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(upbeat music)

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- Thank you to Skillshare[br]for sponsoring today's video.

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Hey everyone, it's Amanda.

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So I'm doing my April,[br]2021 bullet journal setup

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and plan with me today.

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The video that you're about to[br]see is a little bit different

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from my typical plan with me videos

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I'm actually going to be talking[br]almost like podcast style

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about my thoughts, about my experiences

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being an Asian creator,

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especially in the wake[br]of all of the anti-Asian

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violence and racism.

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So that's what you guys will be hearing.

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Obviously you'll still be[br]seeing my bullet journal setup

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and everything

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but it won't be like my typical video

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where I narrate every pencil[br]stroke in every box that I draw

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which honestly, at this[br]point, I think is fine

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because you guys have seen me[br]set up my bullet journal setup

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tons of times.

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So pretty sure most of you guys

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know what I'm doing at this point.

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I know most of you guys[br]will be very supportive

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and encouraging about this video.

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So thank you in advance.

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But with that being said,

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let's just get started with the setup.

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(soft music)

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All right.

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So the bullet journal theme[br]I decided on for April

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is this black and white bamboo fossil

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which was inspired by traditional[br]Chinese ink paintings.

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And the reason why I chose this is because

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it actually relates to[br]what I wanted to talk about

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in my voiceover today,[br]which is my Asian identity

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and experience as well as the rise

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in anti-Asian hate crimes and violence.

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So of course, just as a trigger warning,

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before this video if you don't[br]wanna hear about any of this,

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then, you know, maybe mute it.

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Of course, with all of this,

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I'm gonna be getting into[br]some pretty serious topics.

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So if you haven't been[br]seeing what's been going on

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in the news recently,

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there's been a rise in anti-Asian[br]hate crimes and violence

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both in America and Canada.

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And just as some statistics for you,

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yes, I'm pulling out the statistics,

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from 2019 to 2020 while overall hate crime

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has declined by 7%,

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hate crimes targeting Asians specifically

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has increased by nearly 150% in America.

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And in Canada, it's[br]increased by six or 700 times

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in major cities.

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And these incidents involve[br]people being coughed on,

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spat on physically and verbally insulted

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and of course, as we've[br]seen in the news recently

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in Atlanta, actually being killed.

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So

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yes, a lot of this is a[br]result of the racist rhetoric

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in the news regarding the[br]pandemic over the past year,

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you know, a certain someone[br]calling it the Chinese flu.

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But I think it's really[br]important to point out

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that a lot of it is just[br]exposing a very deep history

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of anti-Asian racism and[br]xenophobia that is existed

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in the West for centuries.

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I mean, the way the West[br]has talked about China,

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even before the pandemic was often

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shrouded in hatred or fear.

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And you always hear about[br]this looming presence

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of communist China, as if[br]they're trying to invade,

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which has instilled a really[br]scary and mysterious picture

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of China in people's minds.

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And it affects the Asian community today.

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So throughout history, you can see this

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systematically in the[br]Chinese exclusion act,

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which happened in both Canada and America,

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the Japanese internment camps,

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the Chinese head tax in Canada,

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where every person immigrating from China

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had to pay a fee in order[br]to enter the country.

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And as a note, no other group in Canada

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has ever been forced to pay a fee

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based upon where they're from.

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I don't wanna take this entire voiceover

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to talk about statistics[br]and history and all of that,

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because of course you didn't[br]necessarily click this video

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to hear about that.

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However, you do come to my videos for me

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and what I create my art and my journaling

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and my Asian identity is a[br]big part of a lot of that.

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For those of you who don't[br]know about my background

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which is apparently a lot of people,

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because when I Google search[br]my name, the first thing,

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like one of the first things that pops up

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is Amanda racially ethnicity.

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But anyway, I am a third[br]generation Chinese Canadian.

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So my grandparents were born in China

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and then immigrated here to Canada.

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And growing up, my Asian[br]identity was kind of confusing

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because on one hand I was clearly Chinese.

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Both my parents are Chinese.

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I look Chinese.

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However, on the other hand,[br]I didn't feel Chinese at all.

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I was born in Canada.

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My parents speak fully fluent English,

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which meant I of course[br]spoke no Chinese at all.

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And I just grew up like[br]any Canadian child.

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So I really didn't connect[br]to my Chinese side at all.

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And I actually almost started[br]to resent that side of me,

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which is something I'm not very proud of

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and it breaks my heart thinking back

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to the way that I used to[br]think about my own culture

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and identity at the time,

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I think I definitely had a[br]lot of internalized racism.

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I just remember wishing I could[br]be white because in my head,

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I was pretty much already there.

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And I know that this is something

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that a lot of children[br]of immigrants go through,

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that feeling of being[br]in between two worlds,

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never fully by either.

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For me, this was extremely[br]evident in my life,

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even as recent as high school.

