China ft. Mengwen Cao

Welcome to who we are, a multicultural storytelling podcast hosted by Maya Kalaria. We share decolonization stories and healing journeys of cultural reclamation, finding identity and belonging in the wake of colonialism. We explore social justice through reclaiming our own narratives. In this episode, Meng shares some poignant stories from their family members and ancestors, as well as one of the Chinese mythological stories that shaped them. We explore what it means to be someone who was born on their ancestral lands, but now lives in the United States, where Asian people are still considered an ethnic minority and have to face the persecution and violence that this can bring. We touch on how European ‘influence’ left its mark on some of the prevailing cultural mindsets that still impact people today, and how Meng is ultimately reclaiming their body, mind and spirit from systems of oppression. We speak of opening our hearts and embodying wisdom, which is something Meng does so powerfully.Find Meng's work here and @mengwencao