Why isn’t there just a mechanism where you can make your own license plate, especially when you can personalize things so easily nowadays? I didn’t even realize just how deep the need was. If you have an interest in reading Always Anjali. I didn’t even realize just how deep the need was. This book reminds children, especially children with special names & names that reflect their culture, that they have absolutely no need to hide their shine. There’s definitely more books [about people of color] being published now, but it’s not happening fast enough, especially in the current climate. Shop your local indie … But my point is — somewhere down the line, people learned how to say Tchaikovsky, Michelangelo, Chekhov. ( Log Out / It’s weird to me that anyone would need to shield their kids from Always Anjali, especially when I’m been reading some of these classic books to my kids and realizing, a lot of them are really sad and disturbing. writes for Public Radio International and NBC News Asian America, and she’s the former editor of XFINITY Asia, Asia Pacific Arts and Audrey Magazine. Her name is sanskrit from India and it represents all that is powerful and beautiful about her family and her culture. can relate to the frustrations that arise from having a name that’s different and unique. We are always a reflection of those who’ve come before us and names tell the world who we are. But as she was growing up, she didn’t feel connected to her name at all, because she didn’t feel like represented her value system or her culture, and in high school, she legally changed her name to an Indian name. It is a sweet story celebrating the uniqueness we all possess and that we must not forget! He intimidates a young Indian American girl into being ashamed of her name. Interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity. Society dictates what is considered “normal” and quite often, when indigenous people and people of color (who very often have names that reflect their cultural background) are in white spaces, any bit of “difference” can lead to unkindness, bullying and racism. In fact, it is our job to make the world more bearable to them, and what better place than a parent’s or a loved one’s lap to talk about these issues? In the book, Anjali gets a new bike, and she goes with her friends to get a license plate with her name on it — but her name isn’t there. Indian America Anjali is enjoying the school carnival with her friends when they decide to all get a personalized license plate for their bikes.
But then, what do you do? Why would anyone be afraid of Always Anjali? It seems so outdated. ( Log Out / Just the other day, I let my daughter watch The Land Before Time, because I saw it said “Ages 3 and Up,” and she was hysterically crying in the first 10 minutes! Great in modeling how having a unique name can at first seem challenging, but also be embraced and celebrated. Site by, CAAM Documentaries for Social Change Fund, Sheetal Sheth may be most known for her acting work — in films like. Really? I was pregnant with my first child and trying to cultivate a library for her with books that were more inclusive, so it started with me going, “Really? ( Log Out / She hosts the podcasts Saturday School and Bullet Train, and she’s the creator of Haikus With Hotties. Great for teaching self-acceptance and empathy. Sheetal Sheth may be most known for her acting work — in films like Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World, I Can’t Think Straight, The World Unseen, Yes, We’re Open, as well as Nice Girls’ Crew, a comedy web series funded by CAAM — but what you may not know is that she’s also dedicated much of her life to doing work with students, whether it was developing high school lesson plans while volunteering with AmeriCorps or being a mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America in Los Angeles. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. The story is simple, about Anjali, a young girl bullied for her unique name. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. (laughs) Yea, being a kid is hard enough, and if you don’t feel like you fit in, if you are feeling insecure about stuff, you’re not represented books or TV, and then you go to place where, it’s like “Oooh, everyone, let’s all get something,” and you can’t get it because it’s not even available — it sucks! And I did lose jobs because of it. They were mostly about Chinese New Year, or it’s about something horrible that happened in the past. ( Log Out / I’ve done that. Always Anjali, is a children's book, but it has an experience that many people, across cultures and regardless of age, can understand. Always Anjali is a delightful story of confidence, friendship and family. Names are important.
#OwnVoices.
I was shocked that when I graduated NYU and started taking representation meetings with agents, that the first 3-4 meetings ended with “Which one of your names are you going to change?” As casually as “Fill out your address on this paper.” It was just a given, and it really stunned me. I actually think it’s really cool that in Indian American culture, parents often do give their kids Indian names, cause I think as Chinese/Taiwanese American kids, we often do get Americanized names. And every kid gets made fun of, but when you’re a kid of color, that’s something that they mark, so it affects you in a different way. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. She also shows us Anjali’s passion and frustration.
Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. They’re like, “I don’t want to give them a word they might not know,” and I’m just like, “What a luxury it is for you where you don’t have to worry about your child being spoken to this way. And you mention that you’ve had some issues with your name growing up. Copyright © 2018 Center for Asian American Media, All Rights Reserved. It brings tears to my eyes. And hopefully that’ll extend to other things, like how do you be an activist, or how do you stand up for other people? Her debut children's book, a first in a series, is about an Indian American girl named Anjali. P.S. Great for teaching self-acceptance and empathy. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi. She hosts the podcasts Saturday School and Bullet Train, and she’s the creator of Haikus With Hotties. I totally relate, because I was at the library looking for Chinese/Taiwanese children’s books for my kids, and it was exactly the same thing. ( Log Out / And if it did happen, to that degree, you could just tweet about it, and the community would be behind you. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. (Picture Book, ages 5-9). PAIR WITH. It makes my heart weep. Like kids that were sold as servants. WHERE TO PURCHASE. Everyone insisted on spelling it like the singer AALIYAH did and most people struggled with the pronunciation (AH-lia). ( Log Out / The actress is best known for her work in film and web series, but she's also dedicated much of her life to youth and working with students. I remember vividly being in a casting room on my third or fourth callback, and the casting director was saying, you are their first choice but that the director was very uncomfortable having someone of my name playing the part. P.S. , Recommended for: 2nd Grade and up
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