LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A locally-produced podcast shares diverse stories of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders living in the Bluegrass.
The podcast is called "Where Y'all Really From?"Â Four Kentuckians started it after the 2021 Atlanta spa shooting, where a shooter killed eight people, including six Asian women. The goal was to give a voice to Asian American and Pacific Islander Kentuckians.
"Dan [Wu] is from Lexington, Mae [Suramek] is from Berea, Kentucky, and me and Nima [Kulkarni] live here in Louisville; and I grew up in Northern Kentucky," Charlene Buckles, who helped start the podcast, said.
"I've always identified as a Filipina, Kentuckian," Buckles said. "I was actually born in the Philippines, and we moved to the US when I was around five, and then my mom and I moved to Northern Kentucky when I was around seven."
"Our family moved here from India when I was six years old, so that my brother could attend the DePaul school. So, Kentucky has always held a very special place in all our hearts," Nima Kulkarni said.
A group of four Kentuckians started the "Where Y'all Really From?" podcast to bring Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders' stories to Kentucky. You can listen to Where Y'all Really From? episodes on Spotify, Apple podcasts, or NPR One. (Photo courtesy by "Where Y'all Really From" podcast)
Kulkarni came up with the podcast idea, which is in its second season, and Buckles introduced it to Louisville Public Media. She thought it was an important issue to tackle after the Atlanta spa shooting.
"There was really this awakening almost, I think, for many AAPI communities," Buckles said.
From there, the podcast launched in September 2021.Â
"Nothing like this has really been done in Kentucky, and it's helpful for our AAPI community to know that somebody's listening that people are interested and aware of how important their stories are," Kulkarni said. "I think it helps people that are outside the API community understand that everybody, including their neighbors, has a really rich history and experience that they should know as well."
The quartet interviews people one on one to share their unique experiences. So far, they've interviewed more than 25 Kentuckians, some of Japanese, Chinese, and Pakistani descent.
"Kentucky isn't known as the most diverse state in our nation, but there are so many rich histories and stories and experiences here, not just in Louisville but all throughout our commonwealth. I thought that our podcast was a great way to sort of highlight some of those stories and let folks know who lives in their communities," Kulkarni said.
A group of four Kentuckians started the "Where Y'all Really From?" podcast to bring Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders' stories to Kentucky. You can listen to Where Y'all Really From? episodes on Spotify, Apple podcasts, or NPR One. (Photo courtesy by WDRB Reporter Molly Jett)
"The hope is that others do hear these stories, and they feel seen and they feel like they're not alone. It really was for our community or AAPI community to listen and to hear, but many of the themes really transcend the AAPI community. We're talking about relationships with parents, our relationship with our partners. The hope is that everyone sees themselves, and that the stories humanize each other and find some kind of bond within that," Buckles said.
During the 2020 U.S. Census, there were more than 108,000 Kentuckians with Asian and Pacific Islander identities.
You can listen to Where Y'all Really From? episodes on Spotify, Apple podcasts, or NPR One.
The podcast is in it's second season. Each episode is about 16 to 42 minutes long.
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