May 12, 2005

• I came across an interesting article in the march 14, 2005 edition of Newsweek.  It is entitled, "Why Can't a Black Actress Play the Girlfriend?" by Allison Samuels.  If you get a chance, look it up.  The first line in the article says, "'I learned early on,' says a black actor whose well-known name he asked us not to use, 'to ask that my wife or girlfriend, if I have one in the film, be African American.  If I didn't, she wouldn't be.  I'm pretty sure Matt Damon and Tom Cruise don't have to ask for a white actress'"  Pretty damning, if you ask me.  Let's take the step further.  African Americans encapsulate a larger niche in the entertainment industry than do Asian Americans and Latino Americans.  Not that it makes it right.  It's just that once again, the Asian American community was overlooked in this article.  The "invisible minority" label strikes again.

  
  

  Of course, there are individuals and groups that are working to fight that every day.  One event that comes to mind is Prime Image Media Group, who puts on the Asian American Music Conference.  There are also all of our talented folks out there, like Jessica Hagedorn, Bruce Lee, Lou Diamond Phillips, Immij, I Was Born With Two Tongues, and Touch, who I must include because they "paved the way for Filipino boy groups" according to one of my friends, and just all the folks that represent  or represented for us "invisible" folks.

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