By Molly Lindstrom ‘21, A&E Editor 

On Sunday, February 28th, Chloe Zhao made history when she became the first Asian person to accept the Golden Globe for best director. Amidst her excitement and gratitude for the award, Zhao was asked to share her thoughts on the recent rise in hate crimes towards the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Zhao reflected on the motivation behind this hatred: “I sometimes feel like people with so much hate, maybe they just hate themselves.” She also said, “Understanding and trying to see the world from the other person’s perspective is the only way we can survive as a species.” 

The “perspective” Zhao refers to is largely influenced by Hollywood’s portrayal of different characters to its global audience. The problem, however, is that Hollywood still struggles with accurately representing diverse characters. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) West’s Asian American Writers Committee issued a statement demanding that the entertainment industry do its part in eliminating the hurtful stereotypes of AAPI that contribute to and reinforce the racist stigma against them:

“Instead of celebrating our communities, Hollywood has often perpetuated negative stereotypes of Asian Americans that exacerbate racist, anti-(Asian American/Pacific Islander) sentiment: constant portrayals of us as terrorists and criminals; mockery of our accents, food, and clothing; depictions of us as dirty, backwards, savage (and in need of white “saviors”); whitewashing of our stories; and refusals to let us write the narratives of our own people. These portrayals have created false narratives about who we are and our role as American citizens.”

In response to the WGA’s statement, several entertainment corporations such as Netflix, Sony Pictures, and HBO Max have spoken out on social media in solidarity with Asians and have called for the end to AAPI hate, all using the hashtag #StopAsianHate. However, well-respected celebrities are the ones in the industry doing the most work to amplify AAPI voices and condemn the violence. In fact, the movement to stop Asian hate only gained the national media attention it deserved thanks to the social media outcries of celebrities and activists. Celebrities across all disciplines of the entertainment industry, including K-pop group BTS, Broadway’s Ashley Park, and Allure Magazine’s editor-in-chief Michelle Lee, have used their platforms to share personal experiences of racism and spread awareness. “Entertainers reach and educate a different audience than civil rights advocates like us can. We would not have the same awareness without them speaking up,” explained John C. Yang, president of Asian Americans Advancing Justice. 

Michelle Wong ‘21 provided an AAPI perspective on the influence of the entertainment industry on this issue. She stated, “I think that responses and support from big entertainment figures have definitely helped raise awareness and start conversations. I think that the responses towards what the AAPI community is experiencing is doing more good than harm because not many people realize that what people are experiencing isn’t just something currently going on but something that has occurred in society for years.” I also asked her if she wished there was anything more the industry could do to offer support to the AAPI community, to which she replied: “Something I wished I could see more are responses from celebrities who don’t identify with the AAPI community. Most of the news about celebrities either holding meetings or making donations to AAPI organizations that I see are celebrities who identify as Asian (for example Ken Jeong recently donated to an organization). There are a lot of celebrities who don’t identify as Asian that have helped so much with raising awareness, and overall I think that the community has been very effective in creating an impactful voice for Asian Americans.” Ultimately, thanks to the celebrity amplification of AAPI voices, this movement has gained a stronger national awareness than ever before. Yet we must not become complacent. Our work is not over.