Asian American Life

In celebration of April's national diversity month, we feature Asian Americans in the cultural arts, including Filipino contemporary artist Andrius Alvarez-Backus; Author Rose Kwon Easton on her best selling novel "White Mulberry," and don't judge "Word Up" by it's cover, the bookstore is a community hub; Plus Actress Nandana Dev Sen shares her journey from Bollywood to Hollywood; And our special report on how Filipino nurses are the heart of healthcare, and the impact on the NYC nurses strike.

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0:06:35 White Mulberry
0:10:45 Word Up Books
0:15:18 Nandana Dev Sen
0:21:05 Filipino Nurses
0:27:12 Overfishing In Southeast Asia
0:29:00 Close

Guest List:
Andrius Alvarez Backus -Interdisciplinary Artist
Rosa Kwon Easton - Author "White Mulberry"
Veronica Santiago - Founder & General Coordinator, Word Up Community Book Store
Nandana Dev Sen - Actress, Author and Activist
Philip Zheng Kai - Curator, Eli Klein Gallery
Krizia Daya - RN, CWON, Mount Sinai Hospital
Andrea Serquina Telemaque - BSN, RN BMT/Oncology Nurse, Mount Sinai Hospital
Nicole Tung - Photojournalist, Overfishing in Southeast Asia, An Ecological & Human Crisis

Recording Date
03/10/2026
First Air Date
04/14/2026

Ernabel Demillo is the host of Asian American Life, a monthly half hour series about the fastest-growing immigrant group in the country, focusing on Asian Americans in the tri-state area from over 40 countries who speak more than 150 different languages and dialects. Every month, an Asian enclave and neighborhood within the tristate area is featured. Cutting edge issues like racial profiling and stereotyping are examined and explored. Successful Asian Americans who are forging new identities in business, politics and the arts are also be profiled. Asian American Life is reaching new frontiers in the quest for understanding and acknowledgment among tri-state Asian Americans.

Watch more at https://tv.cuny.edu/show/asianamericanlife/

Subscribe to the Series Playlist: https://bit.ly/2veQz61
Subscribe to the CUNY TV channel: https://bit.ly/2GmGb13

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Libraries across the U.S. are uniting against the banned book movement. We feature a libarian who's defending our freedom to read; Plus fearless women trailblazers, including civil rights leader and journalist Helen Zia; New Safety laws protect nail salon workers in Westchester county; Plus Mekong NYC provides support to Southeast Asian refugees who are fear of ICE crackdowns and deportation.

CHAPTERS:

1:14 - Librarian Fights Books Ban
7:28 - Asian American Civil Rights Activist Helen Zia
12:45 - Nail Salon Health Risks and Safety
20:57 - Mekong NYC Protects Refugees From ICE

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Find more from CUNY TV at https://tv.cuny.edu

Guest List:
Jennie Pu - Library Director, Hoboken NJ Public Library
Helen Zia - Director, Journalist, Activist, Vincent Chin Institute
Socheatta Meng - Executive Director, Mekong NYC
Tina Zheng - Owner, Touch Nails and Lashes
David T. Imamura - County Legislator, Westchester County Board of Legislators, District 12
Jewel Williams Johnson - County Legislator, Westchester County Board of Legislators
Emily Marte - Safety and Health Specialist, NYCOSH, NY Committee for Occupational Safety and Health

Recording Date
02/10/2026
First Air Date
03/10/2026

Ernabel Demillo is the host of Asian American Life, a monthly half hour series about the fastest-growing immigrant group in the country, focusing on Asian Americans in the tri-state area from over 40 countries who speak more than 150 different languages and dialects. Every month, an Asian enclave and neighborhood within the tristate area is featured. Cutting edge issues like racial profiling and stereotyping are examined and explored. Successful Asian Americans who are forging new identities in business, politics and the arts are also be profiled. Asian American Life is reaching new frontiers in the quest for understanding and acknowledgment among tri-state Asian Americans.

Watch more at https://tv.cuny.edu/show/asianamericanlife/

Subscribe to the Series Playlist: https://bit.ly/2veQz61
Subscribe to the CUNY TV channel: https://bit.ly/2GmGb13

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In honor of May's Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we pay tribute to the trailblazing Chinese American veterans who broke barriers in the US armed forces during WWII.

Nearly 20,000 Chinese Americans, making up 20 percent of the U.S. Chinese population in the U.S., served with distinction and defied the Chinese exclusion act which barred them from citizenship. Their perseverance and bravery led to their recogntion with the Congressional Gold Medal, received 75 years later on December 2018.

This May, family members from around the world will celebrate their loved ones' legacy by marching in New York's Memorial Day parade.

Watch full episode: https://tv.cuny.edu/show/asianamericanlife/PR2013766

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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CUNYTV
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cunytv
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/cuny.tv/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/cunytv75 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cunytv
Find more from CUNY TV at https://tv.cuny.edu

Ernabel Demillo is the host of Asian American Life, a monthly half hour series about the fastest-growing immigrant group in the country, focusing on Asian Americans in the tri-state area from over 40 countries who speak more than 150 different languages and dialects. Every month, an Asian enclave and neighborhood within the tristate area is featured. Cutting edge issues like racial profiling and stereotyping are examined and explored. Successful Asian Americans who are forging new identities in business, politics and the arts are also be profiled. Asian American Life is reaching new frontiers in the quest for understanding and acknowledgment among tri-state Asian Americans.

Watch more at https://tv.cuny.edu/show/asianamericanlife/

Subscribe to the Series Playlist: https://bit.ly/2veQz61
Subscribe to the CUNY TV channel: https://bit.ly/2GmGb13

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Author Rosa Kwon Easton's debut novel "White Mulberry" is a historical fiction and coming-of-age story, inspired by her grandmother's experience growing up during the Japanese occupation of Korea in the 1930'. The book has received positive reviews and reached #1 on Amazon's First Reads Editors' Pick for Historical Fiction. In this segment, we get up close and personal with the author who shares her intimate journey documenting her grandmother's memories.

Watch full episode: https://tv.cuny.edu/show/asianamericanlife/PR2013765

Follow CUNY TV:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CUNYTV
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cunytv
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/cuny.tv/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/cunytv75 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cunytv
Find more from CUNY TV at https://tv.cuny.edu

Ernabel Demillo is the host of Asian American Life, a monthly half hour series about the fastest-growing immigrant group in the country, focusing on Asian Americans in the tri-state area from over 40 countries who speak more than 150 different languages and dialects. Every month, an Asian enclave and neighborhood within the tristate area is featured. Cutting edge issues like racial profiling and stereotyping are examined and explored. Successful Asian Americans who are forging new identities in business, politics and the arts are also be profiled. Asian American Life is reaching new frontiers in the quest for understanding and acknowledgment among tri-state Asian Americans.

Watch more at https://tv.cuny.edu/show/asianamericanlife/

Subscribe to the Series Playlist: https://bit.ly/2veQz61
Subscribe to the CUNY TV channel: https://bit.ly/2GmGb13

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