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I was lucky enough to go to schools

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that were pretty diverse.

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And I would say that my high school

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had actually quite a lot of Asians.

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So I was surrounded by Asians.

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But even then, there were[br]times that I felt left out

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of my Asian friends,

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because since I was a third[br]generation Chinese Canadian,

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and most of them were second generation.

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A lot of them spoke their[br]respective home languages

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and I only spoke English.

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Additionally, I chose a career path

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in the creative industries,[br]whereas typically,

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you know, Asians are[br]associated with being doctors

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or lawyers or engineers.

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And granted a lot of that[br]is pressure from parents

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and society and all of that.

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But a lot of people would joke[br]that I'm a whitewashed Asian.

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And I would even make that joke myself,

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I think mostly as a way to dismiss it

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and join in on the joke[br]and laugh with people.

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But guiltily, I think sometimes[br]I would even take pride

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in someone calling me[br]whitewashed or someone asking me

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whether I was mixed half[br]Chinese, half white.

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And it's really comes from[br]that idea of whiteness

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being the ultimate form

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or the something to aspire to be.

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And the fact that people saw that in me

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was almost like a badge of assimilation.

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Obviously now, I think that's so sad.

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I wish I spoke Chinese

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and I wish I had made more of an effort

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to connect to my culture growing up.

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And this is something that[br]I'm still working through

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and it's something that[br]I'll have to navigate

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for the rest of my life as an Asian woman.

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As I mentioned, I felt left[br]out for my Asian friends

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but of course I did not 100%[br]fit in with non-Asians either.

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I mean, clearly because[br]of the way I looked,

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I'm clearly Asian.

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But a lot of this was also[br]because of the microaggressions

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that I would face on a daily basis.

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If you don't know what[br]microaggressions are,

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they are subtle and indirect expressions

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of racism or white superiority,

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kind of casual and disguised.

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And they're really common,

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so common that they're often dismissed

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or played off as jokes.

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And even though the name has micro in it,

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these small statements[br]can actually build up

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to have a really large[br]effect on minority groups.

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And I have, of course dealt with all kinds

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of these microaggressions and jokes

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between people coming up to me

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and literally singing[br]Ching Chong to my face

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to people pulling back their eyes

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or to people asking me[br]where I'm really from.

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There are so many microaggressions

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that minorities deal[br]with on a daily basis.

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I actually found a couple

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of really great academic papers

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that go through the main themes[br]amongst microaggressions.

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I won't go through all of them

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but the first main one is the idea

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of being an alien in[br]your own land or country.

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And it comes from the idea that all Asians

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or people of color were[br]born in foreign countries

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and in everyday life, this[br]manifests in the question

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that I think pretty much[br]every person of color

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has been asked in their life.

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It's the, oh, you know,[br]where are you from?

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And then ultimately when[br]I say I'm from Canada,

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you get hit with the,

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no, but like where are you really from?

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And although, most of the times it's from

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someone who's really well-intentioned,

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taking interest in your background.

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The way it's expressed makes it sound like

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I'm not a real Canadian,

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despite the fact that I[br]was literally born here

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and I've never gone to China in my life.

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By the way, if you're wondering[br]how to ask that question,

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try asking someone what[br]their background is

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or what their ethnicity is

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instead of asking them where they're from.

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Another microaggression[br]theme is the denial

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of race in general,

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which is seen in the very[br]common statements like,

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oh, I don't see color,

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there's only one race, the human race.

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And this just denies a person of color's

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cultural culture and racial experiences.

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We're not asking people to be colorblind.

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It's more so like seeing[br]color but then accepting it

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and acknowledging it.

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Another example of this[br]is when people deny

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that race plays a role[br]in people's success.

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I've heard this in my own life

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through debates that I've had

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about diversity initiatives in companies.

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People will say things[br]like, well, you know,

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the most qualified person[br]should get the job.

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They shouldn't just get it

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because they're a person of color

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or everyone can succeed in this society

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if they just work hard enough.

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And the implication there is that,

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if a person of color does[br]get the job or gets chosen

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then perhaps they were[br]given unfair benefits

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and were only chosen[br]because of their race.

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But it also insinuates[br]that the white counterpart

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was probably a better fit or[br]a better quality qualified.

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And it just diminishes[br]the very real barriers

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that people of color face in[br]society in order to succeed.

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A lot of times when[br]microaggressions like this

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would happen to me, I would brush it off

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or even gaslight myself[br]saying that it wasn't

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that big of a deal, or it's[br]not worth it to make a fuss.

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And I think many Asians[br]are discouraged to speak up

0:11:10.910,0:11:14.140
about any discrimination[br]or problems that they face.

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And it comes from this[br]idea, this instilled idea

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from families not to rock the boat.

