Modern Minorities – Details, episodes & analysis

“Even though this is a book about snake girls and lizard boys — it's about universal experiences: we can't change what's happening, but you never know when being kind will change somebody else. ,” Jonathan Hill’s an award-winning cartoonist, illustrator, and educator in Portland, Oregon — and a returning guest - to celebrate the launch of his latest graphic novel: “Lizard Boy 2: The Most Perfect Summer Ever.” While the sci-fi title might have you scratching your head, this YA sequel is actually a beautiful, compelling story of self-acceptance, community, and family — we can’t recommend it enough for parents and kids alike, as well as it’s prequel “Tales of a Seventh-Grade Lizard Boy.” Jonathan is HALF Vietnamese American - and while the story is about an immigrant family, community acceptance, and belonging - Jonathan’s work, his characters and their journey are important for all of us to be reading at this particular moment in our nation.  Jonathan’s work has been published by Walker Books, First Second, and Oni Press - and featured at ABC New Voices, YALSA and JLG selections, and won awards like the 2012 Carla Cohen Free Speech Award, the 2021 Believer Book Award for Graphic Literature, and the 2022 Junior Library Guild Selection. Jonathan’s also an accomplished cartoonist with clients like Microsoft, the Portland Trailblazers, the Viet Nam Literature Project, the Inlander, Fantagraphics Books, Dark Horse Comics, Tor.com, The Believer Magazine, Literary Arts, and Powell's City of Books. AND he’s been the staff illustrator to The Asian Reporter since 2007. Jonathan also teaches comics and visual narrative - having taught at the Pacific Northwest College, the Oregon College of Art and Craft. He graduated as valedictorian from the prestigious Savannah College of Art & Design, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of Literary Arts and chairs the Youth Programs Advisory Council.  Jonathan’s an important voice, creating important work for not just our kids, but for all of us to be learning from — so be sure to check out his work. LEARN MORE oneofthejohns.com/one-of-the-johns instagram.com/oneofthejohns BOOK 1: Tales of a Seventh-Grade Lizard Boy - penguinrandomhouse.com/books/714742/tales-of-a-seventh-grade-lizard-boy-a-graphic-novel-by-jonathan-hill-illustrated-by-jonathan-hill/ BOOK 2: Lizard Boy 2: The Most Perfect Summer Ever - penguinrandomhouse.com/books/774237/lizard-boy-2-the-most-perfect-summer-ever-by-jonathan-hill-illustrated-by-jonathan-hill/9781536216479/ MENTIONS OUR FIRST CHAT (May 2023): podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jonathan-hills-tales-of-belonging/id1507595726?i=1000613932953 COMIC: Speechless: A Graphic Novel (Aron Nels Steinke): goodreads.com/book/show/210563340 MUSIC: Neko Case - https://www.allmusic.com/artist/neko-case-mn0000381371 MUSIC:  Kim Deal’s New Album - https://kimdeal.bandcamp.com/album/nobody-loves-you-more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“They want your immigrant voice — they don't want to hear about me just growing up, even though that's the truth, right? And then I realized I could clearly make a living just performing for my people.” Keith Pedro is a renowned Canadian comedian who has garnered worldwide acclaim through his captivating live performances. In 2022, he was honored with a Juno Award nomination for his Comedy Album, "TRILLIPINO," in the category of Comedy Album of the Year. He has made a name for himself as one of the standout performers on "Roast Battle Canada," earning a Canadian Screen Award nomination for his work on the show. Keith has been recognized by Complex as one of the top Canadian comedians in the industry. His stand-up comedy has been showcased on Kevin Hart's LOL Network, and has made numerous appearances on television, including MTV, CBC, FuseTV, and more. Keith is a regular performer at the Just For Laughs Montreal Comedy Festival and the CBC Halifax and Winnipeg Comedy Festivals. He has also made notable appearances on the hit TV show "Degrassi the Next Generation." Keith's dynamic and versatile comedy style ranges from crowd work to relatable written material, and his live performances are not to be missed. LEARN MORE keithpedro.com/ instagram.com/keithpedro youtube.com/user/keithpedrocomedy tiktok.com/@keith.pedro open.spotify.com/artist/6nDuqILZ3e43OB3Q1sGul9 This conversation was hosted by FrieMMd of the Pod Lisa Angulo Reid —sharing conversations with Filipino and Asian American changemakers. Lisa also happens to be the Co-Founder & CEO of Dear Flor - the first infused gummy with classic Filipino flavors. Learn more @ DearFlor.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Day in and day out, you work with these people — doctors, engineers and developers from India — I felt compelled to tell the story of a diaspora in this broken immigration system.” Vidyut Latay — an award-winning documentary filmmaker - and director of ALIEN: AMERICAN DREAM DENIED - a new documentary (on Amazon Prime) that spotlights the emotional journey of high-skilled, documented immigrants as they seek permanence in a country that benefits from their talent, but denies them a home. Immigration continues to be a hot-button topic in today’s political climate —from H1-Bs to greencards as paths to citizenship — for highly-skilled foreign tech workers — which many of us only have a surface-level understanding of, despite it impacting so many of our friends, family members, coworkers, and neighbors. Raman will be moderating a panel / screening of ALIEN on March 2, 2025 at Ridgefield Library in Connecticut (registration link below).  Vidyut was also director of her debut groundbreaking documentary "Beyond Silence" — which screened on PBS, at film festivals around the world, won awards, was part of UCLA curriculum, and was also invited to the Incloodu Deaf Arts Festival — England’s  first media and arts festival for the hard of hearing. Vidyut’s also worked on award-winning documentaries like  "Waiting for Superman" and "Kailash" and back in India, she was an executive producer for India's premier television networks - Zee TV and Zoom. You’ll enjoy this far-ranging conversation on not just immigration, but how Vidyat meets her calling to address meaningful social issues through documentary filmmaking. LEARN MORE vidyutlatay.com FILM: primevideo.com/detail/Alien-American-Dream-Denied/0POGXJDM96X5YYZ4XQLTB9CR9S SCREENING (3/2): ridgefieldlibrary.librarymarket.com/event/hold-documentary-alien-111504 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“We as women and women of color, are not allowed the same ability and/or grace to mess up, to get angry, to set standards, and that is really where we need to develop. None of us are infallible.” For more than a decade Tanzina Vega’s award-winning journalism has centered on inequality in the United States through the lens of race and gender. From working at the New York Times, WNYC (NPR), and CNN — she’s someone whose work we have followed for years. In the next chapter of her career, Tanzina’s work continues at the intersection of journalism, education ,and outspoken activism. In a candid conversation that goes places we didn’t expect to — we cover not just the journey of Tanzina’s personal and professional life — from growing up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan to working in some of the most influential spaces in media (often with a minority perspective) — but we understand how she approaches and navigates a world that doesn’t always give the grace it should.  LEARN ABOUT TANZINA tanzinavega.com/ twitter.com/tanzinavega muckrack.com/tanzinavega MENTIONS  ​​CNN: Where are you ‘really’ from? Try another question - cnn.com/2017/06/20/opinions/where-are-you-really-from-vega-opinion BOSTON GLOBE: “Musk is taking away people’s power with Twitter” https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/11/14/opinion/musk-is-taking-away-peoples-power-with-twitter/ FORTUNE: Black women and the glass cliff: ‘I was supposed to bring some kind of Black Girl Magic’ - https://fortune.com/2022/11/06/black-women-glass-cliff/ BOOK: We Will Not Cancel Us (Adrienne Maree Brown) https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/55608932-we-will-not-cancel-us PERSON: Oprah or Barack FILM: Bridesmaids (2011): imdb.com/title/tt1478338/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“It's this new normal — because of these vaccines, we can see our family, we can see our friends, and go to company holiday parties.” “It's peace of mind. you just gotta do it.” It’s that time of year again, so we decided to sit down and talk about not just our holiday plans, but everything else going on in life. You know “the new normal” - which is only possible because we’ve gotten our latest COVID vaccines. So our friends at the US Department of Health & Human Services asked us to talk about the importance of getting vaccines this holiday season to make those family gatherings safer and extra special. I mean, how else are you going to have time to have (or share) all that home cooking you’ve been craving? Raman and Sharon also reveal a few other holiday confessions as