Asians in the Film Industry, Filmmaking and Art During COVID-19, Mental Health in the AAPI Community with Actress and Filmwriter Yanzi Ding

With midterm elections around the corner, Brad Jenkins discusses how Asian Americans are the margin of victory for Democrats and how to support AAPI candidates for office. Brad and Nancy also discuss Brad's unique career path from working in a hedge fund to serving in the Obama administration to becoming a producer.

About Brad:

AAPI Victory Fund President and Enfranchisement CEO and Founder Brad Jenkins spent four years serving as President Obama’s Associate Director in The White House Office of Public Engagement. From The White House, Jenkins brought together creative executives, thought leaders, and some of the world’s biggest stars to advance the President’s agenda—culminating in the Emmy-award winning “Between Two Ferns” interview on the Affordable Care Act. Jenkins then joined Will Ferrell’s Funny Or Die as Managing Director and Executive Producer running Funny Or Die D.C. Since then, Jenkins has produced over 70 social impact campaigns, documentaries, specials, and events with organizations, companies, PACs, IEs, and foundations with a particular focus on the Asian American Pacific Islander community.

Brad Jenkins: Twitter, Instagram
AAPI Victory Fund: Website
Buzzsprout Affiliate Link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1257539

Host, Nancy Wu: Website, Instagram, Twitter

Welcome to Progressive Opinions of Color (POC), a podcast that creates space for people of color in conversations about economics, politics, and culture. The goal of this podcast is to engage the state of the economy, and other pressing topics in politics, economics, and culture, all through perspectives inclusive of the lived experiences of people of color. Whether you're new to politics or already a huge politics nerd, we hope this podcast inspires community and conversation among us. Join us in reimagining politics and economics with underrepresented voices.

Support the show

We're kicking off AAPI Heritage Month with Linh Nguyen, Senior Advisor for RUN AAPI.

We talk about being the only Asian women at the table in politics, how to get more AAPI Gen Z to get excited about and involved in politics, the importance of AAPI representation in politics, and how to better serve the Asian American community in politics. We even discuss results from one of the first, if not only, surveys on AAPI Gen Z and how they feel about the political climate and asian representation.

About Linh:
Linh Nguyen is a Senior Advisor for RUN AAPI and a Senior Advisor for Beto O’Rourke’s campaign for Governor in Texas. Linh has extensive political electoral experience, specializing in outreach strategy to young voters, Asian-Pacific Islanders, and communities of color. 

Linh joined the Democratic Party of Georgia as their AAPI Coalition Director for the 2021 Senate runoff elections. She rounded out the election cycle with the Presidential Inaugural Committee’s Office of Public Engagement to welcome the Biden-Harris administration where she consulted on creative programming with community partners. Linh also consulted on AAPI engagement in disaster relief and public health emergencies for Governor Newsom’s Office of Emergency Services. She spent the 2020 presidential year with Sen. Cory Booker and was the Political Director for #TheNew campaign: a creative collaboration between RUN AAPI and Meena Harris’s Phenomenal Woman.

Linh Nguyen: Twitter
Run AAPI: Website
Buzzsprout Affiliate Link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1257539

Host, Nancy Wu: Website, Instagram, Twitter

Welcome to Progressive Opinions of Color (POC), a podcast that creates space for people of color in conversations about economics, politics, and culture. The goal of this podcast is to engage the state of the economy, and other pressing topics in politics, economics, and culture, all through perspectives inclusive of the lived experiences of people of color. Whether you're new to politics or already a huge politics nerd, we hope this podcast inspires community and conversation among us. Join us in reimagining politics and economics with underrepresented voices.

Support the show

Today’s guest is Shan Wu. As a former federal prosecutor, nationally known criminal and student defense lawyer, and frequent guest on CNN and other news outlets, Shan is regularly called on to explore political and legal topics, ranging from election and impeachment questions to high-profile Title IX cases. 

We discuss: 
-The spike in hate crimes against AAPI folks

-What is the legal definition of a hate crime and why hate crimes are underreported

-The affirmative action case at Harvard

-The nomination of Judge Kentanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court; the value of Judge’s experience as a public defender; Biden’s promise to nominate the first Black women to the Supreme Court.