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Over the years Asian immigrants[br]have tried their best

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to assimilate and to be[br]accepted in the West,

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even taking on jobs[br]that nobody else wanted

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and not causing a fuss.

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However, this passiveness[br]has eventually evolved.

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And now it's used against us as well

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as other minority groups.

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For example, putting the black community

0:11:41.940,0:11:43.420
against the Asian community

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and using Asians as a scapegoat[br]to blame the black community

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for not being able to[br]succeed in today's society.

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You know, they say that[br]you're just not trying enough,

0:11:53.370,0:11:56.240
look at the Asians they're[br]doing so well here.

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And this is called the[br]model minority myth.

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There's this assumption that[br]all Asians are high earners

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and have succeeded in the West,

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diminishing any racism or[br]barriers that they have faced.

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However, for example, in America,

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Asians actually have[br]the largest income gap

0:12:13.650,0:12:16.830
between wealthy and poor[br]amongst minority groups.

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There is a 12.3% poverty[br]rate amongst Asians

0:12:21.640,0:12:23.660
which appears that, you know,[br]Asians aren't a monolith,

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there's not one type of Asian experience.

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And the fact that that[br]one type of experience

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is used against us and[br]other minority groups.

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It's awful.

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One more thing that I wanted to talk about

0:12:35.320,0:12:38.580
is the fetishization of Asian women.

0:12:38.580,0:12:42.890
Due to the history of war[br]and hyper-sexualization

0:12:42.890,0:12:43.760
of Asian woman.

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It has resulted in this[br]idea that Asian women

0:12:46.750,0:12:49.640
are submissive and that[br]they make great wives

0:12:49.640,0:12:51.620
because they don't talk back.

0:12:51.620,0:12:54.330
At one point, Asian[br]women were even portrayed

0:12:54.330,0:12:57.780
as the antithesis of a white feminist.

0:12:57.780,0:13:02.780
In a 1990 GQ article, it[br]described the typical Asian woman

0:13:03.050,0:13:06.430
as someone who "doesn't insist

0:13:06.430,0:13:08.440
on being treated like a person,

0:13:08.440,0:13:10.060
she's there when you need leave

0:13:10.060,0:13:12.057
from those angry feminists."

0:13:13.220,0:13:16.710
I don't think I need to[br]explain why that's messed up.

0:13:16.710,0:13:20.770
But to this day, men are[br]extremely open and forthcoming

0:13:20.770,0:13:24.660
about their Asian fetishes,[br]not even seeing them as humans.

0:13:24.660,0:13:28.130
It's more so like an object of conquest

0:13:28.130,0:13:32.040
and you can now see how[br]there's a definite link

0:13:32.040,0:13:35.010
between this history and[br]the shootings that happened

0:13:35.010,0:13:37.170
in Atlanta this week, or last week,

0:13:37.170,0:13:40.910
where a man specifically[br]targeted an Asian spa

0:13:40.910,0:13:44.580
after citing blame for[br]his sexual addiction.

0:13:44.580,0:13:45.413
Okay.

0:13:45.413,0:13:47.200
I know I've been spewing[br]a lot of information

0:13:47.200,0:13:49.840
which I definitely wanted[br]this video to have a lot of

0:13:49.840,0:13:53.680
useful information for[br]you guys to learn from.

0:13:53.680,0:13:54.820
But I,

0:13:54.820,0:13:56.550
back to my personal experience,

0:13:56.550,0:14:00.450
I wanted to talk about my[br]experience as an Asian creator

0:14:00.450,0:14:02.313
on YouTube in specific.

0:14:03.610,0:14:05.860
I've never really talked[br]about this too much before

0:14:05.860,0:14:08.030
and I contemplated whether[br]I wanted to bring it up

0:14:08.030,0:14:11.100
because it is kind of[br]hard for me to talk about.

0:14:11.100,0:14:14.480
But if you go back to my[br]old bullet journal videos,

0:14:14.480,0:14:17.680
you'll see that I never showed my face

0:14:17.680,0:14:18.650
in the beginning of them.

0:14:18.650,0:14:20.490
I didn't even film an intro.

0:14:20.490,0:14:24.890
And in the past, around[br]the 2017 to 2018 period,

0:14:24.890,0:14:29.600
my face was never put on[br]the thumbnails of my videos.

0:14:29.600,0:14:33.320
And that was actually[br]partially intentional.

0:14:33.320,0:14:35.530
This was a real conversation that I had

0:14:35.530,0:14:37.180
with my YouTube manager.

0:14:37.180,0:14:40.980
We discussed that it might[br]be smarter to not put my face

0:14:40.980,0:14:44.250
in thumbnails so that[br]people don't discriminate

0:14:44.250,0:14:45.500
when they're clicking videos,

0:14:45.500,0:14:48.110
if they had seen an Asian face.

