‘Where Y’all Really From’ podcast explores experiences of Asian Americans in Kentucky

Louisville Public Media (LPM) launched “Where Y’all Really From” in September, in which its creators talk about their own and guests’ experiences as Asian Americans in Kentucky.

The podcast: The show’s creators, Dan Wu, Charlene Buckles, Mae Suramek and Kentucky Rep. Nima Kulkarni (D), said they named the show after a question they have all heard many times.

Wu described the question to Current as “an ‘interrogation’ that marginalizes Asian Americans because they were born in countries Kentuckians have little connection to.”
The four creators wanted to provide a platform through which they could explore topics of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) diversity and experiences in Kentucky. They are also interested in increasing AAPI representation in state media for the AAPI population in Kentucky, which the 2020 Census says is about 77,000 people.
“The main goal was to create the space for AAPI folks in Kentucky,” Rep. Kulkarni said to Current. “That was the focus because there was such a wealth of experience and diversity within the Asian American community and in Kentucky.”
In its first season, the show explored numerous Asian American Kentuckians’ stories. It featured president of the University of Louisville Neeli Bendapudi, Olympic fencers Gerek Meinhardt and Lee Kiefer, senior extension specialist at the University of Kentucky Joann Lianekhammy and Thailand refugee Ie Meh.
The show has exceeded 17,000 downloads since its debut Sept. 21 and is LPM’s fastest-growing podcast.
The show is currently working on its second season.

Featured Image via Spectrum News (left), @leetothekiefer and @gerekmeinhardt (right)

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