Gina Rodriguez from Jane the Virgin started Movement Mondays on her Instagram to garner support for working Latino actors. She points out that studios feel more confident in hiring Latino actors for high-profile roles if the numbers back it up. TV shows and movies with Latino actors need to pull in higher ratings and more revenue.
This approach is the same for all minorities and extends beyond the acting community—into all aspects of creative professions. Inspired by Gina, I am starting the series Monday Meetings to highlight Asian movers, shakers, and makers. We should be seeing them and hearing from them more often—not just sporadically.
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Meet Bao Nguyen (left), the first Vietnamese-American mayor of a major American city (Garden Grove, CA). He won by 15 (!!!) votes. “I want to fight to make sure people have a place at the table. That people’s voices and stories are told, because policies should never be based on special interests and lobby groups. Policies should be based on serving the people.”
Meet Hoang Xuan Vinh (right), an army colonel who is the first Vietnamese (ever!) to win a Gold Olympic medal. “On the last shot I don’t think gold or silver. I think only ‘try.'”
Photo of Nguyen (right) by Courtney Lindberg for the Los Angeles Times. Photo of Vinh (left) by Danilo Borges for brasil2016.gov. Emoji illustration by emojistickers.com.
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