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Support AAPI owned Bookstores

 

Fam, will all this talk of stoping Asian Hate, what I’d like to do is implore you to support these Aapi owned bookstores in the US and beyond. Most of them are in actual brick and mortar locations but some are online. See the Libro.fm list for those.
These lists were compiled by We Need Diverse Books, KiBooka, the Asian Author Alliance, and Libro.fm. Big shout out to them for taking the time to make these because I bet there are more out there. If you haven’t supported a n organization that supports Aapi through advocacy and organizing then hit up these bookstores. They will have an amazing selection of Aapi stories to share as gifts, to learn from, etc. And they can order other books.
People are still out here attacking AAPI women and elders and I need you as a reader to get involved in some way either by supporting aapi businesses or backing organizations. Peace!

May 6, 2021
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Kindred Journey 38 – Priya Handa

Bay Area born and bred I can tell Priya Handa is one of those life long artists, a scorpio, lover of good music, ice cream, and justice. As a muralist she has worked with Precita Eyes in SF, the Community Rejuvenation Project (CRP), Twin Walls Crew, the Zapatistas, Trust Your Struggle Collective, and the Bay Area Mural Festival. She has painted nationally and internationally traveling as far as Mexico and Palestine. She is a tattoo artist and an illustrator who works both big and small, aerosol, ink, acrylic, watercolor, and needle. She is an activist making work supporting Black Lives, Sex workers, Farmers in India, the Navajo nation, the military complex, and police brutality. And she is a child of South Asian immigrants (Punjab in India).

The first time I met Priya she had paint/gear in her hands and she came through as we (TYS) were working on a wall for Reem’s California in Oakland in 2017 just to help. The last time I saw her she brought a painting she knocked out for elder Emory Douglas of his art for the “Love and Protect: Chinatown Black & Asian solidarity mural project”. Both times her skill, humbleness, and generosity spoke for itself. Although I’m still getting to know her I implore you to follow and support her work now. She’s a hard working rising star and deserves all the shine.  Follow her on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/eightbirdz/

Sources: https://crpbayarea.org/meet-the-muralist-priya-handa/, http://www.puttpunjabi.com, Asian American Women Artists Association

Did you catch the piece of Maya Lin?

Last year I focused on Aapi musicians and this year I’m focusing on artists. If you’re new to this, “Kindred Journey” is a serious of paintings I’ve done of prominent and lesser known Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders since 2016. You can find a gallery of all past paintings here.

Fellow artists! May is #asianamericanheritagemonth and I invite you to paint, collage, or draw amazing folks for the month of May. Well known folks of course, but def the lesser known people, places, movements, organizations, etc. I limit my color palette to 💜💚, I use watercolor, do 12-24 posts, and I try to share a short bio of ea subject. I Use the hashtag #apahm #asianamericanheritagemonth and I call my series #kindredjourney but get down for yours, name it whatever u like, and share so errybody can learn more abt our folks-especially NOW!
💚To my everyday folks -feel free to join by sharing photos or art abt folks too, just make sure to credit the creators of the images and ask permission wherever possible before posting.
💜Last yr my focus was on musicians. This yr it will be on artists. What specific area of #aapi history do u love? Djs, South Asians, activists, special fx artists, blasians, entrepreneurs, actors, wrestlers? Get busy!

May 5, 2021
in General, Kindred Journey
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#StopAsianHate

Did these letters as an art offering. Please feel free to share.
These hand styles/ letters are a response to the recent attacks in GA, the past yr of attacks against Aapi which have risen 150%, and the historic racism against the Asian American community in the US
Action steps: What can you do?
1. Have u supported orgs that uplift the Aapi community? Start w/the GA families and organizers by following and donating to Advancing Justice Atl
2. Are u willing to Speak up and speak out? Whether you think your followers and friends will give AF, speaking out is a muscle. Let folks know where u stand and engage the comments.
3. Can you uplift Asian American storytellers, artists, musicians, journalists, etc in telling our very unique, specific, diverse, and varied stories? Do this in kid books, film , video games, animation, etc 
4. Can u help dismantle white supremacy and patriarchy by studying them and talking to your kids, fellow co-workers, students, friends, folks about it? The personal is political.
5. Thank you for showing solidarity and showing up.
Here’s a piece I did last year showing AAPI support for Black Lives.

 

March 18, 2021
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Blasian Sticker!

Yo! Super excited to make and share this with you. This is a term I’ve heard used for at least 10 years to describe an esthetic, couples, children, and people. “BLASIAN” or “Black” and “Asian” to me represents families and people who share both Asian and Black heritage. They could be specifically North American, but I believe the term could apply internationally to these mixed kids. Being a mixed kid myself (Black, Korean, Mexican, Apache) I identify with this term and hope you can share it with others you feel would love it.

If you’d like to get one COP IT HERE.

Stay tuned for more and please check out my Self Care stickers if you missed em.

