Shirley Le is the Vietnamese-Australian author of the book 'Funny Ethnics.' As a child, Shirley grew up watching politicians on screen push harmful rhetoric and say things like Australia had been 'swamped by Asians.' In cities Yagoona and Bankstown, she didn’t always feel like she belonged. She was called 'ethnic' often, further stigmatizing her as an outsider. That’s why she's reclaiming the word in the title of her book. "I find great joy in being empowered to take the role of storyteller." Today, she’s an important and authentic voice because of one central defiance: she is speaking from her community rather than for it.
Shirley Le is the Vietnamese-Australian author of the book 'Funny Ethnics.' As a child, Shirley grew up watching politicians on screen push harmful rhetoric and say things like Australia had been 'swamped by Asians.' In cities Yagoona and Bankstown, she didn’t always feel like she belonged. She was called 'ethnic' often, further stigmatizing her as an outsider. That’s why she's reclaiming the word in the title of her book. "I find great joy in being empowered to take the role of storyteller." Today, she’s an important and authentic voice because of one central defiance: she is speaking from her community rather than for it.