The Language of Violence #StopAAPIHate
Since the pandemic has started, we have seen a rise in anti-Asian hate crimes all over the U.S. Those in the Asian American community are grappling with their own people being targeted for these hate crimes. In a powerful essay, our volunteer Long looks into the moments where he was personally targeted, his reactions to the rise in the hate crimes, and his journey of moving forward from the language of violence.
Howl's Moving Castle and the Power of Mindset
As we continue to celebrate APIDA Heritage Month, we also want to make sure we recognize May as Mental Health Awareness Month! Our modern society is slowly but surely putting a greater emphasis on nurturing and acknowledging mental health, which is crucial for our APIDA community and its future. Improving your mindset can be one way to improve your mental health. In our volunteer Kristine’s blog, she explores how Studio Ghibli’s “Howl’s Moving Castle” mirrors how the growth and fixed mindsets affect mental health.
Manicure Memoir: Reflecting on the History of Vietnamese Nail Salons
If you want a manicure or pedicure at a nail salon, the salon is most likely Vietnamese-owned. In fact, more than half of nail salons in the United States are run by Vietnamese women and men. And this is not a coincidence. For APIDAHM, our volunteer Mila dives into the history behind Vietnamese nail salons, how the Vietnamese community made an impact on the beauty industry, and what it all means to Mila in terms of her Vietnamese identity.
Kollab Heroes: Max Leung, SF Peace Collective
This month, we will be highlighting various organizations and people and the work they have been doing during the COVID-19 crisis. We also hope to provide you with resources that are available in your community. For our first #KollabHeroes story, we interviewed Max Leyoung, the co-founder of SF Peace Collective and founder of Frisco Cop Watch.
KollabSF Interviews C Pam Zhang, Author of How Much of These Hills Is Gold
Blogger Long Vo interviews author C Pam Zhang for her debut novel, How Much of These Hills is Gold. The story puts two recently orphaned siblings in the middle of the American Gold Rush, vying for a home in the unknown. The novel has been named one of the most anticipated books of 2020 by The Millions, The Week, Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle, receiving stellar reviews from The New York Times and USA Today.
In this profile, they discuss the importance of who gets control of written history, challenge the immigration story and deconstructing grief.
Struggling to Find the Right Answer: Recognizing #APAHM and #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth
KollabSF celebrates #APAHM and recognizes #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth as Creative Blogger Long Vo answers the question “How are you?”
Hepatitis Awareness & Mental Health Awareness Month
May marks a time to celebrate Asian and Pacific Islander American culture and heritage with fellows Americans throughout the country. However, it is also a time to generate conversation and awareness for viral hepatitis and mental health illnesses. Learning more about these illnesses are important to tackling the stigma and discrimination associated with them.
How My Pixie Cut Made Me Understand Asian American Beauty
When it comes to beauty standards, Asian American women face a unique struggle. The standards between Asian and American beauty are distinct from one another and each are often promoted by varying, prominent influences (beauty companies, family, celebrities, etc). In the end, where do Asian American women fall on the spectrum? Are we a blend of these standards? And if that's the case, then are we just a rejection of the beauty ideals of both?
The History of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
This year marks APAHM’s 41st anniversary of its signing as a national celebration in 1978. But the demand for APIs and their heritage to be recognized had a humbling start a few years earlier with the “Asian American Movement,” fostering first in the Bay Area. To know how APAHM came about, we need to first understand the world in the 1960s, its recovery from WWII, and the resulting shift of cultural and political trends.