Episode 28 - Michelle Reyes
EPISODE 28 w/ Michelle Reyes
Many of you will remember Michelle Reyes from the Someday Is Here Live Event. I absolutely loved my conversation with her this week. We covered many important topics: cultural identity, the difference between ethnicity and nationality, and how she can simultaneously feel like “every Indian, some Indians, and no other Indians”. Michelle also shared how growing up bicultural has given her a high radar for others in liminal spaces. You will want to follow Michelle and track with the many places she is representing AAPI women leaders, especially in the areas of racial tension and healing.
LEARN MORE ABOUT MICHELLE
Instagram: @michelleamireyes
Twitter: @drmichellereyes
Editor & Contributor: theartoftaleh.com
ARTICLES ON INDIAN AMERICAN IDENTITY
Hope Community Church
The Art of Taleh
“It’sTime to Pass the Mic,” (in)courage, September 2019.
“JesusNever Mistakes My Identity,” (in)courage, August 2019.
“WhatDoes the Word ‘Racism’ Trigger in You?” SheLoves Magazine, March 2019.
Dr. Michelle Reyes is the vice president of AACC, Asian American Christian Collaborative, as well as a church planter, pastor’s wife, author, speaker, and activist in Austin, TX. In 2014, Michelle and her husband co-planted Hope Community Church, a minority-led multicultural church that serves low-income and disadvantaged communities in East Austin. She also serves as the local CCDA Austin Networker. Michelle has a forthcoming book with Zondervan on cross-cultural relationships. Her writings on faith and culture have appeared in Christianity Today Women, ERLC, Missio Alliance, Faithfully Magazine, and Patheos, among other publications. She and her husband have two young kids aged four and one.
FAVORITE ASIAN COMFORT FOOD
Kheer (Rice pudding)
Leadership Lesson
Know your history and background so that you can take more pride in who you are
DID YOU KNOW?
Living Out Beliefs in Public and in Private
Did you know that Kartar Dhillon was a South Asian American activist, writer, and artist in the 20th century? Born in Simi Valley in 1915, Dhillon’s father was one of the first to immigrate to the United States from Punjab. In her autobiographical works, “Parrot’s Beak” she gives a condensed glimpse of what it was like for her growing up in the early 20th century as an Asian American woman, the discrimination she faced, and the tense relationship with her mother. In her work she also highlights her experiences with racism in hospital settings, in particular as a pregnant woman and being denied health care because of her race. She also addresses issues of gender, and how she navigated her parents’, in particular her mother’s, cultural expectations and the culture surrounding her in Northern California. As she grew older, she made it a point to advocate for gender equity in both the public and private sector, starting with her home. In her autobiography, she talks about how she made it a point to ensure that she created an equitable home environment for both her son and two daughters by having them “help her according to their ability” rather than what was expected of their gender. She went on to organize for movements such as the Black Panther Party, farm workers’ rights, and the Indian Independence Movement to name a few. For her work, compassion, and tenacity, she was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Punjabi American Heritage Society.
Resources
Works Cited
Dhillon, Kartar. “The Parrots Beak.” South Asian American Digital Archive. Asian Women United of California, October 4, 2012. https://www.saada.org/tides/article/the-parrots-beak
“Kartar Dhillon.” The Daily Journal, July 12, 2017. https://www.smdailyjournal.com/obituaries/kartar-dhillon/article_d9b99ef3-42ab-5e86-93cc-67b0dabad214.html.
“Kartar Dhillon.” Pioneering PUnjabis Digital Archive. The Regents of the University of California, 2016. https://pioneeringpunjabis.ucdavis.edu/people/pioneers/kartar-dhillion/.