variety.com: One thing is for certain, the work that is already being done by AAPI-led organizations in the industry is going to continue — and that’s the underlying message. Nothing is going to change. If anything, the stories are going to get better, and there are going to be more.
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Diverse stories make the world more accepting and loving. To learn what it is like for an incarcerated person of color and their struggles is only available through stories and their experiences. I a white man, cannot represent this experience. Because my life and my experience are similar but different in very unique ways. I don’t know what racism is, I don’t know what it feels like to know that a part of the history of the nation we call home locked my ancestors in a conservation camp due to fear of people who looked similar to them did. These details exist in the subtext that can only be articulated through a dramatic telling of the experience. We as humans live dramatic lifes but without the articulation of details that Theatre, Film, and literature can articulate is missed in the day to day life. But in today's world especially looking at what is happening with mass deportations, and extremely violent rhetoric these stories need to be seen and represented. We as artists need to create now and not let our fear limit the stories we choose to produce.
I feel both inspired and challenged by the AAPI community’s resilience and their focus on storytelling as a tool for cultural advocacy. As someone passionate about creative fields and social justice, I can’t help but admire how AAPI leaders are transforming political adversity into opportunities for growth and representation. The idea that “you have to take your broken heart, and turn it into art,” as Bing Chen quoted, resonates deeply. It reminds me that creativity thrives in moments of struggle and can be a powerful response to injustice. What struck me most was the emphasis on storytelling not just as a reaction to societal issues, but as a way to lead change. AAPI filmmakers are reframing their community’s struggles into stories that humanize and educate. As the passage mentions, storytelling humanizes communities before policies can be transformed. It encourages me to consider how I can use my own skills to create spaces for diverse voices.
There are two quotes in this article that really stood out to me. The first was Michelle Sugihara saying, “‘the importance of storytelling and humanizing our communities as people, and not just as numbers and statistics.’” While statistics are important, I find that so often things get hidden behind the numbers. Life and beauty and joy is so often bypassed for percentages. I agree with Sugihara that telling these stories that show the joy, the love, the fun, in conjunction with the struggles of life is how we make sure we are not buried by numbers. We are people. The second quote that stood out to me was “‘You have to take your broken heart, and turn it into art’ across party lines, communities, and continents.” I find that hurt can create a fire inside me, and I can use that fire to create. Sometimes art can shout louder than words, and I think that’s what we need right now. Something louder than words.
When Trump won I just got taken back to 2020 when he made it a terrifying country to be Asian. At least where I live, Asian people were getting hit, stepped on, and beaten by Trump supporters who believed every Chinese person was a biological item of warfare attempting to kill everybody. Staying inside and wearing sunglasses when out and about was very common during the pandemic years because attempting to avoid being told to eat bat soup somewhere else or go back to Chins was around every corner. It’s nice the entertainment industry is recognizing what Trumps reelection means to the AAPI community and every non-white person in this country as he fosters a sentiment and image of hate that is often hard to outweigh. When Trump won it was at first confirmation that this is a white man’s world and that non-white people were going to have suffer the consequences of his unfiltered mouth. However, I now hope that the years will pass quickly and that organizations like CAPES and others listed in the article will be able to resist his looming campaign.
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