-Justice Breyer’s hesitancy to retire and viewing the Supreme Court as an apolitical institution

-Shan’s own career development, life story, and becoming a spokesperson for AAPI folks

Shanlon Wu: Twitter
Buzzsprout Link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1257539

Host, Nancy Wu: Website, Instagram, Twitter

Welcome to Progressive Opinions of Color (POC), a podcast that creates space for people of color in conversations about economics, politics, and culture. The goal of this podcast is to engage the state of the economy, and other pressing topics in politics, economics, and culture, all through perspectives inclusive of the lived experiences of people of color. Whether you're new to politics or already a huge politics nerd, we hope this podcast inspires community and conversation among us. Join us in reimagining politics and economics with underrepresented voices.

The Alliance for Youth Organizing, released the full results of their first National Youth Survey of 2022 (that was just covered in TIME). This survey takes a look at how young voters from across the political spectrum feel about the future of the country, what policies the Biden Administration should prioritize, how they plan to be civically engaged this year leading up to the midterm elections, and more. 

The survey of registered voters aged 17-39 was conducted between January 2-6, 2022. Here are some key highlights of the survey findings:

1. The majority of all young voters feel pessimistic about the future of the country and have a negative view of national political figures and Congress as a whole
2. No national politicians or parties in the U.S. Congress are viewed positively by most young people in America.
3. Young people perceive that political leaders are not prioritizing their interests
4. Youth voters are sticking to their demands on policy priorities
5. Majority of young people approve of Biden Administration’s decision to extend the pause on student loan payments and support student loan debt forgiveness 

Increasingly influential with each passing election, youth voters will be a decisive electoral force this November.

Host, Nancy Wu: Website, Instagram, Twitter

Welcome to Progressive Opinions of Color (POC), a podcast that creates space for people of color in conversations about economics, politics, and culture. The goal of this podcast is to engage the state of the economy, and other pressing topics in politics, economics, and culture, all through perspectives inclusive of the lived experiences of people of color. Whether you're new to politics or already a huge politics nerd, we hope this podcast inspires community and conversation among us. Join us in reimagining politics and economics with underrepresented voices.

Nancy speaks with Mila Atmos about being a citizen change maker and making your voice heard, voting close to home, engaging in civic action on your terms, forming an ideal democracy, and more. 

About Mila
Mila Atmos fiercely believes in the power of individuals to shape our society, and to cultivate and protect American Democracy. On her podcast, Future Hindsight, Mila aims to spark civic engagement through in-depth conversations with citizen changemakers. Mila combines life experiences from living in multiple cultures ranging from Indonesia to Germany to the rural U.S. with her knowledge base in history, economics, and international affairs (B.A. & M.I.A. Columbia University) to effect positive change. She is deeply curious about the way our society works, and the ways in which an individual can make a difference.

Mentioned in Episode

1. Joe Hartigan, the retired firefighter who advocated for the Far Rockaway ferry service: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/future-hindsight/id1334328470?i=1000403564869

2. Bradford Fitch, on speaking with your elected member of Congress

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/future-hindsight/id1334328470?i=1000439267321

3. Amanda Litman, on voting in, and running for, local and state elections 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/future-hindsight/id1334328470?i=1000533239644

4. Maria Yuan of Issue Voter. Maria created Issue Voter to make civic engagement easy and accessible. 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lasting-civic-engagement-maria-yuan/id1334328470?i=1000497420094

Please follow us on Twitter! Follow me @milaatmos or the show @futur_hindsight

And please listen to and follow Future Hindsight on Apple Podcasts!

Future Hindsight
Mila Atmos
Future Hindsight is a weekly podcast that takes big ideas about civic life and democracy and turns them into action items for everyday people. Host Mila Atmos shares in-depth conversations with citizen changemakers, helping listeners realize the power they have to make real change.

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/future-hindsight/id1334328470

Host, Nancy Wu: Website, Instagram, Twitter
 
Welcome to Progressive Opinions of Color (POC), a podcast that creates space for people of color in conversations about economics, politics, and culture. The goal of this podcast is to engage the state of the economy, and other pressing topics in politics, economics, and culture, all through perspectives inclusive of the lived experiences of people of color. Whether you're new to politics or already a huge politics nerd, we hope this podcast inspires community and conversation among us. Join us in reimagining politics and economics with underrepresented voices.

Nancy is joined with Yiqing Zhao to discuss her career as an actress, filmmaker, and life coach. 

Yiqing Zhao is an award-winning actor, filmmaker, and a certified life coach. Besides her artistic pursuits, she help creatives belong, become, and create the life they want. Before becoming an artist, Yiqing was a medical student in China.

Yiqing's links: https://linktr.ee/yiqingzhao

Nancy: Website, Instagram, Twitter
 
Welcome to Progressive Opinions of Color (POC), a podcast that creates space for people of color in conversations about economics, politics, and culture. Your host is Nancy Wu. Nancy is an Asian American woman, an economist, and a huge politics and policy nerd. Nancy triple majored in Economics, Government (Political Science) and Gender Studies at Dartmouth and has a Master’s in Development Economics from Oxford. She works as an Economist full time and has previously worked in economic policy at the White House (under Obama, of course) and progressive think tanks. 
 
The goal of this podcast is to engage the state of the economy, and other pressing topics in politics, economics, and culture, all through perspectives inclusive of the lived experiences of people of color. Whether you're new to politics or already a huge politics nerd, we hope this podcast inspires community and conversation among us. Join us in reimagining politics and economics with underrepresented voices.

Here's a solo episode where Nancy talks about the recent murder of Christina Yuna Lee and Michelle Go in NYC. How do we move forward and prevent this from happening again outside of the prison industrial complex? Is that even the way to go in the short term? Join us in this rant about being an Asian woman in the United States, the sense of safety going away, and how difficult it is to prove that an act is a "hate crime" but racially motivated regardless.

Nancy: Website, Instagram, Twitter
 
Welcome to Progressive Opinions of Color (POC), a podcast that creates space for people of color in conversations about economics, politics, and culture. Your host is Nancy Wu. Nancy is an Asian American woman, an economist, and a huge politics and policy nerd. Nancy triple majored in Economics, Government (Political Science) and Gender Studies at Dartmouth and has a Master’s in Development Economics from Oxford. She works as an Economist full time and has previously worked in economic policy at the White House (under Obama, of course) and progressive think tanks. 
 
The goal of this podcast is to engage the state of the economy, and other pressing topics in politics, economics, and culture, all through perspectives inclusive of the lived experiences of people of color. Whether you're new to politics or already a huge politics nerd, we hope this podcast inspires community and conversation among us. Join us in reimagining politics and economics with underrepresented voices.

Jarvis Houston, the Organizing and Political Director of Sister District. Jarvis Houston has ten years of advocacy and campaign experience at the local, state, and national levels. He is a lifelong organizer and a proud graduate of Howard University.

With armchair analysts portending a dark upcoming decade for Democrats, Jarvis speaks to a positive outcome of the past elections: the shift in political representation across a country and how the political climate is changing for people of color. 

Election night saw historic wins down ballot for candidates of color: Michelle Wu in Boston, Aftab Pureval in Cincinnati, Eric Adams in New York, and more! These victories are key to progress, but as America continues to shift demographically and Democrats stare down the barrel of the midterms it’s clear: demographics do not dictate electoral wins. Jarvis discusses how recent victories are a major step forward for inclusive representation, and explain what it’s going to take for Democrats to mobilize voters—demographics aside—ahead of midterms.

Nancy: Website, Instagram, Twitter
 
Welcome to Progressive Opinions of Color (POC), a podcast that creates space for people of color in conversations about economics, politics, and culture. Your host is Nancy Wu. Nancy is an Asian American woman, an economist, and a huge politics and policy nerd. Nancy triple majored in Economics, Government (Political Science) and Gender Studies at Dartmouth and has a Master’s in Development Economics from Oxford. She works as an Economist full time and has previously worked in economic policy at the White House (under Obama, of course) and progressive think tanks. 
 
