AAP at Our Table: Taking Pride in My Mixed Asian Identity (w/ Charlene Behal)

Written By Tracy Wendy

EPISODE 30 — 14 JANUARY 2023

 
“Looking at the family dynamics on TV, I thought, this is so different to my family, my family must not be normal.”
— Charlene

ABOUT THE EP

This episode is the fourth part of a collaboration between A Seat at Our Table & the Asian Australian Project (AAP). AAP at Our Table is a five part series where we sit down with various members of AAP, take a look behind the scenes, and get to know the diverse stories that make up the organisation.

Charlene Behal, Writer at AAP, is an Asian Australian of Indian, Vietnamese and Filipino heritage. We chat to Charlene about her upbringing, the conflicting dialogues she has about her identity, the impact of not seeing ourselves represented in media, and how she learnt to embrace her mixed Asian Australian identity personally and professionally.

 

THE DETAILS

Episode outline:

1. Growing up as a mixed Asian Australian in Melbourne

2. Discovering the Asian Australian community

3. Pursuing a career in media and arts

4. Why media representation of mixed identities matters

5. The impact Charlene aims to have as a writer

 

ABOUT AAP

The Asian Australian Project (AAP) is a not-for-profit initiative run by and for young Asian-Australians and more broadly, Asians Between Cultures (ABCs): those who grow up sharing cultural influences from both the East and the West.

Living in a multicultural society like Australia is a unique and often confusing experience for many ABCs. AAP wants to help facilitate their journey in growing their awareness and understanding of the nuances of these unique cultural experiences while nurturing a surrounding network and community.

 
 
Tracy Wendy
Previous

AAP at Our Table: Advocacy as Everyday Action (w/ Mike Yee)
Next

Lessons from 2022