[Bonus] Some Thoughts and Updates

Summary: Hey everyone. I have a brief update to share about the show and some thoughts in light of the recent events. But before I do, I want to say loudly and clearly that Black Lives Matter. As an Asian-American, I think about the way anti-Blackness is embedded throughout Asian culture and society. I think about how this anti-Black sentiment showed itself when Asian-American communities rallied around NYPD officer Peter Liang for murdering Akai Gurley. I think about the affirmative action lawsuit against Harvard that Asians supported as being driven by the same anti-Black sentiment. And of course, there was the Hmong-American police officer standing by as George Floyd was murdered. If there is one thing that has driven me to create this podcast, it is the belief that true freedom cannot come at the expense of Black lives. I think silence in anti-Black violence will not give Asian any true place in a racist white supremacist world. The lacking of self-awareness and propagating anti-Black and anti-Brown rhetoric just so certain Asian can get ahead will not lead to a better place. My heart goes out to everyone protesting on the streets and doing the hard work to elevate Black voices and not black squares. Regarding this show, I did not release an episode last week. When I sat down to write the intro, no words came out. My podcast and voice seemed trite. I took it as a sign to not release my episode if I had to force words out when they were not ready. I also felt the voices that needed to be heard were Black voices. I then thought about this in relation to remaining silent and don’t have a clear answer. When I set out to make this podcast, I wanted to be able to confront my privilege as a Chinese-American cis male who went to college to study art and is able to travel to residencies while moving through the art world. I wanted to keep talking about race because I don’t believe one simply becomes “woke.” Talking about race is a lifelong commitment that never ends. I am forever learning and figuring out where these conversations fit within the larger picture. In lieu of a real episode, I posted on my website a list of resources for anyone interested. There is a lot out there and many of these materials are waiting to be used. Feel free to share and continue the discussion about how white supremacy and racism continues to pervade every aspect of our lives. So that’s the update. Again, thank you to everyone who has been supportive of this show as I couldn’t have gotten here without all the guests and listeners. I’ll resume my episodes starting next week. Until then, stay safe, stay healthy, and good bye for now. Image credit: @jerrygogosian https://www.instagram.com/jerrygogosian/