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Playlist: Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Compiled By: PRX Editors

Hawaiian Canoe in Honolulu, HI Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/beautifulcataya/">Beautiful Cataya</a>
Image by: Beautiful Cataya 
Hawaiian Canoe in Honolulu, HI
Curated Playlist

Celebrate this May.

Learn more about Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month from National Today.

Below are picks chosen by PRX editorial staff. You can find more pieces appropriate for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month by using our search.

New in 2022

Seeking Harmony for Global Asian Immigrants

From Good Radio Shows, Inc. | Part of the Peace Talks Radio: Weekly Hour Long Episodes series | 59:02

On this PEACE TALKS RADIO episode, correspondent Sen Zhan explores three perspectives on the nature of intercultural conflict in transcultural Asian immigrants in western countries. When East meets West in the modern-day, it’s not only cultures that can clash, it’s also the past crashing into the present. Asians who have been formed by both cultures know this very well, and are one group among many who navigate the conflicts of transcultural existence. We’ll hear from Chinese-Canadian psychiatrist, Dr. Julian Xue, Chinese-American author Iris Chen, and Chinese-Canadian trauma recovery coach Sherry Yuan Hunter.

Irischen_small

On this PEACE TALKS RADIO episode, correspondent Sen Zhan explores three perspectives on the nature of intercultural conflict in transcultural Asian immigrants in western countries.   When East meets West in the modern-day, it’s not only cultures that can clash, it’s also the past crashing into the present. Asians who have been formed by both cultures know this very well, and are one group among many who navigate the conflicts of transcultural existence.

We’ll hear from Chinese-Canadian psychiatrist, Dr. Julian Xue, educated in both Confucian philosophy, and in western psychiatry. Dr. Xue offers singular insights on why first generation Asian immigrants have a harder time acclimating to a new host culture in the West, as well as what their children need to go through to blend both their cultural value sets into a coherent whole.  Also on the program, Chinese-American author Iris Chen speaking about her book Untigering: Peaceful Parenting for the Deconstructing Tiger Parent, and her take on bridging the gap between traditional Asian values and contemporary values in the Western world as a parent who straddles both sides.  Additionally, Sen speaks with Chinese-Canadian trauma recovery coach Sherry Yuan Hunter,  who works intimately with clients with Asian backgrounds around the world to understand and heal the root causes of intergenerational trauma. 

Seeking Harmony for Global Asian Immigrants

From Good Radio Shows, Inc. | Part of the Peace Talks Radio: Weekly Half Hour Episodes series | 29:00

On this PEACE TALKS RADIO episode, correspondent Sen Zhan explores three perspectives on the nature of intercultural conflict in transcultural Asian immigrants in western countries. When East meets West in the modern-day, it’s not only cultures that can clash, it’s also the past crashing into the present. Asians who have been formed by both cultures know this very well, and are one group among many who navigate the conflicts of transcultural existence.

We’ll hear from Chinese-Canadian psychiatrist, Dr. Julian Xue, Chinese-American author Iris Chen, and Chinese-Canadian trauma recovery coach Sherry Yuan Hunter.

Asianhug2_small On this PEACE TALKS RADIO episode, correspondent Sen Zhan explores three perspectives on the nature of intercultural conflict in transcultural Asian immigrants in western countries.   When East meets West in the modern-day, it’s not only cultures that can clash, it’s also the past crashing into the present. Asians who have been formed by both cultures know this very well, and are one group among many who navigate the conflicts of transcultural existence.  

We’ll hear from Chinese-Canadian psychiatrist, Dr. Julian Xue, educated in both Confucian philosophy, and in western psychiatry. Dr. Xue offers singular insights on why first generation Asian immigrants have a harder time acclimating to a new host culture in the West, as well as what their children need to go through to blend both their cultural value sets into a coherent whole.  Also on the program, Chinese-American author Iris Chen speaking about her book Untigering: Peaceful Parenting for the Deconstructing Tiger Parent, and her take on bridging the gap between traditional Asian values and contemporary values in the Western world as a parent who straddles both sides.  Additionally, Sen speaks with Chinese-Canadian trauma recovery coach Sherry Yuan Hunter, who works intimately with clients with Asian backgrounds around the world to understand and heal the root causes of intergenerational trauma. 



Celebrate AAPI Month with Roy and PJ Hirabayashi and guitarist Led Kaapana

From National Endowment for the Arts | Part of the Art Works series | 29:00

To kick off our celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we are revisiting two interviews with cultural powerhouses and 2011 National Heritage Fellows taiko drum leaders Roy and PJ Hirabayashi and slack guitarist Ledward Kaapana.

