Party in the U.S.A: To be Asian in America

03/22/21 • 24 min

The Atlanta shooting attack on March 16 marked a culmination of a year of increased racism, discrimination and violence directed against Asians and Asian Americans in the U.S. In this episode, we look at the long history of discrimination against Asians in America, the complications of "Asian-American" as a political term, and what this moment means for mainstream politics and grassroots organizing. Elamin is joined by Kim Tran, an anti-racist researcher and consultant based in Oakland, and Arissa Oh, a professor of history at Boston College.

Previous Episode

Tackling COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy

Maybe Elamin’s situation hits home for you, too: he’s been getting WhatsApp messages from his mom with questions about COVID-19 vaccines, and some of those concerns appear to be based on misinformation floating around the internet. On a week that saw plenty of headlines about the AstraZeneca vaccine in particular, Rosie and Elamin lay out the need-to-know facts about the updated recommendation for seniors getting the shot here in Canada, and why some European countries have chosen to temporarily pause their rollout. The two also look ahead to this week's Conservative Party convention — happening virtually, of course — and break down why the pressure is on Conservative leader Erin O'Toole to prove he can lead the party to power.

Next Episode

Is training enough to fix systemic racism in the RCMP?

This week, an independent report found the RCMP racially discriminated against the family of Colten Boushie, the young Indigenous man whose shooting death in Saskatchewan was investigated by the national police force in 2016. RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki accepted the report’s finding, the Saskatchewan RCMP is implementing the report’s recommendations, the Prime Minister has once again acknowledged the presence of systemic racism in the RCMP and other institutions — but what happens next? Rosie and Elamin take a close look at the independent report and what options could be on the table for a police force that continues to come under fire for its treatment of Indigenous people. Plus: as the Supreme Court is set to hand down a decision on whether Ottawa’s carbon tax is constitutional, and after Conservative Party members last weekend voted down a policy resolution to officially recognize climate change, the two look at where Opposition Leader Erin O’Toole may venture next when it comes to climate change policy.