they get ready to wind down the year... MENTIONS Vaccine.gov Weezer & LA Philharmonic: youtube.com/watch?v=Y7hPgYfXBTk&list=PLkxdFdoCCrLlw_MeYgQvETU0pBsXxrnWO Weezer (not) on Broadway: https://pitchfork.com/news/weezer-cancel-broadway-residency/ BOOK: Fables: kotaku.com/fables-the-kotaku-comic-review-1724740964 FILM: Spirited: imdb.com/title/tt10999120/ This episode is sponsored by the Department of Health & Human Services, who’s encouraging you and your community to make sure you’ve got the latest COVID-19 Vaccines. We can do this, together. Find the latest vaccines near you @ VACCINES.gov Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I would encourage people to think about how we think about risk in our daily lives. We have more risk when we cross the street or drive a car than we do with the COVID vaccine.” Dr. Urvashi Bhatnagar is a healthcare executive whose career spans clinical care, research, and advocacy. She’s also the co-author of the new book “The Sustainability Scorecard: How To Implement And Profit From Unexpected Solutions.” Dr. Urvashi focuses on bringing new and innovative solutions to market that advance access to care, clinical outcomes and affect total cost of care. With a Yale MBA and a Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Boston University, Dr. Urvashi is a Certified Clinical Instructor for DPT students and has served as faculty during the American Congress of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in 2021, and has served as an invited speaker at the United Nations in 2020. And since much to the dismay of our parents, we are still NOT doctors, and much to the dismay of...everyone, we are still in a global pandemic, the US Department of Health & Human Services asked us enroll a healthcare professional — about the importance of getting your latest COVID vaccine as we go into the holiday season. They’re here just in time to make those family gatherings safer and extra special. SO While we definitely had a good chat with Dr. URVASHI about COVID prevention and how it relates to her work and experience every day, we also get to go beyond her day job, for a bit to talk talk about her work in practical, scalable solutions to impact climate change - and what it means for chocolate and gardening - for the uncle and auntie in each of us.. LEARN ABOUT DR. URVASHI SITE: greenovationproject.com BOOK: The Sustainability Scorecard: How to Implement and Profit from Unexpected Solutions - goodreads.com/book/show/56917183-the-sustainability-scorecard SOCIAL: instagram.com/urvi_bhatnagar // twitter.com/urvi_bhatnagar https://medium.com/authority-magazine/urvashi-bhatnagar-5-things-we-must-do-to-inspire-the-next-generation-about-sustainability-and-the-53a1f7e2a580 MENTIONS The American Congress of Rehab Medicine - https://acrm.org/ FILM: Zootopia (2016) imdb.com/title/tt2948356/ PERSON: Scott Galloway - profgalloway.com This episode is sponsored by the Department of Health & Human Services, who’s encouraging you and your community to make sure you’ve got the latest COVID-19 Vaccines. We can do this, together. Find the latest vaccines near you @ VACCINES.gov Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever since we started this show, we've had the privilege of being invited to share our story on other folks’ podcasts. One of those shows is "Rock the Boat " by FrieMMd of the Pod Lucia Liu - who you may have heard once before on our Modern Minorities podcast. way back when in 2020, Lucia flipped the mic on us, allowing us the to share some of our story with her audience. It's funny, listening back on that conversation it's crazy how much parenthood has shaped both Sharon + my perspectives on the world. We hope you'll enjoy it, and be sure to check out some of the amazing conversations Lucia's had on "Rock the Boat" - gorocktheboat.com - wherever you get your favorite podcasts... This episode is sponsored by the Department of Health & Human Services, who’s encouraging you and your community to make sure you’ve got the COVID-19 Vaccine & Booster. We can do this, together. Find vaccines and boosters near you @ VACCINES.gov Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“When I first started, I was the only black person in the company — so I spent the first part of my career conforming." Kevin Turpin is the President of National Journal, a legacy media company for DC Insiders. Under Kevin's leadership, he has transformed the National Journal into an all-encompassing resource for government affairs executives and other policy influencers working in today's landscape. Additionally, Kevin is a