The great racial divide in our country that is happening today is nothing new. It is simply a matter of perspective. It has always been here, it has never gone away, but showing up in progressive forms. As you see the rise and continuation of the BLM protests, and those protesters being harassed and assaulted by white nationalist Trump supporters — the only thing different is that the whole world sees it in real time, thanks to modern technology. Making it increasingly difficult to control the narrative, and hide the racism.

Take the 1950s for example. Mainstream media and many…

TODAY is both #nationalcomingoutday (since 1988) and #internationaldayofthegirl (since 2012) — and I can celebrate them both! My pronouns are she/her, and I came out to myself in 1997. The first person I came out to was my now long time friend, Matthieu Korso.

Love who you are. Embrace yourself. Own your entity. Today is a good day to be honest with yourself. 🏳️‍🌈 ❤ 🎤

Read my interview with the NO H8 Campaign here.

At age 29 I “came out” to myself. It took me a while to follow my own heart. I spent most of my life trying…

If you’re not from California, then you can’t possibly imagine the devastation, loss, grief, anger, mourning, anxiety, and fear we are experiencing collectively right now. Currently, we have 28 major fires burning simultaneously. The August Complex Fire has been deemed the worst fire in California’s History.

Read: Heartbreak and Loss In Bear Fire’s Destruction

Also — here are some important things you need to know about our fires:

Most of our fires are grass fires, not forest fires. In the summer, our grass turns a beautiful golden color all over the state. Rolling, golden hills will always mean “home” to…

I watched the live action Mulan for the 2nd time tonight, and still cried during the same key scenes. I resonate so much with this film and loved every minute of it. So did my daughter. LET’S START OFF WITH THE FACT THAT IT IS AN ALL-ASIAN CAST AND DIRECTOR UNDER A MULTINATIONAL MEDIA/ENTERTAINMENT CONGLOMERATE IN AMERICA. Asian actors statistically make up less than 3% representation in film and TV.

This version holds its own; taking a more realistic approach yet still yields a sense of fantasy. The replacement of certain characters like Mushu and Shang makes sense in this…

“In times of crisis, the Wise build bridges, while the Foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another, as if we were one, single tribe.” — King T’Challa, the Black Panther.

The sequel to the Black Panther is desperately needed, now more than ever and not for the sake of the Marvel franchise; King T’Challa, the Dora Milaje, Shuri, Nakia are all vital representation for the black community. These characters are arguably the most evolved, powerful ideology to ever emerge on screen. Black Panther has set the path forward, raising the bar on how black…

(and please share this, so that many, many people see it)

I just read a post from a friend who described their experience with racism yesterday — right here, the city’s State Capitol of Sacramento, California. I am not revealing the person since their post was for friends only. Just know they are black, a registered nurse, and served in the military. I am sharing snippets of their post because it is important that we have these discussions; particularly us non-black folks. …

It’s been a few months, and there are still people who either do not understand what ‘Black Lives Matter’ represents — or, they do understand and just don’t believe their lives should matter as much as yours or mine.

Yes, it is 3 words. Three words that stand for racial equality. That demand the end of systemic racism, and racial profiling. That call for an even playing field and an open-ended invitation to sit at the table, speak up at the table, and lead the table. …

Friends have asked me how I am holding up (as I have asked them) during these uncertain times…and I would love to share my thoughts and feelings on how these past 16 weeks have been for me, personally.

I will start off by saying that I have become more exhausted, educated, and excited for the future of America in these last 6 weeks since the protests have began, than I have since the shelter in place happened. I began participating in the Sacramento protests, chanting, marching. Filming young protesters demand accountability with passion and pain, witnessing such a diverse group…