the zine series guiding self healing, rage, and community care for Asian femmes
written and gathered by Samantha Skinner
Yellow Pearls is a zine series for Asian American femmes to heal, rage, and learn about community care.
Yellow Pearls is made of research, cathartic activities, and insightful interviews with Asian Femmes working in activism and culturally informed healing modalities to radically shift the conversations around mental health in the Asian American community.
With high rates of depression, anxiety, suicide, and low rates of seeking help, Asian American women and femmes are struggling disproportionately with mental health. There is a need to recognize the intersection of injustices that Asian American women and femmes experience! Let’s learn histories of care and anti racist and anti patriarchal activism that we have inherited. Let’s take action for ourselves while forming a bridge to other marginalized groups.
So many of us in the Asian diaspora feel isolated in our struggles. This zine is an invitation to connect, transform, and heal. Our ancestors were survivors, healers, dreamers, and so much more. We honor their sacrifices by both continuing their legacy and doing what many didn’t have the opportunity to do; stand firmly in our boundaries, slow down, and protect our joy!
issue one: self healing
Reach within and acknowledge the intersecting oppressions you experience and how it may affect your mental health.
Read mini-lessons about the radical roots of Asian American identity, Black feminist tradition that has guided Asian American feminism, and mental health statistics.
Listen to an interview with kwonyin, a Korean American emotional guide as she talks about her relationship with mental health and her journey to becoming a healing guide for Asian femmes.
And to integrate all of the lessons and wisdom, try the cathartic Mirror Ritual created by kwonyin.
44 Page | 5” x 8” Zine
“In order to change/transform the world, [people] must change/transform themselves.” - Grace Lee Boggs
issue two: channeling rage
Depression has been described as anger turned inwards. Instead of suppressing anger and turning it on ourselves, what if we used that energy to confront the injustices and boundary crossings that cause the anger?
I talk with interdisciplinary artist, Yumi Sakugawa, and life coach, June Kaewsith, about creating ritual to channel rage, thinking about what kind of ancestor you want to be, and their personal stories with mental health and healing work.
“My story can unchain someone else’s prison.” - Patricia Dsouza
issue three: community
By working to transform yourself and meet your own needs, and by confronting injustices that cause justified rage, the next step I would encourage is to take action for others in our community who are suffering from systemic oppression. A vital part of this work is understanding the systemic power dynamics that affect us as individuals and connect us as a collective.
I talk with community organizer, Michelle Ling, of NYC based activist group Yellow Jackets Collective about political and activist histories we have inhereted, and carrying them on towards collective liberation.
Coming Soon