"We Already Belong": A Conversation With R.O. Kwon
"To Asian women, not for—there's no speaking for us, splendidly vast and manifold as our people are." So writes Korean-American novelist R.O. Kwon in an essay in Vanity Fair. The essay explores the reasons that R.O. was unable to talk openly with her own mother about rising anti-Asian rhetoric and violence in the past year, and how she finally broke that silence.
In this episode, Rough Translation producer Justine Yan talks with R.O. about what the essay meant to her, and how to break familiar silences surrounding Asian American communities.
R.O. Kwon is the author of the bestselling novel, The Incendiaries, as well as co-editor of a new anthology, Kink: Stories.
Additional Context:
- Read R.O. Kwon's essay in Vanity Fair.
- Listen to this recent Code Switch episode on anti-Asian racism.
- A sociologist's view on the hyper-sexualization of Asian women in American society.
- To learn about Asian American activism, Kwon recommends following the work of these organizations: Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Atlanta, The Disability Visibility Project, Asian American Feminist Collective, The Asian American Advocacy Fund, and Red Canary Song.
Send us an email at roughtranslation@npr.org.
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