July 30, 2020
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Kindred Journey 37 – A4BL

I remember beaming with happiness and pride when I saw a group of young Asian Americans chain themselves to a building( Police Dept)  to protest. They were bold and I remember thinking “that’s what I’m talking about”. Showing up and showing out with direct action. That group was A4BL or Asians 4 Black Lives, in support of Black activists and Black folks being murdered by cops. This was shortly after Mike Brown was killed. After Oscar, Rekia, Tamir, Tyisha, and Trayvon. Anyway, I won’t get into the history. I’ve pasted their statement below. To all my young Aapi’s this month I just wanted to share this with you if you didn’t know. Solidarity exists. Happy Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage month. Fuck the police. 
We stand on the doorstep of the Oakland Police Department today as a group of Asians putting our bodies on the line in response to a national call to shut down institutions that perpetrate the war on Black people.  It is unacceptable that every 28 hours a Black person is killed by the police, security or vigilantes.
As Asians, we recognize the ways in which we’ve been used historically to prop up the anti-Black racism that allows this violence to occur. We are an extremely diverse community.  Some of us have been targeted, profiled, and killed by U.S. government institutions.  Many of us came to the U.S. as a result of the devastation and displacement caused by the US military and its “partners” in Asia, only to find a country uses police to devastate and displace black communities.  However, we also recognize the relative privilege that many of us carry as Asians living in the US. 
Many of our Asian brothers and sisters around the country have made powerful statements in support of ending the war on Black people and shown up to protests.  We hope that Asian communities will join us in reflecting on and continuing to practice an intentional Black-Asian solidarity, as we work toward the vision offered by organizers in Ferguson:
Source: https://a4bl.tumblr.com/

Did you catch the last one of Rocky Rivera?
Did you see this one of Bambu?

June 1, 2020
in General, Kindred Journey
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Kindred Journey 36 – Rocky Rivera

The majority of my community knows this phenomenal artist, but let me give you a little backstory if you’re unfamiliar. Rocky started her music career officially in the mid 2000’s as one fourth of the group “Rhapsodistas”, then the release of her mixtape “Married to the Hustle”. Since 2008 she’s released a consistent catalogue of EPs, features, mixtapes with DJ Roza, and three full length albums; most recently “Rocky’s Revenge”. Born in the Philippines she came to the US as a child. She and her two sisters gravitated heavily to hip hop. She grew up in the San Francisco, specifically the Excelsior district. A student of journalism Rock has written for publications such as XXL, The Source, Ruckus, and was featured as part of MTV’s “I’m From Rolling Stone” show where she wrote and covered hip hop stories for the magazine. Always a sharp thinker you can hear subjects ranging from religion, colorism, Pinay pride, Filipin@ history, guerilla warfare, revolutionary politics, and feminism to mob music, gold grills, knocking sound systems, and motherhood. Besides being a fierce MC that will rip any rapper and write a rhyme from multiple vantages of a story, she is a super down to earth person who lives what she spits. On any given day you could catch her rocking a show, working with youth, writing a book, attending a protest, organizing, rocking some fly fashion, or just raising her kids with her partner. As someone who always uplifts other women you’ll often see her praising other women too. She is a pioneer that is paving a way and giving other young artists a voice to truly believe in and be inspired by. Ok, please go bump her music, follow, and be a part of new music and writing as a Patreon supporter.
Fav Song: GRLGNG
Sources: Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner, HypeBae, East Bay Express, El Tecolote, Beatrock Music
Did you catch the last one of Deb Never?


May 29, 2020
in General, Kindred Journey
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Kindred Journey 30 – Mndsgn

Respect to this cat Mndsgn who makes some incredible beats and compositions. Originally a Bboy from New Jersey, he bounced around a bit before landing in LA where he fit right in with the growing scene of musicians making instrumental music. To me his music sounds funky, gritty, dream like, and warm depending on which of his projects I’m listening to. To date he has released 18 projects ranging from full length albums, to mixtapes, and EPs. Mndsgn has worked with Fatima, Danny Brown, Ivan Ave, Joyce Wrice, Asal Hazel, and more. In addition to putting out incredible music he is also a part of the crew “Klipmode” with Knxledge, Suzi Analogue, and Deron Who. He is also a part of the group “Vivians” and has his own record label releasing new artists with partner Alima. If you’re not familiar with his music, follow him and give his sound a knock.
Sources: Huff Post, The Hundreds, Stonesthrow
Fav Song: Txt (Msgs)

LIKE THIS? Did you see the one I did of Ameriie or The Invisible Skratch Piklz? 

May 9, 2020
in General, Kindred Journey
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Kindred Journey 29 – Kat 010

I first came across Kat “010” Ouano as part of the Crown City Rockers and have followed bits of her path since. Kat is the youngest of 6 kids originally from Wichita Kansas she started to play the piano at the age of 6. She attended the famed Berkelee College of music in Boston where I believe she met up with some of the members of Crown City and would eventually make her way out to the Bay Area where the crew rocked for clubs and shows steadily. I love Kat’s style of keys. Her sound changes, flows, drifts, and morphs from one feeling to the next. It is soulful, funky, and ethereal. Kat has released two full length albums “Natural Phenomenoms” and “On The Cusp”. As KI mentioned, she was a founding member of Crown City Rockers and has been a part of several ensembles such as GreenStone Project and The Femme Deadly Venoms. She has recorded with or produced for tons of musicians such as The People Under The Stairs, Blackalicious, Destani Wolf, Lyrics Born, Lateef, DJ Zeph, Raashan Ahmad, and Headnodic. Residing now in Hawaii Kat is still playing, teaching, and raising a family. If you’re not up on her, follow her and/or sound go take a listen and support if you can. And if you’re an MC or vocalist looking for production, hit her up. Her moog, rhodes, synths, and keys add levels!!!

Sources: Wide Hive, Greenstone, Scholastic Art & Writing
Fav Song: On the cusp

Did you see the last one? Check out H.E.R.

I once did a typography piece inspired by Kat too – Here

May 7, 2020
in General, Kindred Journey
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