Asian Americans is a sweeping 5-part historical series chronicling two centuries of evolving contributions and challenges experienced by Asian Americans in the United States. The series explores bold, new perspectives that recalibrate the way we look at those experiences, and reveals the vital role of Asian Americans in shaping American history and identity.’ [from Vivek Maddala who composed the music score for this series]
Episodes 1 & 2 premiered yesterday on PBS (broadcast and streaming), and Episodes 3, 4, & 5 premiere tonight (May 12) at 8 PM.
I was honored to be one of the local Asian Americans asked to share their stories and perspectives, as part of the collaboration between APAA (Asian/Pacific Islander/American Association of Greater Rochester) and WXXI. Thank you Mimi and Lily Lee for your continuing work in our community.
You can watch the spots, including my own, below. My only gripe is that, in my intro, I mentioned how I come from the Global South/colonized world and how that impacts my identity and work, which was edited out. But the rest is still here:)
Watch at this link.
Category Archives: local
on tv for ‘asian americans’
From Debora McDell Hernandez: Go Mara Ahmed!! I just saw you on TV following PBS’s Asian Americans documentary. #AsianPacificAmericanHeritageMonth
in nyc
with my best friend today [photograph by our son]
hudsonriverpark #manhattan #newyork
my world
my world. moving in the middle of a pandemic and then existing in a state of suspension. this is my comfort zone #ronkonkoma #newyork
The Changemakers: Rochester Women Who Changed the World
Dear friends, I’m thrilled to share that I will be one of the women featured in a new exhibition, ‘The Changemakers: Rochester Women Who Changed the World,’ inspired by the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment and commemoration of the women’s suffrage movement.
The Changemakers will open on October 9, 2020 in the Riedman Gallery at the Rochester Museum & Science Center.
It will be a community-curated exhibition that hopes to celebrate historical and contemporary women visionaries, trailblazers, inventors, social innovators, and entrepreneurs in western New York, through compelling, untold narratives. It will use Immersive, collections-rich spaces and hands-on experiences to give visitors new access to insights from the past, encourage gender equity in the present, and inspire a better future.
I will be there on Oct 8th! What a treat! #ChangemakersRoc
doing a tv spot for asian pacific american heritage month
stony brook
long island is beautiful-part II
stony brook village #longisland #suffolkcounty #northshore #newyork #stonybrook
long island is beautiful!
long island is beautiful y’all!!! T. Bayles Minuse Mill Pond Park #longisland #suffolkcounty #northshore #newyork
missing sounds of new york
love this! thank u reilly!
my favorite: serenity is a rowdy city park. listen here.
sunken meadow state park
went to #sunkenmeadowstatepark this morning. just 20 min from our place and such a wonderful beach and boardwalk! boardwalks are one of my favorite things in life, pretty much. but there were too many people there so we changed course and walked through the park. there was this broken fence in front of a fragrant bunch of wilderness and its heady scents of nascent spring took me back to my childhood in brussels, when we would wait for such a sunny day to go explore and stay outdoors for as long as we could. magic.
hudson river park
in #nyc to drop off our son at his apartment. sad empty streets everywhere but walking and biking are fire and spring is here. #chelseamarket #hudsonriverpark #newyork
The ‘Sultana’s Dream’ Project by Chitra Ganesh and the Importance of Muslim Feminisms
i wrote this in the middle of our move, because it means that much to me.
a new exhibit based on the work of radical bengali feminist rokeya hossain is now at the Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester (until june of this year). that’s something to rejoice, except that hossain’s muslim identity is completely erased in the discourse about the project both on MAG’s website as well as in artist chitra ganesh’s description of the work on her own website.
this erasure is particularly jarring at a time of anti-muslim progroms in india as well as the weaponization of the pandemic (it’s being called covid jihad) to stoke islamophobia.
here’s more.
selling to neighbors
i have to write about this. so we are moving to long island on april 8th, inshallah, and i have been selling a lot of stuff on fb at fairly low prices – from a treadmill to a yamaha piano, to bedroom furniture, bookcases, cameras, skis and bikes. i’ve also donated tons: i post on fb, add pictures of the stuff, and people come and pick it up for free. there is plenty of social distancing as they help themselves from shelves in my garage, with no human contact at all. it’s been one of the loveliest experiences ever.
not only did i get to meet a large number of my rochester neighbors (an extremely diverse group based on race, ethnicity, class, gender, age, and more) but i also got to know their stories and their visions for the stuff they’re picking up.
some send me pictures of how they’re using those things in their homes. one young guy and his wife bought two bookcases, then joined them to another piece of furniture, added moulding, painted everything, and created a gorgeous entertainment center. he messaged me photographs.
it does my heart good to see how my things, which were loved and cared for, will have another life after they leave our home, that someone else will use them and cherish them as well. they are only things of course, but this opportunity to share with our community has been incredibly joyful.
many times when people buy one thing, i give them another for free. someone bought a camera, i gave them a tripod for free. the reactions are priceless, unforgettable. i love rochester so much, and this has been a life-affirming way of saying goodbye.
the fb groups i used:
rochester online garage sale
rochester craiglist
Film Discussion to Explore Legacy of 1947 Partition, As Anti-Muslim Violence Surges In India
so a screening of ‘a thin wall’ followed by a community discussion at Douglass Auditorium at 36 King St. was cancelled on march 14th, in accordance with NYS coronavirus guidelines. we hope to reschedule some time in the future.
in the meantime, Darien Lamen spoke to Hibah Arshad, Thomas Gibson and i, and put together this excellent intro to the community conversation we hope to have. pls read/listen here.
working out with julie
doing workouts at home with my brilliant trainer Julie Zobel, and staying sane. it’s just like going to the gym, except it’s better without the equipment. out of breath but happy. message her if u want to do the same.
