PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Hear their rage and their message, coming from Philadelphia-based poets Yellow Rage.
"Stop trying to guess what I am. Stop trying to tell me what I'm not."
The duo, Michelle Myers and Catzie Vilayphonh, delivered their spoken-word performance 20 years ago to a standing ovation on HBO's "Def Poetry Jam."
But the poem, laced with expletives and heat, sadly remains relevant today.
(Warning: Coarse language.) Yellow Rage, poets Michelle Myers and Catzie Vilayphonh, deliver a spoken-word performance on HBO's "Def Poetry Jam."
"I see right through you, with your Tae Bo and Kung Fu."
"It's still relevant, but why, why is it still necessary?" asked Vilayphonh.
"That pain is what so many Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are facing," Myers lamented.
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The duo has performed the poem hundreds of times across the country. Now, each is doing their part to lift the Asian American Pacific Islander community here in Philadelphia.
Vilayphonh is the founder of a Philadelphia Arts organization called Laos in the House, promoting storytelling in the Southeast Asian community through art.
Myers teaches students at Community College of Philadelphia.
"It's very important to me to have this cross-cultural bridge building, so we can move forward together," said Myers.
Part of Asian Americans Making a Difference, a KYW Newsradio series in honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Each week this month, KYW's Denise Nakano will profile prominent individuals and community groups in the Philadelphia region to draw attention to the contributions of people of Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage.