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Latina to Latina

Remix: Why Carmen Rita Wong Isn’t Afraid to Tell All

Latina to Latina

LWC Studios

Aliciamenendez, Entrepreneurship, News, Entertainment News, 519788, Business, Latinas, Lantiguawilliams, Latinos, Hispanics, Society & Culture

4.8618 Ratings

🗓️ 19 May 2025

⏱️ 20 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Questions about the identity of her biological father led the author on a deeper quest for answers about who she is and what motivated her mothers’ omissions. Carmen details the journey in her new memoir, Why Didn’t You Tell Me? Follow Carmen on Instagram @carmenritawong. If you loved this episode, listen to Why Novelist Xochitl Gonzalez Isn't Done Being Ambitious and How Author Alexis Daria is Complicating Our Notions of Romance. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter! Founded by Dr. Howard Murad, M.D., Murad Skincare is a line of clinically proven, cruelty-free products that meet the meticulous standard for safety, efficacy and care you'd expect from a doctor. Use promo code LATINATOLATINA for 20% off plus free shipping on orders over $60 at Murad.com. This episode is sponsored by MAUI MOISTURE®. All of MAUI MOISTURE® vegan haircare products are made with 100% Aloe Vera as the first ingredient to hydrate hair across the curl spectrum. They have everything you need for wash day and general upkeep; Shampoos and Conditioners, Treatments, Oils, and Stylers that leave hair flake-free with no residue! For a limited time, Latina to Latina listeners get 15% off select MAUI MOISTURE® products on Amazon. Buy your new favorite hair products and take advantage of the special offer only open to our listeners. Just visit the link created for our show: tiny.cc/mauimoisture

Transcript

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0:00.0

We continue with our special playlist to celebrate the incredible women who've been on this show.

0:05.3

Enjoy.

0:12.5

If the question of who we are must be answered in part by the people we come from,

0:18.2

what do we do when those people are not reliable narrators? That question is at the

0:23.1

heart of Carmen Rita Wong's new memoir, why didn't you tell me? It is a quest for answers about who

0:29.0

she is, where and who she comes from, and the mystery of her mother's secrets.

0:46.7

Carmen, my love you did it.

0:47.5

Congratulations.

0:49.0

Oh, my gosh.

0:50.8

Thank you so much.

0:58.0

Carmen, tell me about the man who growing up you understood to be your biological father.

1:05.5

You're talking about Poppy Wong. He was a Chinese merchant marine who stepped off a Norwegian shipping vessel in the early 50s in Manhattan on a pier with the shirt on his back and just went into Chinatown and started a new life.

1:17.4

So I knew him as this guy who kind of came in and out of my childhood, my early childhood life, but he was always a presence.

1:27.4

He liked to, you know,

1:29.3

peel off dollar bills. One of the ways he showed his love was doing that and taking my brother

1:37.1

and I out to Chinatown. And he was a big influence on my life. He definitely caught me some

1:42.6

hustle. In what ways growing up did you experience yourself or your identity as being Dominican Chinese?

1:50.9

It's such an interesting question because it was so natural that it's almost like I need to think about it.

1:57.2

And I'll tell you why.

1:57.9

People say Dominican Chinese, that's crazy.

2:00.4

Like how could that be natural? Well, uptown Manhattan, you know, we were an extended Dominican

2:06.5

family immigrant who settled within kind of like a couple of blocks, right? So my Tia's and my cousins

...

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