We kick off Season 2 with Ayshea Khan, former Asian American Community Archivist at the Austin History Center, Austin Public Library and current Equity & Inclusion Coordinator at the Austin Equity Office. Ayshea's worked in Austin as a storyteller, facilitator and community archivist for over 10 years and has been a longtime volunteer and collaborator with the South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA) and is proud to serve as their current Board President. She believes deeply in the history of Black, Indigenous and People of Color as a site for healing, organizing and building a more humane future.

Topics covered:

• Plant caretaking and their health being a reflection on your own health.
• The initial migration patterns of Asian Americans into Austin from the 1800s to 1950s.
• What spurred the Austin History Center to start collecting the histories of Austin's communities of color.
• Anti-Asian legislation and conferences around land ownership held in Austin in the 1920s and 1930s and protests led by local Chinese immigrants to stop racist legislation from passing.
• Ayshea's journey in the film industry, archiving industry and relationship with her own Asian American identity today.

Referenced Materials this Episode:

• Zilker Botanical Japanese Garden

• Ng Family and the Sam Wah Cafe

• South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA)

• Asian American Archive Collection at the Austin History Center

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/anatolia
License code: CTKXYDZ8R9QDK4F8