Episode 116
#116 - Striving For Justice with Quoc To
The United States is going through a massive reckoning and a crucial awakening regarding racial injustice in the middle of a global pandemic. Suffice it to say, it can be overwhelming for many of those who have been bearing the brunt of the struggle for many years leading up to this particular moment. In another light, perhaps they've also been primed to be stalwart leaders and eye-opening educators to help uphold the rest of us who are playing major catch up to assist in the work. In this episode, Minji sits down with her former Public Health co-worker and now public defender Quoc To. Quoc is a Sacramento trial lawyer with a tremendous heart for social justice and a unique perspective as a Vietnamese refugee who grew up as a minority in the complex racial American landscape. His clients come from a range of backgrounds and varying levels of privilege or disenfranchisement. Quoc walks Minji through his work going to defend the defenseless and vulnerable in the criminal justice system. He reflects on the significance of this moment and the many layers of history, policy, and cultural influence that has brought us here. Together they unpack their personal biases, their resolve to do what they can, some strategic ideas of impact, and how to show up in their respective ways in the fight for justice.
This week's guest:
- Quoc To
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Music included in this episode is "Uzutrap" from by Uzuhan
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This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective
Produced by @marvinyueh
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Don't miss an all AAPI production of HENRY VI: A Trilogy in Two Parts at The Public in NYC
The National Asian American Theatre Company’s acclaimed production of HENRY VI: A TRILOGY IN TWO PARTS brings an all-AANHPI cast to The Public Theater for a decades-spanning saga of Joan of Arc, warring dukes, and the bloody birth of the War of the Roses. Adapted by Stephen Brown-Fried, this is Shakespeare like you've never experienced it. Part 1: Foreign Wars opens with a king dead, an infant on the throne, and a country already coming apart at the seams. Part 2: Civil Strife picks up nearly 30 years later...and the bloodbath is yet to come. Simmering feuds explode into the War of the Roses, and nothing will ever be the same. Performances from June 9 through July 19! Use code H6BC for $59 tickets!