Kaapana2-marsha_forsythe__cover_look_photo_corps

We kicked off our celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month by going into the archives and choosing excerpts from two great podcasts with cultural powerhouses and 2011 National Heritage Fellows taiko drum leaders Roy and PJ Hirabayashi and slack guitarist Ledward Kaapana. The Hirabayashis discuss their founding of San Jose Taiko, their creating a new distinctly Asian-American art form, and their commitment to collaboration and community-building. Kaapana remembers the centrality of music during his upbringing in a small Hawaiian village (and the month-long house parties!), the unique aspects of Hawaiian music and music-making, and his joy in playing with guitarists across genres. There’s music, singing, and drumming!


Hour (49:00-1:00:00)

Crossing East - Asian American History series (Series)

Produced by Dmae Lo Roberts

Peabody award-winning series of eight news-friendly one-hour documentaries on the many waves of Asian immigration. Hosted by George Takei and Margaret Cho, and produced by Dmae Roberts.

Most recent piece in this series:

Crossing East: Relations

From Dmae Lo Roberts | Part of the Crossing East - Asian American History series series | 58:28

Ellenchoy-lockdown-brooke_anderson_photography_small Crossing East: Relations focuses on historic and contemporary relationships and conflicts between Asian Americans and African Americans leading up to Asians4BlackLives support for Black Lives Matter. The documentary examines  stereotypes fostered by the myth of the “model minority” as a way to suggest one racial group is more successful and should be modeled by other racial groups. This stereotype has been used as racial wedge between communities of color.  As part of a 10th anniversary celebration of the Peabody-winning radio series Crossing East, which aired on 230 public radio stations around the country we’ve been producing this documentary as well gathering more than 100 hours of oral history recordings for the Crossing East Archive.


Interviews recorded by Crossing East producer Robynn Takayama in the Bay Area include:

Interviews recorded by Crossing East Executive producer Dmae Roberts and Alan Montecillo in Portland in collaboration with APANO’s Kara Carmosino. These include:

As I Am: Asians In America

From Nathan Kupel | 57:00

This piece features reports, analysis, and commentary on social, political, cultural and artistic topics seldom heard on traditional public radio broadcasts. Award-winning journalist, author and scholar Helen Zia hosts. Public radio audiences will hear unique voices and perspectives on a variety of issues from across the country. From Nathan Kupel.

Helenzia_small About the Pilot The As I Am pilot features reports, analyses, and commentary on social, political, cultural and artistic topics seldom heard on traditional public radio broadcasts. Hosted by the award-winning journalist, author and scholar Helen Zia, public radio audiences will hear unique voices and perspectives on a variety of issues from across the country. The As I Am Pilot has also just recently received an award from the American Women in Radio and Television in the "Outstanding Special Category," for a segment that was previously aired on American Public Media's Weekend America. The Pilot features up and coming author Min Jin Lee as she discusses her new book Free Food for Millionaires with Boston College's Professor Min Hyoung Song. As I Am's Paul Niwa reveals the effects of gentrification on Boston's Chinatown through one man's battle against his landlord's rent increase. American Public Media's Angela Kim's journey from California to the Midwest reminds us that no matter where we may move we are often searching for something, anything, to remind us of where we came from. Nationally recognized slam poet Regie Cabico performs a piece that challenges the notion that we can be easily defined by a census box. Known for his cookbooks and popular television show Yan Can Cook, Chef Martin Yan steps out of the kitchen to talk with the award-winning broadcast journalist Sydnie Kohara. A group of UMass Boston students' trip to the Gulf Coast is chronicled as they discuss rebuilding the Vietnamese American communities ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. And International Studies Professor at Trinity College Vijay Prashad comments on why his ideal home isn't in the present, it is in the future. You can hear these stories and more, on As I Am: Asians In America. Musical consideration for the pilot has been provided by Boston Progress Radio a community-based online radio station and blog focusing on independent Asian American music and art. For more information on Boston Progress Radio please visit their website: www.bprlive.org. Bio for Helen Zia Helen Zia is an award-winning journalist and a Contributing Editor to Ms. Magazine, where she was formerly Executive Editor. She is the author of Asian American Dreams: The Emergence of an American People (2000), which President Bill Clinton quoted at White House ceremonies and was a finalist for the prestigious Kiriyama Prize. She is coauthor, with Wen Ho Lee, of My Country Versus Me (2002). Their book reveals what happened to the Los Alamos scientist who was falsely accused in unsubstantiated front page stories of being a spy for China in the worst case since the Rosenbergs. Her articles, essays and reviews have appeared in numerous publications, including Ms., New York Times, Washington Post, The Nation, Essence, The Advocate, Curve, and OUT. Ms. Zia testified before the US Commission on Civil Rights 1997 about inaccurate and biased news coverage of Asian Americans during the spotlight on campaign finance. She traveled to Beijing in 1995 to cover the UN Fourth World Congress on Women as part of a journalists of color delegation. Her work on the Asian American landmark civil rights case of anti-Asian violence is documented in the Academy Award nominated film, "Who Killed Vincent Chin?" A second generation Chinese American, Helen Zia received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the Law School of the City University of New York and was the first recipient of the Suzanne Ahn Journalism Award for Civil Rights and Social Justice. She is an Expert Fellow with University of Southern California's Justice and Journalism program of the Annenberg School of Journalism, and is a Writer-in-Residence at New York University's APA Institute. She is a graduate of Princeton University and a member of the university's first graduating class of women. She quit medical school after completing two years, then went to work as a construction laborer, an autoworker, and a community organizer, after which she discovered her life's work as a writer.

