Randy Kim

Randy Kim, 30’s
Chicagoland, IL
he/him

Current Role: Host and Producer of The Bánh Mì Chronicles​ Podcast, Board Member with The National Cambodian Heritage Museum

What racial, ethnic, cultural community or communities do you identify with? 
Queer Southeast Asian-American (Viet/Khmer).

When and how did your family come to the United States? Where were you born?
My parents met coming into the U.S. My dad in 1976, and my mom in 1981. I was born in the U.S.

What are the strengths and challenges of being Asian, Asian American, and/or Pacific Islander?
Honestly, I don't know if I can sum up all of it here, but "belonging" is an ongoing question we ask ourselves when we live in the diaspora. Our strength comes when we no longer live life to make others comfortable. 

What is your proudest accomplishment?
Taking the risk to live in a foreign country (Korea) that I had no connection to. I was 24 and in the midst of an economic recession with no job offers lined up. I had never traveled alone, let alone abroad, and I was in desperate need to change what was a challenging situation. Teaching abroad, not only taught me how to make decisions independently, but it made me bolder in what I wanted to experience. It changed the trajectory of where my life would be for the next 10 years.  

What is one thing you learned or appreciate from your family growing up?
Breaking cycles of generational trauma is an everyday practice.

Do you speak your family's native language? Why or why not?
I do not. It was not encouraged when I was growing up because I grew up in a predominantly white suburb and it was essential, to my parents, that in order for me to be successful, I had to be immersed with the environment that I was growing up in. 

What advice do you have for the younger generations in our Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander community?
Your liberation does not come from asking permission. It comes from demanding it and sometimes putting up the fight you need to free yourself from it.  

What gives you the greatest joy in life?
That I'm still here, asking questions. 

Are there any projects you have created that you'd like to share and promote?

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