‘Crazy Rich Asians’ is Not a Radical Win for Representation
"Crazy Rich Asians" promotes the ongoing systematic erasure and oppression of Singapore minorities on a global screen.
By Sangeetha Thanapal
After the trail...
South Asian
21st Century Colonization: Becky Came For Our Bindis and Our Chai
I live in Boulder too, and no, cafés aren’t going to sell very good chai. You know who might? A Desi friend, if she had one.
By Nami Thompson
On Bollywood s...
Non-Black People of Color Are Salty About Black Panther’s Success
Instead of viewing Black Panther’s success as an opportunity to complain about something that is lacking in our communities, non-Black people of color should ap...
Dear Non-Black Asian-Americans: We Need to Stop Appropriating AAVE
Dear non-Black Asian-Americans (and other non-Black folks), we have a real issue with appropriating AAVE, and it needs to stop.
AAVE stands for African America...
Why Making Space for South Asian Culture is a Civil Rights Issue
As hate crimes against South Asians continue to rise, we need to dispel stereotypes and wear our voices.
By Rachna Shah
On Sept. 4, 1907, a mob of around 4...
No Thank You, Apu — Don’t Come Again.
No matter how “beloved” Apu may be, it’s time for him to go.
While I appreciate The Simpsons’ place as iconic in the canons of American pop culture, I have nev...
South Asian Spaces Need To Be Inclusive Of Kashmiris Without Tokenization
Carving out space for Kashmiris to exist authentically has been difficult. Even in the safest and most welcoming of spaces, I have found myself cornered by a co...
“Stranger Things 2” is a Working Example of Allyship
In spite of this being a terrifying monster story and a cautionary tale about messing with the very fabric of our time and space, Stranger Things 2 was far more...
The Problem with Priyanka Chopra and South Asian Anti-Blackness
If South Asians only respond to racism when it is directed at them, rather than when it is wielded against people more vulnerable than them, they will forever b...
The Unavoidable Whiteness of the New ‘Twin Peaks’
I could no longer ignore a glaring fact about Lynch’s new Twin Peaks: It is fueled by troubling cultural appropriation.
I’ve been a serious and passionate Twin...
Learn About The Anti-Patriarchy Demon Who Killed Bad Husbands
If I am to live through an afterlife it should be as a churel demon, so I can seek vengeance on behalf of mistreated women across the globe.
By Sarah Khan
L...
Black and Brown Sisters Are Doing Visual Media For Themselves
The future is color.
When the dominant visual media paradigm is one of hegemonic whiteness, there are a limited number of choices for women of color....
Hasan Minhaj’s “Homecoming King” and the Audacity of Equality
Hasan Minhaj's eloquence and ability to reflect on micro and macro levels is so inspiring. I feel transformed for the better after spending an hour and change w...
Silicon Valley And South Asian Communities Keep Protecting Misogynists. Why?
After a South Asian tech CEO abused his wife and daughter, he only got a slap on the wrist. She faces ostracism. This has to change.
(Content warning: discussi...
Desi-Founded, Women-Run Luminoustudios is Fighting the Film Industry’s Patriarchy Problem
"At Luminoustudios, we’re very passionate about shattering the glass ceiling and giving more opportunity to women in the film industry."
Meet Reema Dutt, one-h...
This White Woman’s “Protest Saris” Are Peak Appropriation
When brown women wear saris, salwar kameez or hijab, they are told to "go home." But when a white woman does it, she's celebrated. That's appropriation.
https:...
Good South Asian Girls Don’t Have Tattoos (And That’s Why I’m Covered in Them)
My tattoos are a living ribbon connecting me to a sisterhood of “bad” or non-conforming South Asian girls who negotiate the same slippery slopes of multi-cultur...
Stop Shooting Brown People — Whether They’re Muslims or Not
The fact that President Trump refuses to condemn these hate crimes across the board in a timely manner only emboldens those who have their own crimes in the wor...
Hindus, It’s Time to Stand Up For Your Muslim Brothers and Sisters
There is a long history of tension between Hindus and Muslims. After President Trump's executive order, it's time to set that aside and support Muslims.
by San...
The Complicated and Sometimes Racist History of Referring to South Asians as “East Indian”
"East Indian" is a remnant of archaic geopolitical Eurocentric positioning and shouldn’t be used at all in a modern context, unless you are talking about people...
Where are all the South Asians in Dystopian Films and TV?
No South Asians survived into the future world of The 100.
A few months ago, a Facebook friend recommended the dystopian show The 100 because of a supposed ...
Bollywood’s Amitabh Bachchan: Admit it, You’re a Feminist
Amitabh Bachchan.
In conjunction with the release of his new courtroom drama Pink, Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan recently released a powerful video b...
“Good Girls Marry Doctors” Anthology Unveils South Asian Women’s Fraught Lives
Growing up South Asian American without any representation in film, television or even mainstream books, you become an expert at seeing yourself in the stor...
Mindy Kaling’s Brother Slut-Shamed Her to Distract From His Bizarre Race Experiment
Left: Mindy Kaling. Right: Her brother, Vijay Chokal-Ingam.
Mindy Kaling is not just one of the most successful South Asians in show business at the moment,...