0:14:48.110,0:14:49.360
Obviously eventually,

0:14:49.360,0:14:52.900
you know, I started incorporating[br]myself more into videos

0:14:52.900,0:14:55.430
and now you guys see my vlogs.

0:14:55.430,0:14:58.290
And sometimes I put myself[br]in thumbnails and stuff,

0:14:58.290,0:15:03.290
but that was after a substantial[br]audience had been built.

0:15:03.800,0:15:05.120
And, you know, I think to this day,

0:15:05.120,0:15:07.200
it's still kind of sticks[br]in the back of my mind

0:15:07.200,0:15:09.590
that my most viewed videos

0:15:09.590,0:15:13.010
are some of the ones where[br]my face doesn't show at all

0:15:13.010,0:15:15.200
in the thumbnail or in the video.

0:15:15.200,0:15:19.520
And of course, race might not[br]have anything to do with it,

0:15:19.520,0:15:23.010
but it really does suck[br]to have to wonder whether

0:15:23.010,0:15:25.370
I could be more successful if I was white

0:15:25.370,0:15:28.380
or if I wasn't chosen for specific jobs

0:15:28.380,0:15:31.020
or sponsorships because of my race.

0:15:31.020,0:15:33.120
And I think it's important[br]to acknowledge my privilege

0:15:33.120,0:15:34.370
in this situation too,

0:15:34.370,0:15:37.360
because even in the videos where

0:15:37.360,0:15:41.040
I am drawing and only[br]my hands are showing,

0:15:41.040,0:15:44.340
my skin tone, my hands are pale and fair

0:15:44.340,0:15:48.060
and I wonder if my skin[br]tone had been darker,

0:15:48.060,0:15:50.590
would the videos have done just as well?

0:15:50.590,0:15:53.800
I don't know, but I just do know that

0:15:53.800,0:15:55.700
in like stationary advertisements

0:15:55.700,0:15:57.800
or on Instagram,

0:15:57.800,0:16:01.220
the recommended on Pinterest or in media,

0:16:01.220,0:16:03.330
the hands that you see,

0:16:03.330,0:16:07.240
like the hand models for[br]everything are white hands.

0:16:07.240,0:16:09.580
Anyway, so let's take it[br]back to the present day

0:16:09.580,0:16:12.370
since we're coming up to[br]the end of my set up here.

0:16:12.370,0:16:15.680
I think this is the last spread or two.

0:16:15.680,0:16:18.310
I wanted to talk about something[br]that I had actually made

0:16:18.310,0:16:19.838
in Instagram story about.

0:16:19.838,0:16:21.350
If you didn't see it,

0:16:21.350,0:16:25.090
I basically said, I wish more[br]of the stationary community

0:16:25.090,0:16:28.510
would speak up about the recent rise in

0:16:28.510,0:16:32.330
hate crimes against Asians,[br]just because so much

0:16:32.330,0:16:36.550
of the stationary that[br]people use are Japanese

0:16:36.550,0:16:40.390
or borrowed from traditional[br]Asian and calligraphy and art.

0:16:40.390,0:16:42.370
I mean, I can't even list all of the

0:16:42.370,0:16:44.900
Japanese stationary brands that exist

0:16:44.900,0:16:47.530
because honestly it's[br]pretty much all of them.

0:16:47.530,0:16:52.530
You have Moogy, Pilot,[br]Tombo, Kuretake, Zebra,

0:16:52.850,0:16:55.780
Hobonichi and the travelers company

0:16:55.780,0:16:58.710
and way more not to mention that wash tape

0:16:58.710,0:17:01.150
is literally a Japanese word

0:17:01.150,0:17:04.990
that we've borrowed and[br]have used as a term today.

0:17:04.990,0:17:07.810
And then of course,[br]you have the brush pens

0:17:07.810,0:17:10.320
that people love and use in calligraphy.

0:17:10.320,0:17:11.940
And those are based on

0:17:11.940,0:17:15.830
traditional Asian calligraphy[br]practice with a brush.

0:17:15.830,0:17:17.700
I guess I'm going into[br]another history lesson,

0:17:17.700,0:17:21.590
but this is a calligraphy[br]history lesson so it's fun.

0:17:21.590,0:17:24.950
But basically historically[br]Western the calligraphy

0:17:24.950,0:17:28.670
and typography was done[br]with a hammer chisel

0:17:28.670,0:17:30.980
and stone or a broad nib pen.

0:17:30.980,0:17:34.060
Whereas Chinese calligraphy[br]is where you will see

0:17:34.060,0:17:35.960
the brush calligraphy.

0:17:35.960,0:17:38.250
And that was the tool that was used

0:17:38.250,0:17:40.530
in a lot of their pieces.

0:17:40.530,0:17:42.360
Additionally, Chinese calligraphy

0:17:42.360,0:17:47.360
placed a lot of value on[br]individual style and improvisation.

