Dear Meteor readers,

If you’re feeling like I’m feeling, then you are probably worried, confused, exhausted, and maybe a little hopeful. Why hopeful? Because people are righteously pissed off about the possibility of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and that anger gives me hope.

It’s currently Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month and I’ve been reflecting a lot about what it means to be an Asian American feminist—about how I can’t separate being a woman from being a person of color. And about how having access to reproductive health care has allowed me to live a full and self-determined life—despite the many obstacles my family had to overcome to survive in this country.

One month is never enough time but for AAPIHM, I take the opportunity to reflect on the incredible leaders, thinkers, and members of our community who push us to figure out how to be a collective despite our complicated and diverging lives.

I think of the inimitable Grace Lee Boggs, who taught us about intersectional organizing through her commitment to the American civil rights movement. I think about the great Yuri Kochiyama, who was radicalized after her father was detained at a Japanese internment camp and dedicated her life to social justice. I think about the legends we live amongst today, leaders of my generation like Ai-jen Poo and Vanita Gupta.

I also think about the many, many workers, shopkeepers, taxi drivers, nail technicians, housekeepers, caretakers, doctors, engineers, lawyers, and accountants—the people who keep our country moving and our lives running.

And, most personally, I think about the people who taught me that my voice matters—our culture-makers and creators—Padma Lakshmi, Jhumpa Lahiri, Amy Tan, Alexander Chee, Celeste Ng, Ocean Vuong and so many more. They’ve expanded public consciousness about the multifaceted experiences and identities of Asian people, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders.

In today’s newsletter, in honor of AAPIHM, we are excited to share with you a conversation with the award-winning author of Free Food for Millionaires and Pachinko, Min Jin Lee. In light of high rates of AAPI violence, she talks to Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated actor, author, and director Amber Tamblyn.

Their conversation made me think of a quote from Grace Lee Boggs that I often come back to: “Love isn’t about what we did yesterday; it’s about what we do today and tomorrow and the day after.”

But before we get to the goods, first—the news.

In love and solidarity,

Samhita Mukhopadhyay

WHAT’S GOING ON

Schumer is right??? I rarely type these words, but Senator Chuck Schumer is giving me hope. Today the U.S. Senate is scheduled to vote on a bill that would codify the right to abortion, a move that could render the upcoming SCOTUS decision on Dobbs v Mississippi Women’s Health Center toothless. In discussing the bill Schumer stated the obvious, for those who haven’t gotten the memo, “It’s a woman’s right. Plain and simple.” Yas, Chuck! The prediction is that the vote is doomed, so why the big push now? With the mid-terms around the corner—seems like a *great* time for voters to see exactly who is and isn’t willing to stand up for abortion rights. So if you don’t like what’s happening in your state, here’s a handy calendar of all the upcoming primaries.

Sweet Home Alabama (but only if you’re cis and straight): As of May 8th, providing gender-affirming care to trans youth is a felony in Alabama. The newly created Alabama Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act prevents doctors from prescribing hormones and puberty blockers to patients under 19. Doctors found violating the law could face up to 10 years in prison. So let’s all just stop dancing around this issue and call it by its name: this is a war on trans youth—the Alabama state legislature would rather deny them their right to exist than allow trans youth to make decisions about their own bodies.

The ladies doth protest too much: In the days since The Leak, protestors have gathered outside the homes of Justices Kavanaugh, Roberts, and Alito to alert these clueless men about what’s at stake if they move forward with overturning Roe. Kavanaugh and Roberts complained that their private spaces had been violated, and in response, the Senate approved extra security for the Justices. You know what else is a private space? My uterus. Would be a shame if a bunch of people in robes who never met me just showed up out of nowhere and told me I couldn’t decide how things go in my private space. Oh, wait…

A PEACEFUL VISIT TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF AN APPOINTED GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL (PHOTO BY KEVIN DIETSCH VIA GETTY IMAGES)

AND:

• If you haven’t heard already, there is a BABY FORMULA SHORTAGE IN THE UNITED STATES! I feel like we need to be panicking more about this.

