Model Minority: Uniquely American

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For Zamzam Dini, growing up in Seattle where there was little diversity meant having to endure ignorance from students and professors alike about her Somali heritage.

In this 6-min clip, Zamzam shares how her identity has shifted based on her environment - in Seattle, she was identified by others as Black first, then Muslim, and then Somali. Upon moving to Minneapolis, MN - which has a strong Somali community - she noticed a flip, where she was seen as Somali first, then Muslim, and then finally as Black.

Zamzam's family are refugees from Somalia. Towards the end of this clip, she recounts story about her and her sister during the time of the war.

Welcome to Season 2 of Model Minority: Uniquely American!

Stories. Histories. What differentiates one from the other? And, why are they so important to document?

With so much going on right now - India’s coronavirus surge, the free Palestine movement, BLM, Stop Asian Hate, and so much more - sharing and saving our stories are more important to presenting history fairly, than ever before. In this episode, Nidhi speaks with the people who are documenting Asian, African and Middle Eastern stories in real-time. Join us as we meet the storytellers, the change-makers and the documenters of the world.

Catch the people featured in this episode and their work using the links below:

** Model Minority stands against the recent attacks against AAPI communities. Please consider sharing this podcast on social media with the hashtag #stopAAPIhate to show your support and uplift Asian voices during this time.**

Shiwei Zhang moved to the U.S. from China at a young age. But, she quickly realized it wasn't all that she dreamt it'd be. Her mother, who worked as a nail technician at a salon in Chicago, found that the degrees and credentials that she worked so hard to attain in China were deemed meaningless in America. Meanwhile, she faced ostracism from her classmates about her culture and accent. 

Things took a turn for the worst when she and her mother were questioned by Chicago police - a group that should exist to "serve and protect." In this episode, Shiwei recounts the frustrating and terrifying situation her family was in and explains how it gave her more insight into the struggles of other minority groups in the U.S. Listen to the third edition of Immigrant Tales to hear her tell the story firsthand.

Namah Vyakranam was born in Hyderabad, India. Her family traveled back and forth from India to the U.S. before eventually settling around Chicago, IL. After that, Namah found herself grappling with internalized racism surrounding her South Asian identity, which was often misrepresented in American society. 

It all boiled over when she began to see the racism against South Asians in a post-9/11 America more clearly.  Listen to the second edition of Immigrant Tales to hear Namah's story firsthand. 

Welcome to the first episode of Immigrant Tales, a new subseries of Model Minority: Uniquely American!
Chu May Paing is a PhD student and Burmese immigrant who first came to the United States through a visa lottery ticket. Despite having all her immigration papers and status in line, she found herself facing a multitude of barriers when she tried to find employment in the United States, with discrimination coming from both within and outside of the Asian community.

Media. Film. TV Representation. 

For the model minority community, where do WE fit in?

Model Minorities in media is an issue of more than just “not enough representation.” For some of us, it’s about bad representation too. It’s about how our countries are depicted, how we are seen in society, and the duality it causes between who we are construed to be, and what we really are. And, it seems we’ve always ended up, just one jump ahead of the punchline, or sometimes, as the punchline itself.
I’m Nidhi Shastri and this is Model Minority, Uniquely American.

In this episode, we discuss the issue of media representation with the case study of Apu and Disney Channel's usage of Desi characters. We look at how East Asians are often equated to whiteness in films such as "Get Out." We also examine cultural appropriation in the context of Japanese culture and anime, and then talk about the "yellow filter" placed on African, South Asian, and Southeast Asian countries.

COVID-19 spread quickly, but not as quick as the racial discrimination Asians have faced with its arrival. In addition to this, the wealthiest nation in the world — the U.S. — has seen its healthcare system crumble under the demands caused by COVID-19, leading more Americans to speak up about how long the nation has been living in sickness even before the pandemic.

In this episode, first, we uncover some stats and hear some stories from people who were affected by the anti-Asian rhetoric plaguing the country. Then, we speak with some medical professionals about how the U.S. Healthcare system is broken, how the cost of that falls on Asians and other minorities, and what it will take to fix it for all of us.

Join Model Minority: Uniquely American and Project Voice this week for a very special collaboration: Enigma - The Political Lives of Asian Americans! 

In this episode, we explore reflections on why the political lives of Asian Americans are... somewhat of an enigma, or puzzle. We examine the ways in which Asians are left out of the political narrative, and how we can work to ensure we aren't simply pandered to with no benefit, or sometimes even fully left out of our country's political decisions. 

The Model Minority Myth is often used to wedge Asian Americans between Black and White America. In this episode, we explore how that is a problematic ideology, and why we need a new approach to understanding race. We also address how African immigrants are wedged between racial groups in the same way.

This episode features Mo Sibyl - a fellow podcaster - and Jason Chu - and Asian American rapper. Furthermore, we look to LA Race Riots as an example of racial tensions between Blacks and Asians, and try to see what we can learn. I'm Nidhi Shastri, and this is Model Minority: Uniquely American.  The intro clip is from an interview done by Asian American activist Grace Lee Boggs.

In the second half of this episode, we explore some excerpts of stories of struggle, adversity, and resilience in our community. We also dive into the stats of ways in which Middle Eastern, African, and other parts of the model minority diaspora face economic oppression.

I'm Nidhi Shastri, and this is Model Minority: Uniquely American. If you liked what I do and want to support, you can find me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/modelminority. Thank you/shukriya for listening!

We've all heard the idea that ALL Asians/ Model Minorities are wealthy and economically well off in America. But, if we dig into the stats and stories of our community, how much of that ideology is actually true? And for those who DO make it, at what cost is success? 

What gave Asians the nickname, "the invisible minorities?"  Hi, I'm Nidhi Shastri, and in this episode, I dig into how the Asian demographic got this name and the factors within the model minority myth that erase us in the larger American narrative. Come join me in exploring how factors such as the black and white binary, the U.S. Census, and immigration patterns have led to us being named, the Invisibles. As always, shukriya for listening, and I'm glad to have you here! 

Welcome to Model Minority: Uniquely American! I'm your host, Nidhi Shastri, thanks for being here. In today's episode, we're exploring what exactly it means to be a "model minority," and the baggage that comes with it. All music is from the CC creative commons, and the theme song Cafe Connection is by MorganTj.