brilliant boba

amplifying asian voices

Brilliant Boba is a unique resource for educators to center Asian American voices in their classrooms through art and narrative. It gives students and educators new ways to reflect on how we can build community and empathy through experiencing others’ perspectives.

This bite-sized resource kit was designed by artists and educators to easily integrate Asian American voices, social-emotional learning, and art into learning spaces facilitating empathy and creative thinking. These activities are meant to spark thinking, creativity, and learning in a short amount of time. Rather than immediate change, this resource kit acts as seeds for learning and empathy.

Educators can choose their own story or artwork or use a ready-made plan. Our kit gives both learner and educator agency to choose how they engage with Brilliant Boba.

All brilliant boba resources are free of use. Please credit artists and storytellers when applicable.

This project is funded by the International Association of New Haven and the Yale Community for New Haven Fund.

Terminology note: Currently, this project exclusively uses the term “Asian American” as an umbrella term. While our project does not encompass the entirety of the Asian American community; it is a representation of the individuals we worked with whose stories lie at the heart of this project. It is our hope to continue to expand this project to tell more histories of individuals in this important and resilient community.

If you wish to give feedback to the design team about the project or website, please contact us here.

History is not just the capital-H history that is taught in school. History is also the stories that we live everyday that shape who we are, how we interact with the world, and how we are seen. This lowercase-h history is just as important but often left out. Everyone can be a historian because everyone has a history to tell.

These stories tell us the history of a few of the many Asian Americans in Connecticut. Told in their own words, these unique histories unveil an important part of the shaping of our community. These important historians have penned and read aloud their stories to give others the opportunity to learn but also to have the courage to tell their own.

The stories below are a selection of the collection. See the full collection of stories (audio and text) here.

These pieces of artwork were created by local Connecticut artists. While they are inspired by others’ stories, each artist has imbued their own work with their personal history as well.

All of our artists have created something that showcases the importance of creativity in learning. Finding ways to express oneself, exploring the possibilities, our artists have created a beautiful repository of artwork that is easily integrated into any learning space.

Each photo links to the artist’s work on Google Drive.

Below are a few examples of how to use the stories and/or artwork in your classroom. We also encourage educators to riff off of what is here and design something that works best for your learners. Please share with the design team any suggestions or comments or creations from students here.

Create Your Own Munjado: Korean Letter Painting

Munjado, the Korean folk letter painting, is a type of painting where the calligraphed letters are drawn with the symbolic graphics representing the meaning of the letter. Although the traditional Munjado mostly depicts Chinese characters, the genre of letter painting originates from Korea during the Joseon dynasty in the 18th and 19th centuries. They usually show the Chinese characters that represent traditional Confucian virtues. See the full activity here.

Artist Statement

Names are a fundamental part of one’s identity. Many Asian Americans have a shared experience of having hard times establishing this basic part of their identity—people would question their names, their identity, and eventually where they belong. However, while having to navigate the duality of identity as “Asian” and “American” is indeed a challenge, it also opens up an expansive possibility of exploring and embracing a multiplicity of one’s identity. Read Jisun’s full process and thinking here.

A Musical Prodigy and Matriarch by Clara Shen and Family

They listened to stories that “Gma” or “GGma” told about her life: her childhood in Oregon, the “perfect” Cantonese she picked up from her father’s business associates in his dry-goods store, modeling for magazines and poster art, lessons from her brief career as a concert pianist, teaching piano in Hamden during the later years of her life, perusing shops in Maine for exceptional Chinese antiques, and many other remarkable tales. A favorite story was when Clara gave a piano recital at Yale University’s Sprague Hall and while pedaling, her heel was caught in a dent previously made by a cello’s endpin. (full story text here; audio here)

Questions to Explore (pick one or let learners choose)

• What did you feel while you read or listened to this story?

• Does this story remind you of anything or anyone?

• If you were part of this story, who would you be and why?

• Create your own

Response Options (pick one or let learners choose)

• Paired discussion

• Writing

• Drawing

• Acting

• Create your own

Alternative: Use Kaitlin Tan Fung’s artwork to explore this story

Kaitlin was inspired by Clara Shen’s story. See Kaitlin’s suggested activity here.

What Fills My Bowl

What makes you you? What defines a person? Who are the important people that influence you? Explore what fills your bowl with Zulynette’s activity. See the full activity here.

Artist Statement

I was inspired by a common thread in many of the stories I read from the Brilliant Boba Project - we are being handed stories, lessons, memories, skills, and more from those who came before us. These things shape our identities, who we are, and how we relate to the world. This activity is meant to help you identity and share those things visually OR in another way that feels aligned with you.

Alternative: Use Zulynette’s artwork to explore the story

See Zulynette’s video version of Gloria Han’s story here.

Read Gloria’s story here or listen here.

The Brilliant Boba stories are from Asian and Asian Americans living in Connecticut and reflect the way Asian and Asian Americans are woven into the fabric of American society and history. This condensed history of Asian American history (compiled by Immigrant History Initiative) places the Brilliant Boba stories within the larger context of Asian American history. This history starting in 1850 and spanning through 2020 presents 16 important historical moments that have shaped how Asian and Asian Americans exist, experience, and interact with life in America. It is broken into four major themes:

1. 1800s Asian Migration & Exclusion

2. Early Asian American Activism

3. U.S. Military Action in Asia

4. Modern Immigration from Asia & Today’s AA Communities

Educators can view the full timeline and each theme page below. They are also available to download here.

Printable versions (letter size paper) are available to download here. Please note printable versions have slightly shortened text descriptions.

A huge thank you to all the members of the design team who helped bring Brilliant Boba to life. This would not be possible without the creative knowledge and expertise of these artists and educators.

Funders

International Association of New Haven

As an independent charitable foundation, the International Association of New Haven is committed to funding programs that enhance and promote cultural understanding in our diverse community.

Founded in 1949 as "The International Center," it was originally established as an organization that provided housing to students, scholars, and their families from all over the world. It quickly became a hub of communal activities not only among its residents but also between the international and local communities of greater New Haven.

In 2005, upon the sale of the house, we reorganized in 2007 as the International Association of New Haven (IANH), a grant-giving organization supporting local projects that enhance and promote international understanding, thus keeping the spirit of the International Center alive.

Since its inception as a grant-giving foundation, the International Association of New Haven has awarded more than $200,000 in grants to support programs in the New Haven area.

Yale Community for New Haven Fund

In March 2020, Yale University announced the establishment of the Yale Community for New Haven Fund in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in our city and distributed funds to non-profit organizations providing food, shelter, personal protective equipment, educational assistance, the delivery of healthcare, and assistance to businesses in the local area. 

The fund is managed by Yale’s Office of New Haven Affairs and is overseen by an advisory committee. Yale has also engaged in regular consultation with both the United Way of Greater New Haven and the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven to provide the best support to those in need.