Bridging the Shores: The Hmong-American Experience

From Wisconsin Public Radio | 59:00

Bridging the Shores is a one-hour documentary that explores the challenges and triumphs of the Hmong-American community as they strive both to assimilate into mainstream society yet also preserve their traditions. From Wisconsin Public Radio.

Bridgshores01_small * Winner of the RTNDA-UNITY Award for excellence in diversity coverage, 2009
* Winner of the Wisconsin AP Awards for Best Documentary, 2009
* Winner of the Asian-American Journalists Association for excellence in coverage of Asian-American/Pacific Islander issues (radio), 2009
Winner of the University of Wisconsin Extension/UW Colleges Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Collaboration (Wisconsin Public Radio and the Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service)
===================================

More than 30 years since fleeing their native Laos after the Vietnam War, many Hmong still struggle with issues of cultural preservation and identity as they forge new lives in America. Bridging the Shores is a one-hour documentary that explores the challenges - and triumphs - of the Hmong-American community as they strive to assimilate into mainstream society yet preserve their traditions. Sources have been drawn from three states with the largest Hmong populations (Wisconsin, Minnesota, and California) but this program can appeal to any audience with a strong interest in Southeast Asian culture or immigrant communities. Topics covered include the generation gap, modern weddings, Hmong's efforts to incorporate their history into American classrooms, efforts to repatriate disturbed refugee remains in Thailand, spirituality, the career of Minnesota Senator Mee Moua, treating elders with PTSD, and new music forms incorporating traditional Hmong and American hip-hop.

Music from the Far East: Huong Thanh from Vietnam and Sambasunda from Indonesia

From Radio Netherlands Worldwide | Part of the Hear the World 2010 series | 58:01

A performance by Huong Thanh Asian Colors

Hear_the_world_small

A performance by Huong Thanh Asian Colors: traditional Vietnamese singing accompanied on the koto (Japanese zither) and the erhu (Chinese violin), the enchanting colors of Huong Thanh’s voice are beautifully set off by the spare accompaniment.

New, refreshing sounds from the West Javan orchestra Sambasunda, which combines gamelan sounds with influences from jazz, classical Western music and Brazilian rhythms. Colorful, adventurous music which alternates exuberant ecstasy and rural restraint.

 

Peace Talks Radio: Neighborhood Peace Through Arts and Parks (59:00 / 54:00)

From Good Radio Shows, Inc. | Part of the Peace Talks Radio: Weekly Hour Long Episodes series | 58:44

This time on Peace Talks Radio, we explore a program that transforms troubled neighborhoods into more peaceful, secure places through art, learning, land transformation and economic development. Host Carol Boss speaks with artist Lily Yeh, co-founder of two non-profit organizations dedicated to re-building communities.

Lilyyeh_small

This time on Peace Talks Radio, we explore a program that transforms troubled neighborhoods into more peaceful, secure places through art, learning, land transformation and economic development. Artist Lily Yeh is featured.  She's the co-founder of two non-profit organizations dedicated to
re-building communities: The Village of Arts and Humanities, Inc. and, more recently, Barefoot Artists, Inc.

In North Philadelphia, Yeh, with a
group of neighborhood residents (mostly children), cleared a trash-strewn vacant lot and began to build an art park that incorporated mosaic sculptures, murals, and landscaping with trees and flowers. Over the next few years, Yeh's project was joined by artists, builders, educators and a growing number of community residents caught up in the vision of creating a more peaceful community. Yeh's ideas that helped bring the North Philadelphia neighborhood back to life are now being applied to projects in Rwanda, Kenya, Ecuador and China.