0:17:47.360,0:17:50.660
Whereas in the Latin lettering,

0:17:50.660,0:17:54.453
there was an ideal structure[br]and geometry was valued.

0:17:55.370,0:17:59.440
In Chinese calligraphy,[br]it seen not so much

0:17:59.440,0:18:03.500
as achieving perfection or an ideal form

0:18:03.500,0:18:06.900
but almost like our record[br]of a specific moment

0:18:06.900,0:18:11.010
as well as a practice that[br]encourages meditation,

0:18:11.010,0:18:14.370
observation and calm energy.

0:18:14.370,0:18:19.040
It was really seen as[br]a true art form in Asia

0:18:19.040,0:18:20.790
which is why to this day,

0:18:20.790,0:18:24.750
historians know the names of[br]a lot of famous calligraphers

0:18:24.750,0:18:25.680
from China.

0:18:25.680,0:18:29.780
And this was very different[br]from the Western calligrapher

0:18:29.780,0:18:31.070
or topographer.

0:18:31.070,0:18:34.730
Which was viewed as more of[br]a utilitarian trades person,

0:18:34.730,0:18:38.320
since most of their work[br]involved copying manuscripts.

0:18:38.320,0:18:39.450
And I think it's pretty fair

0:18:39.450,0:18:42.110
to say that a lot of[br]modern hand lettering today

0:18:42.110,0:18:44.080
between artists and hobbyists

0:18:44.080,0:18:48.190
take on a lot of those ideals[br]from Chinese calligraphy,

0:18:48.190,0:18:51.560
with it becoming more of[br]a self-care relaxing hobby

0:18:51.560,0:18:54.450
versus something that is[br]done out of necessity,

0:18:54.450,0:18:57.880
like it was in Western[br]calligraphy historically.

0:18:57.880,0:19:00.570
Obviously, you know, a[br]lot of calligraphy today

0:19:00.570,0:19:02.450
is also based on Western calligraphy

0:19:02.450,0:19:07.450
with like the fountain pen[br]and Gothic forms of letters.

0:19:07.480,0:19:10.500
But I think that individual expression

0:19:10.500,0:19:12.580
and the more artistic aspect of it

0:19:12.580,0:19:15.820
has really manifested itself today

0:19:15.820,0:19:18.320
with all of the beautiful stylings

0:19:18.320,0:19:20.877
of lettering and calligraphy[br]that you see on Instagram

0:19:20.877,0:19:25.010
and Pinterest and people[br]really taking on that idea

0:19:25.010,0:19:27.190
of it being an art form.

0:19:27.190,0:19:29.660
As you can see in my bullet[br]journal set up this month,

0:19:29.660,0:19:31.490
I used Japanese ink

0:19:31.490,0:19:35.240
and an actual brush to[br]honor this beautiful history

0:19:35.240,0:19:38.000
of calligraphy art in Asian culture.

0:19:38.000,0:19:39.440
And as I was doing it,

0:19:39.440,0:19:42.210
I almost found myself[br]in a meditative state

0:19:42.210,0:19:44.330
while I was painting the bamboo leaves.

0:19:44.330,0:19:48.220
So I can definitely connect[br]to that historical side

0:19:48.220,0:19:52.140
of traditional calligraphy[br]painting and art.

0:19:52.140,0:19:53.240
All that to say,

0:19:53.240,0:19:55.570
you know, not that people[br]should need a reason

0:19:55.570,0:19:57.690
to speak up about racism,

0:19:57.690,0:20:01.320
but it's just this cherry[br]picking of Asian culture

0:20:01.320,0:20:02.660
that bothers me.

0:20:02.660,0:20:04.120
I forgot where I had read this

0:20:04.120,0:20:06.230
but it's almost like[br]people are out of buffet

0:20:06.230,0:20:08.100
and they're choosing[br]what aspects they like

0:20:08.100,0:20:09.850
from Asian culture without

0:20:09.850,0:20:13.290
even actually appreciating[br]the history or acknowledging

0:20:13.290,0:20:16.920
the negative history[br]associated with Asian culture.

0:20:16.920,0:20:20.300
People will gladly take[br]what Asian culture provides

0:20:20.300,0:20:23.640
whether it be sushi, anime,[br]K-pop, yoga, bubble tea

0:20:23.640,0:20:25.270
or stationary,

0:20:25.270,0:20:28.200
but not ever fully accept[br]us or speak up for us

0:20:28.200,0:20:30.810
when we are in need.

0:20:30.810,0:20:33.860
And since you know, we're[br]at the last spread here

0:20:33.860,0:20:35.470
in my bullet journal setup,

0:20:35.470,0:20:38.260
this is the part where[br]I really wanna ask you

0:20:38.260,0:20:41.113
to take notice of who's[br]speaking up at this time,

0:20:42.590,0:20:44.670
you guys have currency

0:20:44.670,0:20:46.990
in the form of who you give a platform.