• BLM leader Patrisse Cullors has some regrets about how the organization was run, but still claims that there was no mishandling of donations by leadership.

• “Bitch wasn’t just a publication—it was an identity marker.”

• Naomi Osaka is starting her own sports agency!!

LOVE AND WAR 

Min Jin Lee on Justice for Asian Americans

The author talks to Amber Tamblyn about survival, joy, and the old stereotypes that still linger. 

MIN JIN LEE AT THE JUSTICE FOR ASIAN WOMEN RALLY IN NEW YORK (PHOTO BY TAYFUN COSKUN VIA GETTY IMAGES) 

Min Jin Lee has been sounding the alarm on the startling rise of anti-Asian violence for the last few years. And the award-winning author has been unapologetically “extra Asian” lately. In March of this year, on the one-year anniversary of the tragic shooting at a spa in Atlanta where eight people (six of them Asian women) were killed, Lee helped organize a nationwide #BreaktheSilence action demanding justice for Asian women. Through tears, she addressed the rally in Times Square: ”We have read the data, but I want to know how you are doing in light of such dismal and terrifying hate?”

The data paints a grim picture: the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism found that anti-Asian hate crimes were up 339% in 2021. In light of these startling statistics, actor, writer, activist, and Meteor founding member Amber Tamblyn wanted to hear from Lee—and understand how non-Asians can be allies. They sat down to talk about anti-Asian violence, movement-building, and what it means to create a culture of “grace.”

Amber: I’ve seen [the work] you’re doing to expose racism and violence—which is permeating both our culture and literally our streets, against Asian American elders. And I wonder if you would just talk a little bit about that and your experience fighting to bring more awareness to the violence that is happening in your community right now?

Min Jin: I think that is one of the reasons why I am speaking so consistently about the insult and the assault and the murders of Asians and Asian Americans in this country right now. There’s been an upsurge of such violence in the past several years, especially in light of the Trump administration. However, this kind of discrimination and exclusion has been happening, even by the state, ever since Asians and Asian Americans have been in this country.

Amber: I’ve read that the Asian American community in the US is one of the least likely communities to report violence and to report these assaults. And I was shocked by that statistic, but I [realize] it’s not so simple, [because] of the complicated relationship our country has with its police force.

Min Jin: There are so many, many poor immigrants in this country who are terrified of speaking up for fear of affecting their immigration status, for fear of affecting their jobs. And [many] even think that they don’t have the right to complain. They come from countries in which political persecution is so commonplace. [So] very often the victims won’t come forward for fear of persecution—and the persecution may not exist, but in their minds, it’s quite present.

One of the things I’m trying to do is to bring greater awareness [and] talk about it when I can. I’m asking the media to please pay attention to this situation. Part of it is representation, and part of it is telling the truth about how the economic disparity in our community is so, so wide. We have the poorest people in America, and we have some of the wealthiest people in America. So the idea [that] all Asian Americans are wealthy and educated is so completely, statistically, factually untrue. And if I could bring that to bear, then maybe I’ve done a little bit of truth-telling.

PROTESTORS IN GEORGIA SHORTLY AFTER EIGHT PEOPLE WERE KILLED IN ATTACKS ON SPAS IN ATLANTA. (PHOTO BY MEGAN VARNER VIA GETTY IMAGES) 

Amber: Watching the work that you have created in the last couple of years—both as a writer and a researcher, at the nexus of thrilling storytelling and unearthing these really hard truths—has been pretty profound. This is where, in my mind, for women, it’s not really a luxury to write about these things: This is not a hobby; this is an act of survival. How do you feel about that statement?

Min Jin: I think the word “survival” is so important because right now we are seeing girls and women under threat—especially poor girls and poor women, and that cuts across race, and it cuts across boundaries, and regions. We’re seeing political actors trying so hard to destroy the lives of girls and women. And I guess that’s the reason why I feel rather impassioned to make sure that our alliances get stronger, not [made] weaker by minor differences that we can definitely talk out.