In Rwanda, her Rwanada Healing Project
included the creation of a colorful memorial for one village's victims of the Rwandan genocide.  Host Carol Boss talks with both Lily Yeh and Brenda Toler, who raised her family in the North Philadelphia neighborhood where "Miss Lily's" efforts revived the community.

There is also a 29:00 version of this program at PRX:

 

http://www.prx.org/pieces/38279-peace-talks-radio-neighborhood-peace-through-arts

Symphony Space Live: The Ying Americans

From Murray Street Productions | Part of the Symphony Space Live series | 58:39

The family-based Ying Quartet puts the focus on new American music for string quartet through commissioned work. The program features the Samuel Barber String Quartet the 75-year-old icon of American string quartets and bright new commissioned works by Michael Torke and Patrick Zimmerli. From Murray Street Productions, and part of the Symphony Space Live series.

Ssllogorgb_small The Ying Americans -- The family based Ying Quartet puts the focus on new American music for string quartet through commissioned work. The program features the Samuel Barber String Quartet the 75 year old icon of American string quartets and bright new commissioned works by Michael Torke {Tor-key} and Patrick Zimmerli {Zim-mer-lee}.


Half-Hour (24:00-30:00)

Remembrance: On Time And Distance

From Dmae Lo Roberts | 29:01

Dmae Roberts produced a special half-hour radio memorial on the 10th anniversary of her mom’s death. Remembrance: On Time And Distance is part memoir and a collection of radio pieces she’s produced about the complex ties that bind a mother and daughter.

Dmaemombabyponytail_2_small__small For Remembrance: On Time And Distance, Dmae presents a half-hour special with excerpts from Dmae’s Peabody-winning documentary Mei Mei, A Daughter’s Song and The Journey of Lady Buddha. She recounts her weekend trip to Taiwan to rescue her mom when she fell ill and highlights her piece Memorial from the phone messages she saved while taking care of her mom in her final years as she struggled with breast cancer. This is a personal story about a complex relationship that lasts even after death. It's about caregiving and healing for all mothers and daughters, fathers and sons and those taking care of teh ones they love.

Featured music from: Dave Pasche, Stephen Hoyt and special thanks to Aaron Meyer from his CDs Walk, Don’t Walk and Near The Edge. Hear him at AaronMeyer.com.

Memoir excerpt: 10 Years and I still feel anger and pain. The seven stages of grief have long left me but these two emotions keep coming back.

Ten years ago my mom passed away from a recurrence of breast cancer. Three years before that her doctor left her in a hospital gown in a cold radiology room not knowing why she was there. She called me crying when I was two hours away by car and not able able to help her,

Six months before that I took a weekend flight to Taipei, Taiwan to bring her back after relatives I had never met emailed me saying she was sick.

Time and distance. They say that it heals all wounds. Who are they? These mysterious people who offer sayings with vague meanings. Does time heal? Is there ever a way to heal wounds completely that have been opened up over and again through a lifetime?

Time and distance are what separated my mom and me. She of another race, another generation, culture and language. Anger and Pain brought us together and drove our ambitions in life."


 

Peace Talks Radio: Neighborhood Peace Through Arts and Parks (29:00)

From Good Radio Shows, Inc. | Part of the Peace Talks Radio: Weekly Half Hour Episodes series | 28:55

This time on Peace Talks Radio, we explore a program that transforms troubled neighborhoods into more peaceful, secure places through art, learning, land transformation and economic development. Host Carol Boss speaks with artist Lily Yeh, co-founder of two non-profit organizations dedicated to re-building communities.

Lilyyeh_small

This time on Peace Talks Radio, we explore a program that transforms troubled neighborhoods into more peaceful, secure places through art, learning, land transformation and economic development. Artist Lily Yeh is featured.  She's the co-founder of two non-profit organizations dedicated to
re-building communities: The Village of Arts and Humanities, Inc. and, more recently, Barefoot Artists, Inc.

In North Philadelphia, Yeh, with a
group of neighborhood residents (mostly children), cleared a trash-strewn vacant lot and began to build an art park that incorporated mosaic sculptures, murals, and landscaping with trees and flowers. Over the next few years, Yeh's project was joined by artists, builders, educators and a growing number of community residents caught up in the vision of creating a more peaceful community. Yeh's ideas that helped bring the North Philadelphia neighborhood back to life are now being applied to projects in Rwanda, Kenya, Ecuador and China.

In Rwanda, her Rwanada Healing Project
included the creation of a colorful memorial for one village's victims of the Rwandan genocide.  Host Carol Boss talks with both Lily Yeh and Brenda Toler, who raised her family in the North Philadelphia neighborhood where "Miss Lily's" efforts revived the community.