0:20:46.990,0:20:51.240
And I'm very grateful that you[br]guys have given me a platform

0:20:51.240,0:20:54.060
and that I'm able to[br]speak up about this stuff

0:20:54.060,0:20:54.893
because

0:20:56.240,0:20:57.550
I am very proud

0:20:57.550,0:20:59.600
that I'm able to connect[br]with a lot of people.

0:20:59.600,0:21:00.610
One of my favorite things

0:21:00.610,0:21:04.480
is when I get comments[br]from other Asian girls,

0:21:04.480,0:21:08.240
saying that they were inspired[br]to join a creative field

0:21:08.240,0:21:09.880
because of me and stuff like that.

0:21:09.880,0:21:12.120
So I really don't take this platform

0:21:12.120,0:21:14.910
and privilege that I've been given lightly

0:21:14.910,0:21:17.793
and I hope other creators don't as well.

0:21:19.250,0:21:20.900
Well, okay.

0:21:20.900,0:21:23.680
Thank you guys for listening[br]to me blog about all of this.

0:21:23.680,0:21:26.740
I really worked hard on researching things

0:21:26.740,0:21:29.890
and making sure that I[br]gave you guys interesting

0:21:29.890,0:21:31.730
and helpful information.

0:21:31.730,0:21:33.950
You might be asking, okay,

0:21:33.950,0:21:36.850
Amanda, after all of that,[br]what can I do to help?

0:21:36.850,0:21:38.070
And honestly,

0:21:38.070,0:21:41.210
I know you guys have seen all[br]those Instagram infographics

0:21:41.210,0:21:42.043
of stuff.

0:21:42.043,0:21:44.680
And of course I will be[br]linking resources like that

0:21:44.680,0:21:47.350
down below that you guys can share,

0:21:47.350,0:21:49.390
but I'll also be linking all the sources

0:21:49.390,0:21:51.740
that I used to research everything

0:21:51.740,0:21:54.500
and places to donate as well.

0:21:54.500,0:21:58.170
But really right now, one of[br]the best things that you can do

0:21:58.170,0:22:02.170
is listen to Asian Voices[br]as well as look inwards.

0:22:02.170,0:22:04.050
Many times people get defensive

0:22:04.050,0:22:07.000
or shut down when confronted[br]with their own action.

0:22:07.000,0:22:08.910
But one of the greatest ways to learn

0:22:08.910,0:22:11.960
is acknowledging whether[br]you or someone in your life

0:22:11.960,0:22:15.460
has done something that could[br]negatively affect minorities.

0:22:15.460,0:22:16.560
Even if it's unknowingly,

0:22:16.560,0:22:20.500
like the microaggressions that[br]I mentioned in this video.

0:22:20.500,0:22:23.110
So speak up if you see someone else

0:22:23.110,0:22:25.340
making those uncomfortable jokes,

0:22:25.340,0:22:27.530
if it's in your workplace or your family,

0:22:27.530,0:22:30.280
don't just chalk it up to[br]someone not meaning any harm.

0:22:31.410,0:22:32.243
What else?

0:22:32.243,0:22:35.440
Oh, you can support your[br]local Asian businesses.

0:22:35.440,0:22:37.930
I've been so worried about all of the

0:22:37.930,0:22:40.290
Asian owned restaurants[br]who have been taking a hit

0:22:40.290,0:22:43.810
during this pandemic because[br]of that misconception

0:22:43.810,0:22:46.270
that Asian food,

0:22:46.270,0:22:47.670
you know, Asians eat bats

0:22:47.670,0:22:50.470
and if you eat Asian food,[br]you'll get the virus.

0:22:50.470,0:22:54.220
It's a very real thing that[br]people have been spreading.

0:22:54.220,0:22:57.710
And not only do the Asian owners

0:22:57.710,0:22:59.300
of these businesses and restaurants

0:22:59.300,0:23:02.720
have to fear for their safety[br]now with everything going on,

0:23:02.720,0:23:04.940
but that on top of the

0:23:05.960,0:23:07.010
financial hit

0:23:07.010,0:23:10.270
that the pandemic has given[br]them, it's been really worrying.

0:23:10.270,0:23:15.140
And I hope that a lot of my[br]favorite Asian businesses

0:23:15.140,0:23:18.420
and restaurants will[br]survive after the pandemic.

0:23:18.420,0:23:21.330
And of course, please spread awareness

0:23:21.330,0:23:24.180
especially if you think[br]your circle reaches

0:23:24.180,0:23:26.320
a lot of non-Asian people.

0:23:26.320,0:23:29.490
I always worry about things[br]becoming a bit echo chambery

0:23:29.490,0:23:32.680
especially in my community

0:23:32.680,0:23:35.760
and that all of this[br]awareness and information

0:23:35.760,0:23:37.270
is not reaching the people

0:23:37.270,0:23:40.500
that probably need to hear it the most.

