A Conversation with Educator, Speaker, and Author Dr. Sarah-SoonLing Blackburn

Asian American History 101

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 13! Today’s guest is Dr. Sarah-SoonLing Blackburn, an author, educator, speaker, and professional learning facilitator. Born in Bangkok, Thailand into a mixed-race Malaysian Chinese and white American family, she’s a classic “third culture kid.” She’s had a very diverse upbringing, living in various East and Southeast Asian countries as well as the Washington DC area. Sarah moved to the Deep South in 2009, and she has now lived there longer than anywhere else.

We’re so excited about the release of her book Exclusion and the Chinese American Story that is launching on March 26th 2024 (so available now!). It’s intended for middle grade students aged 10 and up, but it’s great for everyone. Exclusion and the Chinese American Story is part of the Race to the Truth series of books and helps tell the Chinese American experience in an engaging, relatable way for kids and adults to connect with. We love how she selected the narrative of what topics to include in the book… not to mention her use of deep questioning. Her intentionality and thoughtfulness makes the book so powerful.

We talk about her thinking behind the questions, how she chose topics for the book, her hopes for the ways the book could be used, and a lot more. We also discuss her career, including reflections on her facilitation of workshops, common mistakes with Diversity and Inclusion, and even the session she does focused on Survivor (the TV Show). If you’re looking for a great book for kids (or the kid in you), pick up a copy of Exclusion and the Chinese American Story. You can also support and learn by visiting Dr. Sarah-SoonLing Blackburn’s site, following her on Instagram and LinkedIn, engaging her to help your workplace culture through diversity and inclusion, and listening to the conversation.

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