The 2020 Issue: Female Gaze
Each issue we feature some of our readers to highlight the diversity and stories of Asian women around the world. Here are these issue’s ladies!
“Hi! I’m Svetha, founder and artist at Indian Curryspondence where I create punny Indian food-related greeting cards and art celebrating women of color. I work as an urban planner by day, a profession I truly love because I get to lift up the voices of vulnerable and underserved communities and advocate for safer, healthier, and more complete neighborhoods.
My work inspires me to lean into my culture as well. Being born in India but brought up in the U.S., I’ve always felt like an outsider - never truly belonging in either culture and not knowing how to identify. I felt shut out and ignored. More recently, I’ve grown to love my differences and to embrace my own unique culture of being an Indian-American.
I started Indian Curryspondence in the middle of the pandemic to help connect people through stationary but I also like to use my art platform to advocate against colorism, casteism, racism, and other issues prevalent in Indian culture. All the proceeds from my art are donated to Black Lives Matter and other nonprofit organizations supporting BIPOC.”
Mahima Chowdhury
“Feminist; aspiring journalist, human rights activist and cat-mom.”
“Aysha is a writer, poet, and advocate based in the tri-state area. Before joining the Daily Kos as a staff writer, she worked as a legal program coordinator and culturally specific sexual assault advocate for the South Asian community. Aysha is a member of the South Asian American Journalism Association and serves on the board of two non-profits. She has extensive experience working with state officials and grassroots organizations on addressing issues of violence against women, language access, and Islamophobia. Aysha’s work in state language access has allowed her to pilot and implement programs dedicated to South Asian cultural competency within the judiciary system nationwide.
As a poet and freelance writer, Aysha has been published in various publications including: Brown Girl Magazine, the Huffington Post, The Muslim Observer, Everyday Feminism, The Teal Mango, The Tempest, the New York Post’s Decider, and elsewhere. Common themes in her work include advocating for immigration reform, gender parity, feminism, xenophobia and cultural competency.”