Baos for BLM debuted on Instagram on June 21, 2020 and Kyle has been working tirelessly every week to make hundreds of buns and deliver them all over Massachusetts. As Baos for BLM heads into its last week, OCA asked Kyle to recap his experience, including the challenges he faced and how he overcame them.

SCS: First, tell me a bit about the start of Baos for BLM. How did you turn this idea into a reality?

KJL: Growing up in Massachusetts, there is no doubt that I am and will continue to have privilege as an Asian American male. Sure, there were always the ignorant comments about my “small eyes,” but for the most part it was always “I bet you’re so good at math” and “you’re definitely the smartest person I know.”

It’s indisputable that the Asian American community is plagued with racism against Black and Brown people. Although these beliefs are mostly rooted in older generations, many of these beliefs are perpetuated by Asian American kids who refuse to speak out against their elder’s views.

These issues in the Asian American community [are] what drove me to start my Massachusetts based fundraising project: Baos For Black Lives Matter. We sell handmade Chinese 包 (Bāo: Buns) to fundraise for organizations that are doing key work for Black and Brown Americans. My grandparents have been patrons, for 20+ years, of a traditional Cantonese bakery in Boston’s Chinatown. The baos sold are adapted from the recipes that they taught me. The labor is quite time-consuming and difficult because each week we bake [about] 140 baos and deliver them the day of. Luckily, I have my brother along with some cousins that help with the baking process.

SCS: How are you feeling going into the last week?

KJL: Going into the last week, I’m feeling really confident that we can reach our max amount of orders. Hopefully, when we close out, we can reach 3.5 thousand [dollars] raised. I decided to end around this week because even though it’s been a really fulfilling project, there’s been a lot of behind the scenes work that goes into it. For example, the project is 100% self-funded, so all the ingredients, boxes, and materials are purchased by me.

SCS: What does a day of operations look like?

KJL: My brother and I start by waking up at 6 AM to work on the dough. The whole baking process lasts until around 2 PM, and once we’ve packed up everything for delivery we set out on our routes which usually wraps up around 5-6 PM.

SCS: What were some challenges you encountered and how did you deal with them?

KJL: One of our main challenges has been maintaining a high standard of perfection. Since our “bakery” is my home kitchen, even one error can cost us one batch which will set us back a couple hours. Everything is handmade, the only appliance we use is the oven.

SCS: How did you get your family onboard?

KJL: My family has been onboard since the beginning. At first, it took an at length explanation on each step of the process and how the whole operation would be executed, but they’ve always been supportive of the cause and encouraging. I would like to give a special shout out to my younger brother who has been a key piece throughout this entire process. Without him, I would never have been able to generate half of the funds we reached. My cousins also came in handy with the baking process and being able to make 140 Baos in two days every week.

SCS: You started and executed this project during a global pandemic. What safety measures did you take to protect both yourself and the people who placed orders?

KJL: One of our main concerns early on was how to convey to potential customers that safety is our main priority. When baking and mixing ingredients we use the proper PPE (face masks and food safety gloves), and each bao is individually saran-wrapped. Additionally, during deliveries, we wear PPE and sanitize between every order.

SCS: Any last thoughts or things you wanted to share?

KJL: At the end of the day, the most important part of any initiative is the message that it conveys. Although the fundraising has been the backbone of the project, I would have been satisfied even if we were only able to raise $300 USD. The fact that we were able to generate that large of an impact across Massachusetts solely through social media and word of mouth means that conversations were happening. Hopefully these conversations will continue to happen, and people won’t be afraid to challenge themselves and the people around them.

I’d just like to give a shoutout to Tafari Fynn and Jennifer Cheung who have also been running successful fundraising projects of their own! It’s really heartening to see that the NYU Shanghai community has all these passionate people that have been able to make a positive impact through their own interests and passions.

Kyle’s work and his family’s dedication has resulted in over $3000 USD being raised and distributed to various BLM affiliated organizations.

Baos For BLM Instagram: instagram.com/baosforblm