Asia Pacific Forum (APF), is a unique public affairs podcast on Asian and Asian American culture, politics, history and current events. Since its early days as a community radio program on New York’s famed WBAI, APF has produced interviews with a wide range of eminent figures in Asian and Asian American communities: emerging artists; writers and musicians; and grassroots activists campaigning for racial, economic and environmental justice.
Contact us at asiapacificforum[at]gmail.com (http://eepurl.com/dBx_6n)
Zohran Mamdani's win, AAPI voters, New York Sari (Nov 2025)
Zohran Mamdani’s stunning upset in the New York City mayoral race (https://macrodosepod.substack.com/p/f0caf063-a14f-4838-916e-d5b6a0ed0b92) appears to be a remarkable story of the rise of a political underdog, but for many New Yorkers, his victory was a longtime coming. His win, powered by about 100,000 volunteers and a groundswell of support from working-class immigrant and ethnic communities, is the culmination of years of grassroots organizing and nurturing a socialist base across the five boroughs, and long-simmering frustration with the city’s democrat party establishment.
Longtime listeners of Asia Pacific Forum will recognize some aspects of his biography. When APF came on the air on WBAI in the late 90s, Zohran had just moved to the city with his parents, Columbia scholar of postcolonial politics Mahmood Mamdani and independent filmmaker Mira Nair. The arc of his family’s life in New York embodies experiences (https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/zohran-mamdani-new-york-mayor-democrat-b2859393.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawOAHMFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFOTkk1d2EyUEpUcXI3VFFwc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHoLmCw6IFvsah6XzC5relG4n9rB60YhAnAP7uRKiWhyohCsTVJtOnHUfFOTu_aem_dfBN2Sp4yxBZOVKZEDSccA) that Asian American communities--and this show--have moved to the foreground of the city’s cultural landscape over the past generation.
We speak with campaign volunteer Morgan Richardson, Leah Wong of Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (https://www.aaldef.org/) (AALDEF) and Jagpreet Singh of DRUM Beats (https://www.drumnyc.org/) about what Zohran's win means for the city's working-class communities, the South Asian diaspora, and the national political landscape.
The New York Sari (https://www.nyhistory.org/exhibitions/the-new-york-sari) exhibit at the New York Historical Society features the Sari as a symbol of South Asian women’s struggles in the diaspora and as an embodiment of cultural power in a multicultural metropolis. Curator Salonee Bhaman with the Center for Women's History talks about the Sari's many incarnations in New York's fashion, social and political history.
20 Jan 2025
Asian American politics in the Trump Era
Professor Janelle Wong analyzes the 2024 election results and conservatism's impact on AAPI communities, while Karthikeyan Shanmugam and Ram Vishwanathan discuss Hindu supremacy and caste discrimination within South Asian American politics in this interview episode.
28 Jun 2023
Remembering Hyun Lee: A Warrior for Justice in NYC’s AAPI and LGBTQ Communities and the Korea Peace Movement
Mijounga Chang remembers Hyun Lee, a warrior for justice in NYC’s AAPI and LGBTQ communities and the Korea peace movement, highlighting her contributions as a movement leader and trusted comrade in an interview.
10 Mar 2023
Corky Lee's Legacy
Michelle Chen interviews artists Chee Wang Ng, Wai Ng, Stan Honda, Louis Chan, and Cindy Trinh, along with Corky Lee from the archives, about Corky Lee's legacy documenting activism and daily life in Chinatown.
10 Aug 2022
Confronting Caste in the South Asian Diaspora (with Paula Chakravartty and Ajantha Subramanian)
Michelle Chen interviews Paula Chakravartty and Ajantha Subramanian about caste discrimination within South Asian diaspora communities, highlighting its overlooked presence and recent high-profile cases.
23 Apr 2021
Cotton Ban in Xinjiang, Pandemic historical specificity of anti-Asian violence, and Remembering Corky Lee
This episode examines the Xinjiang cotton ban with Scott Nova, anti-Asian violence with Dr. Russell Jeung and Chris Kwok, femicide with Mila Konomos, Nayoung Kim Park, and Connie Huynh, and remembers Corky Lee through audio archives.
17 Dec 2020
December 2020-Post-election Episode: the campaigns, the voters, and the future of immigration detention under Biden
Alvina Wong, Shaw San Liu, Jerry Vattamala, and Silky Shah analyze the 2020 U.S. election's impact on Asian American communities and immigration policies, focusing on voter behavior, detention inequities, and potential changes under the Biden administration in this interview episode.
30 Aug 2020
Asia Pacific Forum August 2020
Thenmozhi Soundararajan discusses the connections between anti-caste discrimination and anti-Black racism, focusing on the South Asian American community's role in fighting both in this interview episode; Gina Anne Tam analyzes the implications of Hong Kong's new security law on political dissent; Natisu and Tarin Gonzalez reflect on militarized violence and art's role in social movements.
7 Jun 2020
Asia Pacific Forum June 2020: COVID-19, Electoral Politics and Labor; Asian Americans & Black Lives Matter; Chinatown Rent Strike, Natisu
Kim Geron, Monica Thammarath, and Alvina Yeh from the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance discuss the challenges faced by Asian American workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, economic crisis, and racial unrest in an interview.
15 Apr 2020
Pandemics, Racism, War Crimes and Climate Change
Professor Russell Jeung discusses anti-Asian violence during the pandemic, human rights lawyers address US war crimes, Basma Eid highlights activism against morally corrupt enterprises, and Peachie Dioquino Valera confronts environmental dangers in the Philippines in this episode.
Who has been a guest on Asia Pacific Forum
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Janelle Wong
Karthikeyan Shanmugam
Ram Vishwanathan
Chee Wang Ng
Wai Ng
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.5 / 5
2 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 28 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
43
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
32
Contact Asia Pacific Forum
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Questions about Asia Pacific Forum
Who hosts Asia Pacific Forum?
Michelle Chen host the show. Published by Asia Pacific Forum.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes monthly, based on its RSS feed.
Does Asia Pacific Forum take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
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