Kevin Huang and Kimberley Wong

In this episode we are joined by Kevin Huang and Kimberley Wong of hua foundation. The conversation centers on the rise of anti-Asian racism during the COVID-19 pandemic, and highlights urgent concerns around community health, public health orders, and hate crimes. Kevin and Kimberley emphasize the importance of recognizing and addressing diverse experiences and perspectives within Asian communities, and shifting community engagement and resource allocation towards racialized communities. Speakers also discuss the limitations of the model minority myth and the need to build intergenerational relations, while acknowledging the complexities of identity and power dynamics in community work. Resources: hua foundation: https://huafoundation.org/ Asian Community Convener Project: https://huafoundation.org/portfolio/acc/ Anti-Racism and Solidarities Resource Collection: http://solidarities.huafoundation.org The Choi Project: https://huafoundation.org/portfolio/seasonal-choi-guide/ Chinatown Cares Grocery Program: https://huafoundation.org/work/food-systems/chinatown-cares/ Chinatown Food Security Report: https://huafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Report_VancouverCTFoodSecurity.pdf Reorienting Our Trauma: https://huafoundation.org/portfolio/reorienting-our-trauma/ Bios: Kimberley Wong 黄壯慈 (they/them) Kimberley Wong | 黄壯慈 (they/them) is the Program Manager at hua foundation. In their role, Kimberley designs resources for anti-racism education, builds solidarity across racialized communities, and forges paths to access culturally-appropriate mental health care for youth facing barriers. They served as a Co-Chair of the City of Vancouver’s Chinatown municipal advisory committee, were a founding member and Vice President of Chinatown Today, and were an elected member of the OneCity Vancouver Organizing Committee. Their work often mirrors their experiences moving through spaces as a queer, neurodivergent, and fifth generation Cantonese diasporic person, and though they draw on their knowledge from over a decade of navigating precarious work environments in the arts, culture, political, and equity sectors, Kimberley’s work is also deepened by their love of being a lifelong crafter, a triathlete, and a descendant whose ancestors have long histories organizing for marginalized populations on unceded Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh land known colonially as Vancouver. Find them online @KimberleyLW. Kevin Huang 黃儀軒 (he/him) Kevin Huang 黃儀軒 (he/him) is the co-founder and executive director of hua foundation, an organization with the mission of strengthening the capacity among Asian diasporic youth, in solidarity with other communities, to challenge, change, and create systems for a more equitable and just future. His work has ranged from scaling culturally appropriate consumer-based conservation strategies, advancing municipal food policy to address inclusion and racial equity, to providing supports for youth from ethnocultural communities to reclaim their cultural identity on their own terms. Kevin currently serves on committees with Vancity Credit Union, Vancouver Foundation, and Metro Vancouver.