0:23:40.500,0:23:45.500
This is why we need non-Asian[br]allies so much at this time.

0:23:45.530,0:23:46.370
So, wow.

0:23:46.370,0:23:47.740
That was a lot.

0:23:47.740,0:23:50.860
I know this voiceover was heavy.

0:23:50.860,0:23:53.300
There was a lot of information.

0:23:53.300,0:23:56.810
And for myself, I knew that[br]this was a video that I wanted

0:23:56.810,0:23:58.120
and needed to make.

0:23:58.120,0:24:01.840
So it was really fulfilling[br]to research a lot

0:24:01.840,0:24:06.280
and even thinking about[br]what I wanted to talk about

0:24:06.280,0:24:08.870
in this voiceover, it was[br]a little bit emotional

0:24:08.870,0:24:10.450
because I really had to unlock

0:24:10.450,0:24:13.660
a lot of my childhood past growing up,

0:24:13.660,0:24:17.470
my experiences as an Asian woman.

0:24:17.470,0:24:20.650
So it was a very interesting video to make

0:24:20.650,0:24:22.750
and I hope you guys[br]took something from it.

0:24:22.750,0:24:24.160
Thank you if anything,

0:24:24.160,0:24:27.060
just for listening to me talk about it.

0:24:27.060,0:24:29.860
I really, really do appreciate that.

0:24:29.860,0:24:32.210
Oh, and hopefully you[br]also enjoyed watching

0:24:32.210,0:24:33.570
the setup as well.

0:24:33.570,0:24:35.330
I know I didn't talk about[br]it too much in the video

0:24:35.330,0:24:39.490
but I really did like how the[br]setup and theme turned out.

0:24:39.490,0:24:43.390
I love the gray scale inky look to it.

0:24:43.390,0:24:45.380
And I think it just looks very elegant

0:24:45.380,0:24:47.793
and it was calming to make as well.

0:24:48.810,0:24:50.440
Before I show you guys[br]the final flip through

0:24:50.440,0:24:51.410
of my bullet journal setup,

0:24:51.410,0:24:52.800
I wanted to talk a little bit

0:24:52.800,0:24:54.850
about today's sponsor, Skillshare.

0:24:54.850,0:24:57.370
If you guys don't already[br]know about Skillshare,

0:24:57.370,0:24:59.790
they are an awesome[br]online learning community

0:24:59.790,0:25:02.140
with thousands of really[br]inspiring classes.

0:25:02.140,0:25:05.790
And they're all geared towards[br]creative and curious people

0:25:05.790,0:25:07.560
which I know all of you guys are.

0:25:07.560,0:25:11.360
They have tons of classes[br]about design, illustration,

0:25:11.360,0:25:13.420
business, technology, you name it,

0:25:13.420,0:25:14.820
they probably have a class for it.

0:25:14.820,0:25:17.040
I try to take new[br]Skillshare classes regularly

0:25:17.040,0:25:20.330
so that I can keep learning[br]and expanding my skills

0:25:20.330,0:25:22.730
and that way I can apply it into anything,

0:25:22.730,0:25:24.870
creative that I do, whether it be my art

0:25:24.870,0:25:27.160
or my videos or my bullet journal setups.

0:25:27.160,0:25:29.770
You guys always ask me[br]how I get inspiration

0:25:29.770,0:25:32.300
and how I stay motivated to be creative.

0:25:32.300,0:25:34.240
And I think learning new things

0:25:34.240,0:25:35.410
is a really big part of that.

0:25:35.410,0:25:37.230
Of course, a lot of you[br]guys already know this

0:25:37.230,0:25:39.140
but I do actually have a bunch of classes

0:25:39.140,0:25:41.930
on Skillshare that are[br]exclusive to their platform.

0:25:41.930,0:25:44.530
I have classes on creative journaling,

0:25:44.530,0:25:46.740
art journaling for mental wellness.

0:25:46.740,0:25:49.800
I have class on journaling[br]your affirmations

0:25:49.800,0:25:52.100
with a little bit of a lettering workshops

0:25:52.100,0:25:53.220
thrown in there as well.

0:25:53.220,0:25:56.350
So if you guys want to[br]see more content for me

0:25:56.350,0:25:58.920
then Skillshare is the[br]perfect platform for that.

0:25:58.920,0:26:00.750
I definitely go a little bit more in depth

0:26:00.750,0:26:01.950
than I do on my channel here

0:26:01.950,0:26:04.390
just because that platform allows for it.