There is a 59:00/54:00 version of this program at PRX:

 

http://www.prx.org/pieces/38246-peace-talks-radio-neighborhood-peace-through-arts

Vietnamese Homecoming Part One

From Helen Borten | Part of the A Sense of Place series | 29:07

Fishermen and their families escape from Vietnam to a new home in Louisiana and struggle to earn a living along the Gulf Coast. From Helen Borten.

Shrimpfisherman_small Fishermen and their families escape from Vietnam to a new home in Louisiana and struggle to earn a living along the Gulf Coast. One :30 promo (click "listen" page, promo labeled "Segment 2")

Vietnamese Homecoming Part Two

From Helen Borten | Part of the A Sense of Place series | 29:01

Conflict breaks out between the Vietnamese and Cajun shrimpers and the fate of both hangs in the balance. From Helen Borten.

Shrimpfisherman_small Conflict breaks out between the Vietnamese and Cajun shrimpers and the fate of both hangs in the balance. One :30 promo (click "listen" page, promo labeled "Segment 2")

Don't Take The Colors Apart

From Dmae Lo Roberts | 26:09

Amerasian Playwright Velina Hasu Houston learned early on to have pride in her identity through her African American father and Japanese mother. From Dmae Roberts.

Mailedd12_small This piece is about cultural identity seen through the life of Playwright Velina Hasu Houston as she travels back to Junction City, Kansas to move her mom back with her to California. Early on, Houston's dad taught her to appreciate her African American, Native American and Japanese roots by scooping out a spoon of neapolitian ice cream and telling her "Don't Take The Colors Apart." Houston has written numerous plays but the one closest to her "Tea" is about her mother's story as a military bride in Kansas. First aired in 1994 as part of the "Legacies: Tales From America" series.


Segments (9:00-23:59)

The Art and Science of Polynesian Wayfinding

From Lily Bui | 10:00

Ancient navigators traveled across the Pacific without maps or instruments. This is the art and science of Polynesian wayfinding.

11924801_10103660781551281_1272317671636708517_o_small Ancient navigators traveled across the Pacific without the aid of maps or instruments. We hear from navigators in New Zealand, Hawai'i and North America about the techniques used to do so. This is the art and science of Polynesian wayfinding.

Passage to the Middle Kingdom (Series)

Produced by MoraQuest

Ancient. Mysterious. Cultivated.

Most recent piece in this series:

Passage to the Middle Kingdom - Chinese Musical Traditions

From MoraQuest | Part of the Passage to the Middle Kingdom series | 58:30

Passagetothemiddlekingdomsquarelogov2_small

For hundreds of years, China has held sway over the western imagination. With exquisite silks, architecture, poetry, calligraphy, paintings,music and more, the bounty of this great civilization pays witness to the enormous creativity and heart of its people. Passage to the Middle Kingdom focuses on one of China’s most affecting exports: her music.

From America’s suburbs to the subways, from community centers to world-renowned stages, Chinese musicians are bringing the sounds of an ancient art form to the western tapestry. Learn about the instruments, the music and the keepers of this oral tradition.

Weenie Royale; The Impact of the Internment on Japanese Cooking in America

From The Kitchen Sisters | Part of the Hidden Kitchens series | 09:18

This historical Hidden Kitchen comes from the memories and kitchens of the Japanese Americans uprooted from the west coat and forcibly relocated inland after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. From The Kitchen Sisters.

Rogershimomura-weiners_small

This historical Hidden Kitchen comes from the memories and kitchens of the Japanese Americans uprooted from the west coat and forcibly relocated inland  after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. In camps like Manzaner, Topaz, Tule Lake some 120,000 internees lived for four years in remote and desolate locations—their traditional food replaced by US government commodities and war surplus—hotdogs, ketchup, spam, potatoes—changing the traditional Japanese diet and family table. 


Cutaways (5:00-8:59)

Come On Down

From New America Media | 05:10

A Chinese American's words of warning for South Asians looking for themselves in movies and TV. From New America Media.

Default-piece-image-0 Christine Wong comments on the recent trend of Bollywood movies that are taking America by storm, and what South Asians can expect from Hollywood and American TV's representation of ethnic minorities.

A Good Hmong Daughter

From MPR News Stations | Part of the MPR News' Youth Series series | 06:10

What's propelling young, Hmong women to break with tradition and pursue their college dreams.