Amber: I love that so much. And I needed to hear that because it has been a hard couple of years, as it has been for everybody. Obviously, I’ve dealt with my own feelings about the movement-building process and activist spaces that feel like we’re just ripping each other apart without the context of nuance and how difficult this work is. There is a world out there that just wants us not to exist and not to thrive. And also on a deeper, sadder level, not to love each other.

What you just said reminded me of this episode [of the On Being podcast] I just listened to [featuring] my friends Tarana Burke and Ai-jen Poo. And there’s a thing that Tarana said: “I don’t think we can have movements that have liberation politics that don’t have a politic of grace.”

Min Jin: Amen. It should be exactly as Tarana Burke said, a “liberation ethic,” because it’s not just me getting whatever men get. It’s actually for all of us to be free to be who we’re supposed to be. And that’s a very revolutionary point of view.

PROTEST IN NEW YORK CITY AFTER THE MURDER OF CHRISTINA YUNA LEE. (PHOTO BY MICHAEL M. SANTIAGO VIA GETTY IMAGES) 

Amber Tamblyn: What I’ve learned is, in any [movement] work, there’s a very delicate balance between honoring the wisdom and experience of your elders, and also breaking free of that to find what is important and needed in the current culture and climate.

Min Jin: Well, it’s funny, I’m 53 years old. I’m the middle girl of three girls in my family. My mother always worked and she earned money for our family, which was important. But then also I felt that our father really supported our full capacity as young women. So very often people talk about the patriarchy of East Asian Confucian cultures, and obviously, true. But my father— because he has three girls—I think he ended up feeling like, yes, I want you to be able to cook well. Which is obviously sexist. And yet, he also felt like you should be able to do whatever you want to do because my girls are the best.

He used to say, “Oh, if a boy doesn’t want to marry you or date you because you’re smart and you’re educated, know this: He will have dumb children.”

Amber: Oh shit. That’s amazing.

Min Jin: Right? But my dad said that! I grew up in a very feminist household. So I’m always surprised when people say things about Asians and Asian Americans being sexist, because I’m like, “Well, that wasn’t my experience.”

Amber: That brings me to my [last] question that I wanted to ask you personally, but also for anyone reading this interview who’s also upset and outraged by [the rise of anti-Asian violence]. What is a very simple way to be more involved, to be more engaged?

Min Jin: The Alliance is an organization that supports victims [of anti-Asian violence] who wish to come forward. If they don’t have money for a lawyer, they have all these pro bono lawyers who are willing to do it. But very often the victims will not come forward. I think that you understand this very well as somebody who cares about the Me Too movement, [but] very often Asians and Asian-Americans are not believed. So, first of all, can you believe it when someone tells you, I’m afraid to take the subway, I’m afraid to walk down the street because somebody might attack me in a poor neighborhood? Secondly, find the [political] candidates who care about the core of your community.

The third thing is really simple: Sometimes, if you feel like it, you could offer to walk your friend somewhere. Sometimes it is a matter of reaching out, talking to the person who feels deeply ignored, [and] making him, or her, or them visible in your life. There are moments in recognition that we can give to each other, which can build a world and counteract all that cruelty.

Amber: I love that. What gives you hope about the future?

Min Jin: Well, I’m a mother and I’m a professor of young people, so the next generation obviously gives me hope. And what also gives me hope is that I come from a long history of women who are fighting for good things. And it’s so important to understand that we’re not alone in this. For me, I keep thinking about how many beautiful friendships I have found in the movement, [and] how many people I really adore, whose laughter I speak to when I’m having a hard time. Having a shared, common purpose is a wonderful way to build friendships. So that gives me a lot of hope.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

THERE’S STILL TIME! 

Did you miss the live stream of 22 for ’22: Visions For a Feminist Future? We’ve got you covered! The full show is still available to watch whenever you need an energetic boost of hope or if you just want to bask in the glory that was Chris Smalls’ stunning pink outfit. You can watch the whole show here!