Dorian Smith MMMworkshop

[00:00:00] Dmae: You sure it’s kind of noisy. Can you just give me your full name and email address and I can let you know what happens with this project.

[00:00:11] Dorian: Sure. My name is Dorian Smith and my email is Dorian Dot Smith at Oregon State that you start. Is Dorian Smith. My email is Dorian Dot Smith at Oregon State edu.

[00:00:34] Dmae: I know this is you have to run but I’m just saying how can Asian Americans support Black Lives Matter better. Well what advice would you give?

[00:00:44] Dorian: I think I don’t think there is a definite answer. I think for a lot of the problems that we’re having bringing attention to issues and understanding that a lot of the systematic racism, the oppression affects all of us and trying to get people to understand that these issues that are really specific to the history of American African-Americans as a whole can be changed through policy. And I think that is really the next big step in making a change in systematic racism. So I think figuring out how we can affect policy positively. I think that will probably be the next step.

[00:01:35] Dmae: And have you ever had I guess any kind of discrimination from an Asian-American. Or anti-Blackness.

[00:01:43] Dorian: I’ve had discrimination from a lot of people. But I think that’s just part of being an American. I think the new thing now and you know I’m a 31 year old so I don’t feel too old. But just in our culture and in our music I just get called the N-word a lot by people that aren’t black and it’s such a interesting topic. So to hear that from some friends of mine that are Asian-American and that might be listening to something and think it’s cool to say that around me and don’t doesn’t exactly know how that affects me is something that I’ve had to deal with and had to have some serious conversation with and got into some some heated some heated conversations some physical some physical things so there’s that.

[00:02:40] Dorian: And I think they’re you know growing up in L.A. there’s been there’s a lot of there’s still a lot of–I wouldn’t say animosity but there is some tension there. So I think the model minority and the stereotypes in that division I think is still there. But I think there’s. You know there’s there’s work that can be made.

[00:03:07] Dmae: Are you a student here.

[00:03:09] Dorian: I am a grad student and an academic counselor.

[00:03:13] Dmae: And I I know there’s a big change from being an L.A. and being in Corvallis.

[00:03:19] Dorian: Yeah it’s definitely a change. Not to mention the weather but I think the demographics are they’ve been a challenge. Being a person of color here especially a black person here, especially a larger black person here but it’s something that you deal with. And that’s kind of that’s a story of being a black man. You have to navigate that wherever you go.

[00:03:44] Dmae: Well thank you so much I’d like to stay in touch. That’s all right. Thank you for your comments. Sure. Appreciate it. Go on