Kao_capsteps_small

Traditional Hmong culture prepares daughters for marriage and motherhood. Kao Choua Vue

of St. Paul, Minnesota faced intense pressure from her parents to marry as a teenager and forego college. Now, she’s a junior year at the University of Minnesota and an aspiring filmmaker.

Vue  reports on what's  driving young Hmong women like her to pursue their college dreams. 

Hawaiian Awa (Kava)

From Heidi Chang | 08:06

For centuries, the kava plant has played an important role in many Pacific Island cultures, where it's valued for its natural calming effects. In Hawaii, kava is known as awa (ah-va) and it's making a comeback.

Keoniverityawabar_small Kava continues to be a popular herbal supplement these days.  But instead of consuming the herb in pills and capsules, more people are now drinking kava.  The plant was first used in ancient Polynesia, where it was valued for its natural calming effects.  Kava was once banned in Hawaii, but is now making a comeback in medicine, popular culture, and as a new crop.

This piece takes you to Hawaii's first kava bar, Hale Noa, which opened in 1999.  Many residents and tourists flocked to it for years. While that kava bar has since closed its doors, it paved the way for several other cafes now serving the drink.  Kava is now also available at local juice bars, health food stores and restaurants.  Today, Hawaiian awa is being used again in contemporary Hawaiian ceremonies and it's celebrated as an expression of Pacifci Island culture.

The short version is 5:57 minutes.
The long version is 7:48 minutes.  (This piece also mentions some of the studies being done on kava.)
The longer version is 8:06 minutes. (In addition to the studies, this piece includes a few more seconds of Hawaiian music at the end of the piece that you can fade out in case you may need it to fill time.)

Episode 5: Acceptance

From KUOW | Part of the Lefse, Rice and Frybread: A History of Washington Through series | 06:48

Xinh Dwelley is a Vietnamese immigrant who came to Olympia before the Fall of Saigon. Her experience represents one of the lasting legacies of that era. From KUOW.

Default-piece-image-2 America has always drawn immigrants who come for political, social, and economic reasons, but they were not always welcomed. In the 1960's, Americans watched the Vietnam War unfold in their living rooms on television. Later, they watched Vietnam collapse. Thousands of Vietnamese were evacuated, but had nowhere to go. Washington was one of the first states to open its doors to these refugees. Xinh Dwelley is a Vietnamese immigrant who came to Olympia before the Fall of Saigon. Her experience represents one of the lasting legacies of that era.

Being Bicultural: Stories of Asian American Youth

From WAMU | 05:30

As more Americans adopt children from other nations, questions are being raised about whether these new parents will respect the culture from which the children come. Youth Voices Reporter Lewis Reining knows from personal experience how difficult that can be - for the parents and the children. From WAMU.

Default-piece-image-2 As more Americans adopt children from other nations, questions are being raised about whether these new parents will respect the culture from which the children come. Youth Voices Reporter Lewis Reining knows from personal experience how difficult that can be - for the parents and the children.

Hmong Funerals

From Wisconsin Public Radio | 07:51

For the thousands of Hmong immigrants who've settled in the United States, life is now a series of challenges and adjustments. Many of them are struggling to preserve their customs from southeast Asia. For most elderly Hmong, this includes the complex and lengthy funeral ceremony designed to guide their souls back to the ancestral homeland. From Wisconsin Public Radio.

Hmgfnrl01_small For the thousands of Hmong immigrants who've settled in the United States, life is now a series of challenges and adjustments. Many of them are struggling to preserve their customs from southeast Asia. For most elderly Hmong, this includes the complex and lengthy funeral ceremony designed to guide their souls back to the ancestral homeland. But many obstacles -- from American funeral codes to the standard work schedule -- have forced compromise on this tradition. In this 8-minute piece, Brian Bull summarizes one such effort that took place at St. Paul's Hmong Funeral home for one of the community's elders, Ying Xiong. With many compelling passages of natural sound and direct, candid interviews with relatives, the four-day ceremony is presented in its elaborate, but heartfelt splendor.

Memorial

From Dmae Lo Roberts | 05:51

Every 100 days, Roberts saves the phone messages of her mom who passed away five years ago as a living memorial and as a way to still get a phone call from her mom. Memorial follows the caretaking and illness of Chu-Yin Roberts through the phone messages.

Playing
Memorial
From
Dmae Lo Roberts

Memorial_small What's left after someone passes on? Photographs and phone messages. The reality of death hits hardest when the loved one no longer calls you on the phone. Every 100 days, Roberts saves the phone messages of her mom who passed away five years ago as a living memorial and as a way to still get a phone call from her mom. Memorial follows the caretaking and illness of Chu-Yin Roberts through the phone messages. This piece can be aired on Mother's Day or Memorial Day. Could also be appropriately during holidays for those who have lost loved ones. Also appropriate for Asian History Month in May. There is one minute of music tail to read credits to close a magazine show with.

