As we slowly arrive to the end of this unforgettable year, Long reflects in his most recent blog post on the events and personal struggles that transpired during 2020. For him, this year was marked with unanticipated challenges, loss, and despair. And what is most heart-wrenching is how deeply and familiar this pain is for innumerable people. Make sure to read this piece as he tackles the deeper racist and prejudiced behaviors embedded in our society—a reflection sparked by the death of Chadwick Boseman.

Following up from her previous piece about Asian representation in animation, Veronica interviews a Tibetan American activist about the inspiration the original Avatar: The Last Airbender team took from Tibetan culture. Our writer learns more about the dangerous perpetuation of Tibetan stereotypes in media and how everyone can be better allies to Tibetans.

In our latest edition of Desi Innovators, our staff writer Saumya got a chance to interview the CEO of Brown Girl Magazine, Trisha Sakhuja-Walia. The digital media platform was the first of many South Asian focused publications and became well-known for its supportive community of South Asian creatives. Read on to learn more about Sakhuja-Walia's journey to create an inclusive, empowering space for South Asians.

Our writer, Veronica, explores the issues that have long followed Asian representation in animation. She writes about how Disney’s live-action adaptation of Mulan is still problematic for the community, the shortcomings of animated TV shows such as Avatar: The Last Airbender, and why animated films and television across the globe needs to provide better representation for the Asian community.

Meet the women of Khulke, “a podcast for all generations”! Khulke translates to “open” in Hindi. Harpo, Simran, and Nimrat strive to foster open dialogue about a variety of topics that are usually not addressed by the South Asian community. By discussing mental health to women’s health to the Black Lives Matter movement, Khulke strives to bridge the inter generational gap and encourage open conversations within the South Asian community.

Black lives matter. They should have mattered at all times, not just when it comes to upholding their safety against police brutality. It should matter on how we consume art and commerce, it should be embedded in our lives. Here at Kollaboration, “We believe that artistry is one of the most effective and inspiring forms of activism, capable of changing hearts and minds to perceive the world as a more inclusive and harmonious place.” However we as Asian-Americans have our own struggle with how we use our silence, as a protection of being harmed. Throughout history, silence is the ongoing weapon that harms Black community, minimizing their pain and anger. If we Asian-Americans want to share the stage with our Black artists, we have to acknowledge our privileges and be a better ally to Black people.

For our second #KollabHeroes post, we are highlighting Desi Danganan, the Executive Director of @kultivatelabs

Danganan’s goal is to promote and support the Filipino community and entrepreneurs around Filipino Cultural District in SOMA Phillipinas. “We recently surveyed our network of entrepreneurs...some of them say they only have 2 months worth of cash to survive...as to support their businesses we started the #FilipinosFeedTheFrontLines in an effort to stabilize Filipino food businesses and to help those working to cure our communities.”

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. 

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.