This one goes out to the Asian diaspora Gen X, millennial & Gen Z-ers who are getting better acquainted with or just further embracing tf out of their Asian identities. For most of us Asian Americans, we grew up assimilating, disconnecting, and/or over-representing this side of ourselves - our languages, customs, features - in a society where we were mostly stereotyped, fetishized, or simply overlooked and ignored. But throughout the many decades since our parents and grandparents immigrated from our motherlands, we've created spaces, trends, and our own subcultures that have blossomed into a unique and increasingly stronger identity. In this episode, Minji sits down with two Asian American trailblazers who have contributed their life's work to carving out a space for our stories - writers & public figures Jeff Yang and Phil Yu (aka AngryAsianMan). Together they discuss their new book RISE, co-authored with Phil Wang of WongFu Productions, which covers some highlights in the evolution of Asian American pop culture. They dive into how times have changed, the significance of challenging the status quo, and the importance of a supportive, unified community to address bigotry, hate, and ignorance.