Bla Pahinui: Hawaiian singer and Guitar Player

From Heidi Chang | 09:20

Singer and guitar player, Bla Pahinui, is known for his own distinct voice and for carrying on the legacy of his father, Gabby Pahinui, one of the most important figures in the history of Hawaiian music. This piece features Bla performing with his legendary musical family—the Pahinuis, Ry Cooder, and as a solo artist. From Heidi Chang.

Bla_pahinui_small Singer and guitarist, Bla Pahinui, shares what it was like to grow up in his musical family.  Early on, he was inspired by his father, Gabby Pahinui, who is regarded as a Hawaiian folk hero and the “Father of Modern Slack Key Guitar."  In the 70s, Bla joined his father and brothers in the Gabby Pahinui Hawaiian Band, one of the most influential groups of the Hawaiian Cultural Renaissance.  Gabby inspired countless musicians not only in Hawaii, but also worldwide, including artists like Ry Cooder, who recorded with the Gabby Band. 

Since Gabby died in 1980, Bla and his brothers have been carrying on his musical legacy. In 1992, they recorded The Pahinui Bros. album.  Bla has also recorded several solo CDs.  He says the music he creates today is a tribute to his father. 

“Bla's distinctive voice and blending of styles grab listeners,” says the late Dennis Kamakahi, who's performed with both father and son.  "Gabby's the innovator between the old style and today's generation.  He brought the old style of playing, the sweet slack key sounds to us so that we can really play it.  Bla took it one step forward, into the modern generation, which is the mixture of rock, folk, and he has his own style, his own place in the Pahinui tradition."

This piece includes the following musical selections:

Hi`ilawe recorded in 1947: This is Gabby Pahinui's signature tune.  He made the world’s first slack key recordings in the 40s. 

Hi`ilawe recorded in 1972:  Gabby dreamed of someday performing and recording music with his sons, which he did, when he formed the Gabby Pahinui Hawaiian Band featuring his sons and other musicians.

Moonlight Lady:  This was one of the Gabby Band's biggest hits, featuring Bla singing in English with his brother, Cyril, Randy Lorenzo and Ry Cooder.

Come Go With Me: This features Bla Pahinui singing the Del Viking's hit along with his brothers, Cyril and Martin.  Ry Cooder produced The Pahinui Bros. CD and also plays guitar on the recording.

Waimanolo Blues (Nanakuli Blues):  This is one of Bla Pahinui's signature tunes recorded at a live concert near San Francisco.  It's an expression of Aloha `Aina (Love of the Land) and a lament about an old way of life being lost to development.  Liko Martin and Thor Wold wrote the song in the early 70s, a time of protest in Hawaii, when many controversial changes were taking place in the Islands.

Kauai Beauty:  Bla Pahinui sings this song in Hawaiian.  It was one of his father's favorite songs and pays tribute to the Garden Isle.  It's featured on Bla's CD called "Mana," which means spirit or soul.

Bla Pahinui: Singer and Guitar Player is an evergreen piece, great anytime of the year, including Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in May, or when the annual Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Festival takes place in August in Honolulu as a tribute to Gabby Pahinui and other slack key legends. 

There are two versions: 8:32 and 9:20 minutes.  The longer version has more music at the end of the piece.

http://www.pahinui.com/

Kealii Reichel - Hawaiian musician and teacher of Hawaiian language and dance

From Heidi Chang | 05:24

Hawaiian musician Keali`i Reichel shares his passion for Hawaiian language, music and dance in a groundbreaking DVD that offers subtitles in English and Hawaiian to help people better understand the depth and beauty of Hawaiian culture. 5:23 and 4:24 Versions available. From Heidi Chang.

Kealii_on_stage_kukahi_small Keali`i Reichel is a teacher of Hawaiian language and culture, and one of Hawaii’s most popular recording artists.  His music, chant and hula reflect the best of traditional and contemporary poetry and dance in Hawai'i today.

For years, Reichel has been making waves with his CDs on the world music charts.  Now he’s captured his performances on DVD.  While Reichel sings, hula dancers help tell the story, as images about the songs flash on large screens.  Reichel realizes a lot of people don't speak Hawaiian or can understand Hawaiian lyrics. So he offers subtitles in both English and Hawaiian, something that's never been done before.  He hopes to help people better understand and enjoy the essence of Hawaiian language and culture.

