders of the future. Not an easy task, but it has to be done especially at a time when Asians have come under constant attack. May sat down with the executive director of AAPI Victory Alliance, Varun Nikore to find out how we can harness our growing power in politics and break down those doors that have kept us out for far too long.