The goal of this podcast is to engage the state of the economy, and other pressing topics in politics, economics, and culture, all through perspectives inclusive of the lived experiences of people of color. Whether you're new to politics or already a huge politics nerd, we hope this podcast inspires community and conversation among us. Join us in reimagining politics and economics with underrepresented voices.

Nancy chats with Sean about his own podcasts, how he transitioned from tech to the creative industry, how tech skills can be transferrable for creative career changes, and more.

Sean is a Sloan MIT MBA, and former PM at Amazon. He currently is trying to write screenplays, actively participates in furthering the mission of the 1990 Institute as a board member and produces Bund to Brooklyn, a podcast on how Asian Americans and Chinese tackle modern issues like identity, mental health, activism and more. (@bundtobrooklyn)

You can follow his photography @sameseanniulook and read his writing @ https://sean-niu.squarespace.com/

Nancy: Website, Instagram, Twitter
 
Welcome to Progressive Opinions of Color (POC), a podcast that creates space for people of color in conversations about economics, politics, and culture. Your host is Nancy Wu. Nancy is an Asian American woman, an economist, and a huge politics and policy nerd. Nancy triple majored in Economics, Government (Political Science) and Gender Studies at Dartmouth and has a Master’s in Development Economics from Oxford. She works as an Economist full time and has previously worked in economic policy at the White House (under Obama, of course) and progressive think tanks. 
 
The goal of this podcast is to engage the state of the economy, and other pressing topics in politics, economics, and culture, all through perspectives inclusive of the lived experiences of people of color. Whether you're new to politics or already a huge politics nerd, we hope this podcast inspires community and conversation among us. Join us in reimagining politics and economics with underrepresented voices.

Nancy chats with Ashish Prashar about his time in prison for a non-violent crime, how the prison industrial complex discriminates against BIPOC, and how to move toward prison reform and abolition.

When you hear Ashish Prashar’s lovely soft spoken British accent, coupled with his intellectual stance on the flawed U.S. prison system, it's really hard to believe he spent an entire year of his life in a dark prison at the young age of 17 for a non-violent crime. 

Sadly, he’s one of thousands of BIPOCs whose lives will forever be impacted by a flawed justice system (minorities rep 80% of those with convictions). Incarceration has a profound effect that reaches far beyond prison itself: Millions of people are needlessly unemployed, underemployed or homeless just because they have a conviction. And did you know more than 75% of jail suicides involve people who had not been convicted of a crime?

But today, Ash is a transformational leader, innovator and justice reform activist who prides himself as the first formerly incarcerated individual to rise from reporter to press secretary for high-ranking politicians, to the c-suite of an iconic company (R/GA). 

Ashish fights the good fight: he’s campaigned for bail reform, ending solitary confinement, and the restoration of voting rights. He sits on the boards of Exodus Transitional Community, Getting Out and Staying Out NYC, Just Leadership USA, Leap Confronting Conflict, the Responsible Business Initiative for Justice. He champion’s R/GA’s second chance hiring programs across its 10+ offices globally. 

You can also check out his contributed articles to CNN, USA Today, Business Insider, Fast Company – all focused on prison advocacy. 

Ashish has a lengthy career in politics as Press Secretary to the former Mayor of London, campaign leader for former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, supported President Joe Biden's 2020 US Presidential Campaign, played an integral part of Obama's 2008 US Presidential Campaign, the 2018 Midterms for a variety of Democrat candidates, and much more).

Nancy: Website, Instagram, Twitter
 
Welcome to Progressive Opinions of Color (POC), a podcast that creates space for people of color in conversations about economics, politics, and culture. Your host is Nancy Wu. Nancy is an Asian American woman, an economist, and a huge politics and policy nerd. Nancy triple majored in Economics, Government (Political Science) and Gender Studies at Dartmouth and has a Master’s in Development Economics from Oxford. She works as an Economist full time and has previously worked in economic policy at the White House (under Obama, of course) and progressive think tanks. 
 
The goal of this podcast is to engage the state of the economy, and other pressing topics in politics, economics, and culture, all through perspectives inclusive of the lived experiences of people of color. Whether you're new to politics or already a huge politics nerd, we hope this podcast inspires community and conversation among us. Join us in reimagining politics and economics with under