Asian American representation has always been lacking within the media. When Asians are talked about in the news, it often stays within the tropes of the first-generation immigrants and model minorities. However this image is beginning to change with films such as Always be My Maybe on Netflix.
A new podcast, Self-Evident, also aims to retell Asian American narratives that redefine Asian stereotypes. Self-Evident is created and produced by Asian Americans.
This podcast will be hosted by Cathy Erway, author of The Food of Taiwan. The show is created by documentary filmmaker James Boo and UX Consultant Talisa Chang. In an interview with the Columbia Journalism Review, Chang said that the name of the show stemmed from the line in the Declaration of Independence where they are “signaling that Asian American experiences are not somehow separate or different from the American experience.”
According to the podcast’s website, Self-Evident’s mission is to illustrate a deeper, more diverse representation of the vague “Asian American” experience. Their goal is “for our stories, team, contributors, and partnerships to reflect those varied experiences, including those of South Asian, South East Asian, East Asian, Pacific Islander, and multi-ethnic communities.”
The first episode of Self-Evident premiered on May 21, with new weekly-episodes every Tuesday. They are joining the growing number of podcasts centering around minorities and people of color. Other Asian American focused podcast includes Long Distance ( which focuses on Filipino American experiences), Saturday School (which is about Asian American pop culture history) and much more.
Through these stories, hopefully, Asian American children will feel like their stories matter.
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