Grace Ly (born in 1979) is a French writer, podcaster and anti-racist and feminist activist.[1]
Early life
Ly's parents are Cambodian Chinese. They fled the Khmer Rouge regime and arrived to France in the 1970s.[2] In Grenoble, her father initially ran an Asian food restaurant. Ly and her family were the only Asians in their neighborhood. When Ly was 6 years old, her family moved to Paris.[3] Ly studied law and subsequently worked for eight years for an entertainment company, in France and in London. She however did not find the corporate job fulfilling.[3]
Focus on stereotypes about Asians
In 2011, Ly launched the blog Petite Banane (Little Banana) dedicated to food.[4][3] The blog evolved from food to also discuss racial stereotypes that are associated with Asian food and Asian communities more broadly. This led Ly to launch the web-series Ça reste entre nous (It Stays Between Us).[2] In her work, Ly denounces the model minority myth and the corrosive effect of positive stereotypes often associated with the Asian community in France.[4] Imitating accents is one form of casual racism that Ly considers as offensive.[5] Ly's first novel Une jeune fille modèle (A model young girl) was published in 2018.[3] The book is a work of fiction inspired by her personal story.[2]
Anti-racist work
In 2018 Ly launched the podcast Kiffe Ta Race (Love Your Race) together with the French journalist Rokhaya Diallo.[4][6] Ly cites among her influences author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.[2]
References
- ^ Chouaki, Yasmine (15 January 2022). "Histoire et race avec Grace Ly". rfi (Radio France Internationale). Retrieved 17 August 2022.
- ^ a b c d Durand, Catherine (April 2021). "Grace Ly : "Je ne laisse plus rien passer"". Marie Claire (in French). Retrieved 17 August 2022.
- ^ a b c d Callier, Cédric (14 February 2019). "Grace Ly, pour que les Asiatiques de France aient enfin voix au chapitre". Madame FIGARO (in French). Retrieved 17 August 2022.
- ^ a b c EU Scream (16 August 2022). "Model minority myths". EU Scream for EUobserver. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
- ^ Gourdon, Jessica (22 January 2022). "Grace Ly, autrice : « Quand ma mère me parlait devant l'école, j'entendais les moqueries, les imitations d'accent »". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 17 August 2022.
- ^ Abboud, Leila (3 September 2021). "Popular podcast asks France if it really is 'colour blind'". The Financial Times. Paris. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
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