0:26:04.390,0:26:05.820
And that's one of the[br]things that I do love

0:26:05.820,0:26:07.490
about the platform itself is,

0:26:07.490,0:26:10.290
just through all the[br]diverse classes and teachers

0:26:10.290,0:26:12.770
and projects and discussion boards,

0:26:12.770,0:26:15.740
it really encourages a community

0:26:15.740,0:26:18.280
and encourages supporting fellow creative.

0:26:18.280,0:26:20.130
Also, they're always[br]launching new premium content.

0:26:20.130,0:26:22.100
So you'll always have[br]something to check out

0:26:22.100,0:26:23.630
if it peaks your curiosity

0:26:23.630,0:26:25.910
and it is curated for learning,

0:26:25.910,0:26:27.300
meaning there's no ads,

0:26:27.300,0:26:29.927
you're really focused in on[br]the class that you're taking

0:26:29.927,0:26:31.700
and the projects that you're doing.

0:26:31.700,0:26:33.350
So if you guys are interested

0:26:33.350,0:26:34.940
in trying out Skillshare for yourself,

0:26:34.940,0:26:37.090
premium membership is[br]less than $10 a month,

0:26:37.090,0:26:39.240
but Skillshare was kind enough to offer

0:26:39.240,0:26:41.350
my viewers the little[br]doodles, a special deal.

0:26:41.350,0:26:43.770
So the first thousand subscribers of mine

0:26:43.770,0:26:45.970
who clicked the link in my[br]description box down below

0:26:45.970,0:26:49.310
will get 30% off in[br]annual premium membership.

0:26:49.310,0:26:50.760
And something to note,

0:26:50.760,0:26:52.840
if you've already done[br]the free trial offer,

0:26:52.840,0:26:56.120
you can still take advantage[br]of this deal which is awesome.

0:26:56.120,0:26:57.860
As always, a huge thank you to Skillshare.

0:26:57.860,0:26:59.250
They've always been very supportive

0:26:59.250,0:27:01.330
of me and my channel and[br]big friend to the channel.

0:27:01.330,0:27:03.770
So check them out in the[br]description box down below

0:27:03.770,0:27:07.230
if you guys wanted to[br]learn some new things.

0:27:07.230,0:27:09.200
And finally, here's the full flip through

0:27:09.200,0:27:11.460
of my April, 2021 bullet journal setup,

0:27:11.460,0:27:15.520
which was my homage to[br]traditional Asian ink paintings

0:27:15.520,0:27:16.790
and calligraphy.

0:27:16.790,0:27:18.480
I think it turned out so beautiful

0:27:18.480,0:27:21.860
and it was just so[br]relaxing and fun to make.

0:27:21.860,0:27:22.693
All right, guys.

0:27:22.693,0:27:24.410
So that's it for my bullet journal setup.

0:27:24.410,0:27:26.040
I know it was a little[br]bit of a different format

0:27:26.040,0:27:26.910
than what I usually do,

0:27:26.910,0:27:29.240
but hopefully you enjoyed[br]hearing my thoughts

0:27:29.240,0:27:32.490
and maybe it made you think[br]about some stuff on your own.

0:27:32.490,0:27:35.930
Of course, I will be[br]leaving a bunch of links

0:27:35.930,0:27:39.200
and resources and places[br]to donate down below.

0:27:39.200,0:27:42.200
I really, really encourage you[br]to check some of those out.

0:27:42.200,0:27:43.990
And if you are able to donate,

0:27:43.990,0:27:45.620
it would really mean a lot to me.

0:27:45.620,0:27:47.520
And just all in all, let's[br]be nice to each other,

0:27:47.520,0:27:51.281
let's be understanding, keep[br]listening to people's stories.

0:27:51.281,0:27:53.900
I do want to showcase some[br]of your guys' recreation's

0:27:53.900,0:27:56.220
from last month as I always do.

0:27:56.220,0:27:59.710
If you do want to be[br]featured in my future video,

0:27:59.710,0:28:03.450
then make sure you tag me[br]on Instagram @amandarachlee.

0:28:03.450,0:28:05.370
Just tag me in the photo[br]of your recreation's

0:28:05.370,0:28:08.430
whether it be from this month[br]or previous months set up.

0:28:08.430,0:28:09.720
And then of course, as always,

0:28:09.720,0:28:12.080
if you do want to see the rest[br]of my weekly spread setups,

0:28:12.080,0:28:14.750
then come hang out on[br]Twitch every Saturday

0:28:14.750,0:28:16.050
at 11:00 AM Eastern time,

0:28:16.050,0:28:18.230
I set up my weekly spreads live

0:28:18.230,0:28:21.410
and it's a nice chill little community.

0:28:21.410,0:28:23.390
Anyway, I hope you're all[br]taking care of yourself.

0:28:23.390,0:28:24.223
Keep doodling.

0:28:24.223,0:28:25.890
And I will talk to you in the next one.

0:28:25.890,0:28:26.723
Bye everyone.

0:28:27.595,0:28:30.012
(calm music)