Reichel has won more than two dozen Na Hoku Hanohano Awards—Hawaii’s highest musical honors.  His latest project, “Kukahi: Live in Concert,” won a Hoku for Music video DVD of the Year in 2008. 

In 1980, Reichel founded his own hula school, Halau Ke`alaokamaile.  The hula troupe won honors when it made its debut at the 46th Annual Merrie Monarch Festival--the world's premier hula festival, held recently in Hilo, Hawaii.
 
You can hear two versions of this story: Long version (5:24 minutes) Short version (4:25 minutes)

http://www.kealiireichel.com/



Drop-Ins (2:00-4:59)

This I Believe - Yo-Yo Ma

From This I Believe | Part of the This I Believe series | 03:06

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma believes in embracing many cultures and finding something to love in each of them. From This I Believe.

Tiblogosmall_small HOST: For our This I Believe essay today, we hear from one of the world's most accomplished and versatile musicians, the cellist Yo-Yo Ma. The recipient of 15 Grammy Awards, Yo-Yo Ma has the ability to speak, musically, to audiences all over the world. The range of his musical interest is echoed in his belief in crossing borders, boundaries, and even identity. Here is Yo-Yo Ma with his essay for This I Believe. MA: I believe in the infinite variety of human expression. I grew up in three cultures: I was born in Paris, my parents were from China and I was brought up mostly in America. When I was young, this was very confusing: everyone said that their culture was best, but I knew they couldn't all be right. I felt that there was an expectation that I would choose to be Chinese or French or American. For many years I bounced among the three, trying on each but never being wholly comfortable. I hoped I wouldn't have to choose, but I didn't know what that meant and how exactly to "not choose." However, the process of trying on each culture taught me something. As I struggled to belong, I came to understand what made each one unique. At that point, I realized that I didn't need to choose one culture to the exclusion of another, but instead I could choose from all three. The values I selected would become part of who I was, but no one culture needed to win. I could honor the cultural depth and longevity of my Chinese heritage, while feeling just as passionate about the deep artistic traditions of the French and the American commitment to opportunity and the future. So, rather than settling on any one of the cultures in which I grew up, I now choose to explore many more cultures and find elements to love in each. Every day I make an effort to go toward what I don't understand. This wandering leads to the accidental learning that continually shapes my life. As I work in music today, I try to implement this idea-that the music I play, like me, doesn't belong to only one culture. In recent years, I have explored many musical traditions. Along the way, I have met musicians who share a belief in the creative power that exists at the intersection of cultures. These musicians have generously become my guides to their traditions. Thanks to them and their music I have found new meaning in my own music making. It is extraordinary the way people, music and cultures develop. The paths and experiences that guide them are unpredictable. Shaped by our families, neighborhoods, cultures and countries, each of us ultimately goes through this process of incorporating what we learn with who we are and who we seek to become. As we struggle to find our individual voices, I believe we must look beyond the voice we've been assigned, and find our place among the tones and timbre of human expression.

Growing Up Avatar-American

From Eric Molinsky | Part of the Imaginary Worlds series | 27:01

How the Nickelodeon cartoon Avatar: The Last Airbender captured the Asian-American experience -- even if there's no America in that fantasy world.

Dvd-avatar-the-last-airbender-season-3-release-date-premiere-2015jpeg-318aa4_1280w_small

Sam Kaden Lai takes the wheel of this episode of Imaginary Worlds to tell the story of how Avatar: The Last Airbender and its sequel series on Nickelodeon, The Legend of Korra, redefined the Asian-American experience for him and his friends -- even though there is no America in either series. With Mamatha Challa, Emily Tetri, Viet Hung, Elaine Wang, and Nhu Nyugen.

The ABCs of Chinese Americans

From Radio Rookies | Part of the Radio Rookies: Flushing 2010 series | 07:35

Most New Yorkers know that over the past half century, Flushing Queens has transformed from a mostly white suburb to one of the largest Asian populated areas in the United States. But in recent years, another transformation has been taking place – a new wave of immigrants from Mainland China is crowding Main Street, while the old wave – mostly from Taiwan, is watching the changes with some reticence. Radio Rookie Helen Peng has been trying to figure out where, exactly, she fits into the changing landscape.

Flushing_radio_rookies_group_pic_5_small Most New Yorkers know that over the past half century, Flushing Queens has transformed from a mostly white suburb to one of the largest Asian populated areas in the United States. But in recent years, another transformation has been taking place – a new wave of immigrants from Mainland China is crowding Main Street, while the old wave – mostly from Taiwan, is watching the changes with some reticence. Radio Rookie Helen Peng has been trying to figure out where, exactly, she fits into the changing landscape.