It’s our Season 1 finale! For this episode, we invite this season’s guests to submit questions and interview us. Join us as we reflect over the last 16 episodes. Note: unModeling Minorities will be on a summer hiatus and return in the fall. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/unmodeling-minorities/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/unmodeling-minorities/support

This week we speak with Van, who came here with his family as a refugee from Vietnam when he was 13 years old. America, he says, is his home and he has been a long-time activist in the fight for his--and others’--right to be in this country as a “real” American. Van shares with us his perspective on how Asian American activism has changed over the past few decades and what needs to happen in order for us to continue the fight in a constructive way. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/unmodeling-minorities/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/unmodeling-minorities/support

This week we invite our friend Fabian on to discuss diversity, equity, and inclusion in his profession, which sits at the intersection of music and advertising. Born and raised in Detroit, Fabian’s identity is multifaceted -- he is an Arab American whose family is from Iraq, where 97% of the country is Muslim. His family is Chaldean, a Catholic ethno-religious minority, and although he would be classified as White by the American government, he’s never truly felt comfortable checking that box. He’s also a fervent music lover who now runs his own music production business. Fabian discusses his journey toward becoming a champion for diversity, equity, and inclusion and how he’s putting in the work to correct his own biases and uncover often hidden or undervalued talent to create better, richer, more innovative work. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/unmodeling-minorities/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/unmodeling-minorities/support

Being of Asian descent and living in a predominantly White country, our race has always been top of mind ever since we were little. So we were surprised to learn that race was rarely a consideration for our friend Liz, a White woman, until much later in life. Armed with the awareness of her race and its associated privileges, Liz shares how she’s actively exposing herself to new ways of thinking and living in a multicultural and multiethnic world. She is embracing the vulnerability and mistakes that are inevitable when educating oneself. In doing so, she discusses the ways she’s trying to use her privilege to better empathize and support others as she works to be a better ally. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/unmodeling-minorities/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/unmodeling-minorities/support

June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month, a time dedicated to celebrating the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning community. It’s a month of parades, parties, and, frankly, PDA. But it wasn’t always sunshine and rainbows. This week, we’re joined by Gino, who self-identifies as a gay, Filipino-American man. He reminds us that Pride started as a riot in the pursuit of equal justice and equal opportunity for the LGBTQ+ community. We discuss Gino’s experiences as a gay Asian man and his on-going journey toward uncovering his most authentic self, from coming-out to his family in his early 20s, to now navigating the dynamics of dating in New York City, all driven by a fervent passion to simply be seen. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/unmodeling-minorities/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/unmodeling-minorities/support

This week we have a conversation with one of our closest and dearest friends Nasim. Nasim is Persian American and her family immigrated from Iran during the Iranian Revolution. We discuss how, despite being White, her ethnicity and culture can and has been perceived as Other in the United States. It is in this ambiguity that Nasim works to forge an identity for herself, while also grappling with the realization that her identity isn’t wholly her own to decide. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/unmodeling-minorities/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/unmodeling-minorities/support

Although COVID-19 restrictions have begun lifting in many places, we are still struggling with how to move about in a world where our race is a target. At the moment, we mostly stay home, we rarely travel alone, and we carry pepper gel. This week we discuss how the anti-Asian violence has impacted our lives and the decisions we make in order to stay “safe.” --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/unmodeling-minorities/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/unmodeling-minorities/support

This week we invite Becky to share her experience as an immigrant to the US after her family moved here from Fuzhou, China when she was 12. Becky is director of Lango NYC, a language immersion school based in Brooklyn, NY, where she infuses music, art, and play when teaching her students, many of whom come from non-Mandarin speaking households. Becky speaks about being perceived as different in a new country, and how that struggle forged the person she is today. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/unmodeling-minorities/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/unmodeling-minorities/support

May is Mental Health Awareness Month in the U.S. and for this episode we invite our friend Thomas to share his own experiences. Together, we unpack our journey toward prioritizing mental health and learning to advocate for our feelings. This is a deeply personal topic and we try our best to speak about our own experiences and not on behalf of anyone else. We also understand mental health and illness can be triggering topics so please take that into consideration before listening. We’ve also provided resources below for anyone who may need them. National Suicide Prevention Hotline: Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) Crisis Text Line: Text “HELLO” to 741741 Disaster Distress Helpline: Call or text 1-800-985-5990 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/unmodeling-minorities/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/unmodeling-minorities/support

“Virtue signaling” is a term that is relatively new to us, but the actions that define it feel all too familiar. In this week’s episode, we discuss what we learned about virtue signaling, how it made us reflect on our own actions and behaviors, and how we hope to hold ourselves and others accountable in a way that is productive and, most of all, compassionate. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/unmodeling-minorities/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/unmodeling-minorities/support