member of the Diversity in Government Relations (DGR) Coalition, which actively champions diversity, equity, and inclusion in local, state and federal policymaking. You’ll enjoy this personal chat about growing up from Buffalo to Virginia Beach, and all of the experiences and adventures that have led Kevin to where he is today. For Kevin his open mindset - with a clear lens into diversity really impacts not just the people in his organization and business, but how the National Journal is approaching their partnerships across other companies and government organizations — making an impact on a much bigger level. This episode is sponsored by the Department of Health & Human Services, who’s encouraging you and your community to make sure you’ve got the COVID-19 Vaccine & Booster. We can do this, together. Find vaccines and boosters near you @ VACCINES.gov Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“When you have a question and you go looking for the answer — it's critical to own that journey.” Nidhi Hebbar is a Product Manager at Google, focused on tackling misinformation and promoting media literacy. In her role, Nidhi builds products that help improve information literacy by empowering people to evaluate information for themselves. Nidhi Hebbar is a Product Manager at Google, focused on tackling misinformation and promoting media literacy. In her role, Nidhi builds products that help improve information literacy by empowering people to evaluate information for themselves. A Florida native with Indian heritage, she was struck at a young age by how access to quality education changes the course of your life. Throughout her career, Nidhi has worked in a number of roles at the intersection of education and technology. Her work has served learners from Stockholm, Singapore, India and Kenya. While she was a student at Columbia University, Nidhi co-founded an education nonprofit that taught public speaking and debating skills to young people at underserved schools in New York City. As a Technology Policy Fellow at the Aspen Institute, she co-founded The EdTech Equity Project to address racial bias in education technologies using AI in schools by bringing schools, students, and industry together. This episode is sponsored by the Department of Health & Human Services, who’s encouraging you and your community to make sure you’ve got the COVID-19 Vaccine & Booster. We can do this, together. Find vaccines and boosters near you @ VACCINES.gov Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“This country has always had moments like this — and it's been a lot worse. And if John Lewis and Fannie Lou Hamer can stand up and say ‘I'm going to keep on fighting’ - then who am I to say ‘I'm tired, I can't take it’?” Rotimi Adeoye is an opinion columnist for The Daily Beast, and communications advisor for the American Civil Liberties Union, helping oversee communications strategy for the ACLU’s voting work. Before joining the ACLU, Rotimi worked on Capitol Hill as a Press Secretary to Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-05), Chief Deputy Whip of the House Democratic Caucus. Prior to that, Rotimi worked as an assistant to Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) and a battleground state volunteer on the Obama Campaign in 2012. While in college Rotimi ran the student-led voter registration organization, HWS Votes, that during the 2016 Presidential election earned the distinction of the number one campus nationally, based on students who registered to vote (51.9%). Rotimi currently lives in Washington, D.C. and graduated from Hobart and William Smith Colleges with a degree in Political Science. With an election right around the corner, you’ll enjoy this candid conversation about empathy, listening, not sitting still, and taking action.  LEARN ABOUT ROTIMI  instagram.com/_rotimia /// twitter.com/_rotimia  aclu.org/bio/rotimi-adeoye thedailybeast.com/author/rotimi-adeoye MENTIONS ACLU: The Fight for Voting Rights: How the Past Informs the Current Discriminatory Landscape  Daily Beast: Election Workers Are Under Attack. We Need to Fight for Them FILM: Remember the Titans (2000): imdb.com/title/tt0210945/ PERSON: Giannis Antetokounmpo - wikipedia.org/wiki/Giannis_Antetokounmpo FILM: Rise (2022): imdb.com/title/tt11242162/ This episode is sponsored by the Department of Health & Human Services, who’s encouraging you and your community to make sure you’ve got the COVID-19 Vaccine & Booster. We can do this, together. Find vaccines and boosters near you @ VACCINES.gov Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices