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<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="14010053" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="filmmaker" source="Orion">Filmmaker</keyword> Justin Chon has spun emotional tales in several indie darlings over his two-decade-long career.</li><li>The "Pachinko" director made it his mission to make his Asian American centered narratives relatable to all.</li></ul>Director, actor, and screenwriter Justin Chon is putting in the work to break Asian American cinema into the mainstream.After 21 years in the <keyword id="11896019" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="entertainment" source="Orion">entertainment</keyword> industry, the award-winning Korean American filmmaker has spun poignant tales and compelling narratives centered on Asian American and Pacific Islander (<keyword id="12368108" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="aapi" source="Orion">AAPI</keyword>) characters."I'm so yearning to watch Asian American films that just show us trying to just get on with it and not making our culture the main focus of the film," Chon said in an interview with Insider."Of course you can never separate ourselves from our Asian heritage—nor should we—but in my normal life, as an Asian American, I'm not dressing up in a hanbok, you know what I mean?" he added, referring to the traditional Korean clothing. "Sometimes I'm just an American, that'd be really great just to see our faces represented that way as well."In the interview, Chon reflected on his career to date and the tenets he stands by when crafting a story, both in front of and behind the camera."I have a few pillars and reasons why I create. First and foremost is to bring empathy and understanding to my community, the Asian American Pacific Islander community, so everything I do has an element of that," Chon said. "And secondly, I really want to show how we can all coexist in this country."<div type="image" title="Blue Bayou" height="1200" width="1600" msid="91749844" hostid="261"></div>"I'm trying to show how we're all a lot more alike than different because I think that's what the Asian American community needs—to be recognized as living, breathing humans," he added. "For so long, we've just kind of been relegated to white noise. And I think we're living in a time where people are open to find out more about us."Chon creates those educational experiences by placing a spotlight on issues and struggles familiar to those in the Asian community in the projects he works on—from filial piety to transgenerational trauma to intersectionality.In "Pachinko" (2022), co-directed by Chon, the Apple+ original drama series explores the cultural dynamics and tensions between Koreans and Japanese. In "Blue Bayou" (2021), which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last year, Chon sheds a spotlight the deportation of immigrant adoptees in the US. In "Gook" (2017), written, directed, and starring Chon, he explores the relationships between the Korean and African American communities amid the backdrop of the Los Angeles riots in 1992.<h2>Crafting AAPI-centered narratives that are universally relatable</h2>Though his projects primarily center around Asian characters, Chon aims to make the narratives universally relatable by tapping into "fundamental human commonalities.""That's why I'm able to tell a story like 'Pachinko,'" Chon said. "I didn't grow up in Korea, and I'm also not an immigrant to Japan. I'll never understand what that feels like to feel othered while still looking at people that still have the same color skin. But I can relate to the human elements of having sacrifices from previous generations and cultural baggage, and the haunting of transgressions of the past and inheriting that.""We all have felt love and friendship and hatred and betrayal and those things, I think, it doesn't matter who you are, you can relate to," he added.Over the years, Chon has offered his own temperature check of the industry in terms of diversity and AAPI representation. But at the end of the day, he said "just talking about what's wrong or my thoughts on [representation] is not really helpful because it's just an echo chamber."<div type="image" title="Justin Chon, Jackie Chung and Wayne Wang" height="1249" width="2500" msid="91749845" hostid="261"></div>"I think what needs to be actioned on immediately is getting <keyword id="12375512" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="asian-americans" source="Orion">Asian Americans</keyword>, our representation, our place into the fabric of storytelling in the United States," he said.In 2019, Chon starred as the main protagonist in "Coming Home Again," based on a 1995 New Yorker essay by Korean American novelist Chang-Rae Lee about the author returning home to San Francisco to take care of his ailing mother who was diagnosed stomach cancer. The film was directed by "The Joy Luck Club" director Wayne Wang, whom Chon hailed as a "punk rock pioneer of Asian American film."Chon also praised the storytelling in "Minari" (2020), starring Academy award-winning actress Youn Yuh-jung, which tells the story of a Korean-American immigrant family living on an Arkansas farm."It just felt authentic and real because these stories do exist, and I just felt like it was sort of as American as you can get," Chon said.<h2>Controlling the change he wants to see in Hollywood</h2>Instead of simply observing the shift in the industry as a whole, Chon said he focuses his efforts on what he can do to further AAPI representation in Hollywood."I don't have all the focus and energy in the world to worry about things that I can't control. What I can control and what I can put my energy entirely on is what I create. But what Hollywood does, who the fuck knows?" Chon said. "Their decisions are obviously very monetarily driven, and I can't control them. I can control how my movies are made and what matters to me—that I get things authentic and I don't compromise how we're represented on screen."<div type="image" title="Justin Chon accepts the Next Award for the film &quot;Gook&quot;" height="1798" width="2397" msid="91749846" hostid="261"></div>Chon, who funded his first few films out-of-pocket, was steadfast in his pursuit to be the change he wanted to see in the entertainment industry."Nobody gave me those opportunities—I forced my way in," he said. "With 'Gook' and 'Ms. Purple,' I made it for nothing. I made it for literally nothing." Both films went on to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2017 and 2019, respectively.The filmmaker said the goal shouldn't just be getting a seat at the table in Hollywood, but rather flipping the table entirely. "You kind of have to be fearless and take chances in order for things to change," he said. "Because when you have to ask for permission, there's a gatekeeper or someone telling you can or cannot do something, you're not in the driver's seat."Though Chon acknowledged the recent acclaim garnered by Asian films and television by US audiences, such as the Korean-language Netflix original "Squid Game" (2021) and Academy Award-winning Korean-language film "Parasite" (2019), directed by Bong Joon Ho, he noted that Asian American narratives still have yet to have their time in the sun."These filmmakers, like Bong Joon Ho, they were able to do it on their terms in their home countries," he said. "We need to do that here."

'We cannot wait for the industry to give us permission': Filmmaker Justin Chon on telling Asian American stories in Hollywood

<a href="https://www.insider.com/asian-american-pacific-islander-highlighting-heritage-from-here-2021-5"></a><div type="image" title="christine chiu" height="1666" width="2500" msid="83063029" hostid="261"></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>Christine Chiu is a producer and cast member of the <keyword id="128682" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Netflix">Netflix</keyword> series "Bling Empire."</li><li>Insider spoke to Chiu amid Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.</li><li>Chiu discussed the importance of telling Asian stories and why she's not sure she'd do "<keyword id="132223" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Real-Housewives">Real Housewives</keyword> of Beverly Hills" now. </li></ul>You might know <a href="https://www.instagram.com/christine_chiu88/">Christine Chiu</a> as a cast member on the Netflix reality show <a href="https://www.insider.com/new-netflix-shows-2021">Bling Empire</a>, a seemingly real-life version of "Crazy Rich Asians." The show features a group of successful Asians and Asian Americans living in Los Angeles, including DJ <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kimlee/?utm_source=ig_embed">Kim Lee</a>, film producer Kelly Mi Li, influencer Kevin Krieder, and fashion influencer<a href="https://www.instagram.com/jaimexie/?hl=en"> Jaime Xie</a>, among others. But beyond the bling, the show tackles real issues, from abortion to grief and betrayal. And talking to Chiu, a Taiwanese philanthropist, haute couture collector and co-founder Beverly Hills Plastic Surgery with her husband Dr. Gabriel Chiu, is not always what you expect.Chiu was largely portrayed as the <a href="https://www.elle.com.sg/2021/02/05/what-you-see-is-not-what-you-get-with-bling-empire-villain-christine-chiu/">onscreen villain</a>, thanks to her spats with her co-star rival Anna Shay. But Chiu is thoughtful and far more humble than what we see onscreen.While the show's draw is obvious - money, glitz, power - for Chiu, it's more than just a flashy vehicle for fame. It's also an opportunity to break stereotypes about the Asian community and amplify of Asian voices.In fact, Chiu told Insider that, "spoiler alert," fans should expect to see "a new face or two, [who] are huge advocates of the AAPI community" next season.Amid Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Insider spoke to Chiu about anti-Asian violence, season two spoilers of "Bling Empire," and what she's learned during lockdown.This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.<h3>Insider: How is shooting season two of "Bling Empire"?</h3>Christine Chiu: For season one, we filmed eight episodes in two years, for season two, we're shooting eight episodes in eight weeks. It has been a full-time, overtime endeavor.<h3>As a producer on the show, what has the process of shooting been like?</h3>Incredibly enlightening. The most gratifying component is having a global platform to raise awareness of AAPI contributions. It's important to carve out more spaces for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-bling-empire-star-jaime-xie-talks-fashion-influencer-fortune-2021-1">Asian voices</a>.<div type="image" title="christine chiu anna shay" height="1758" width="2500" msid="83063032" hostid="261"></div>"Bling Empire" has over-the-top fluff and bling, but it's balanced out with heartwarming, authentic and deep stories that have a great Asian perspective. They're issues that are universally relatable.Some of the topics from season one [are] adoption, infertility, identity, marriage, betrayal and mental health. It could have been dark, but they were weaved in beautifully with lighter moments. I am humbled to have been a part of it.<h3>Why is cultural diversity so important for you to show on "Bling Empire?"</h3>It's grossly underrepresented. AAPI faces, voices and stories are disproportionately underrepresented in both big and small screens in the media, altogether. But I wouldn't fault the <keyword id="4578" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="entertainment">entertainment</keyword> industry.As a population, we're less self-promotional. We're quieter and more reserved. My parents taught me growing up to stay silent on your accolades and never talk about your problems.<h3>What does <keyword id="1657041" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="AAPI-Heritage-Month">AAPI Heritage Month</keyword> mean to you?</h3>I am grateful for it. Altogether, we're better people when we're more aware. We need to appreciate and celebrate the contributions that make up the fabric of America who are coming from different origins and cultures.AAPI month gives us a chance to slow down, reflect, and grow. I'm grateful for AAPI Heritage Month, for it highlights the contributions of leaders [in] the AAPI community; looking back on how we got here.<div type="image" title="Christine Chiu" height="640" width="854" msid="83063037" hostid="261"></div>It was always culturally ingrained in me, at least, that when people treat you poorly because of your skin color or where you come from, your vengeance to that, or how you deal with that, is just to persist - to be resilient, keep quiet, and work harder, to become more successful financially, in life, and career-wise. That's how you show them.It really took this time, these past few months, to wake me up to say: "No, that's not enough." Just taking it and letting racism, those micro-aggressions, roll off my shoulders, is not enough. We let it grow by not speaking up.<h3>Do you worry about the world your 2-year-old son, Baby G, is growing up in?</h3>As a new mom, I want to break this cycle for my son and his generation and the generations after that. I'm proud of the AAPI community for speaking up and saying: "This is not OK."We are an essential part of this country and contributed significantly. The violence is not OK. The lack of recognition and the discrimination is also not OK. It's an important time and I'm grateful for it.<div type="image" title="Christine Chiu" height="2727" width="3637" msid="83063040" hostid="261"></div><h3>Have you become friends with the cast of "House of Ho"? It's another Asian-focused reality TV show that came out at roughly the same time. It felt uncanny. </h3>I'm so glad we connected. "House of Ho" cast member, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/washingtonho/">Washington Ho</a>, reached out to me through social media. Cast members from both shows have become acquainted. The general feeling is support and encouragement because we just need more AAPI faces, voices, and perspectives out there. They're similar in that the shows both lead with over-the-top lifestyles, then digs into familial issues, but they are a Vietnamese family and reveal different idiosyncrasies than our show.<h3>What are you most proud of about "Bling Empire"?</h3>A lot of times when people think of "Asians," they think it's a monolithic community, but no. There are many types of Asians coming from different countries.In our cast, I don't think we couldn't have asked for a more diverse all-Asian ensemble of Vietnamese, Taiwanese, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Filipino, Singaporean - and we're all based in LA. That's another reminder of the cultural diversity we have and should be celebrating.<h3>What's it like shooting during the pandemic?</h3>Netflix is so strict adhering to their Covid-19 guidelines in relation to production and filming. We had a little situation yesterday; it was a grey zone situation [where we thought someone working on set may have had COVID-19]. The delay was seven hours, just to make sure everything was safe. Shooting during the pandemic, we're very lucky...it keeps hundreds of people employed.<div type="image" title="Bling Empire Netflix TV show " height="1080" width="1920" msid="83063043" hostid="261"></div><h3>What was the biggest lesson you learned from the pandemic?</h3>The biggest lesson is family: family first, family everything. Without family and health, none of it matters. Cars and clothes don't matter. Nothing. During the pandemic, you decide who your real friends are. One day, we'll look back and remember how we all got through this.My mother passed away last year, not due to COVID-19. But in January, she found out she had breast cancer. I was so stressed during lockdown, my mom didn't tell me that she had breast cancer.Last July, I got a call from a Taiwanese hospital's Intensive Care Unit, they told me my mom had a few days to live. I immediately flew to Taiwan and was in a quarantine hotel for 15 days, then a soft quarantine for seven days and my mom held out for me. I got to spend three days with her in the hospital before she passed away.[During] the pandemic, so many people have lost family and friends. It's a time of reevaluating what's most important. My mom's passing, it made me think what kind of mom I would want to be in my life, and what lessons I'd want to pass onto my son. How can I honor our heritage and culture?<h3>You were previously offered a role on "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills." Would you do it now?</h3>I can't speak on behalf of the producers of the "Real Housewives" franchise, but I don't think I would have had the same opportunity to tell a story in the same way as "Bling Empire."That was one of my biggest objectives: participating in the art of storytelling. That franchise doesn't have that opportunity for the cast. Aside from entertaining homes in America, I needed to do something that was far greater for generations to come.<div type="image" title="Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" height="1333" width="2000" msid="83063046" hostid="261"></div><h3>What can you tell us about your untitled forthcoming children's book series and how will it teach lessons of inclusivity and acceptance?</h3>The books will explore cultural diversity and the Asian American identity, in a fun way through the adventures of Baby G and friends, celebrating the uniqueness of different cultures. It follows Baby G and who he is, through his heritage and cultural background, owning his heritage and using it to troubleshoot in his day-to-day life.<h3>Why is telling stories from an Asian perspective so crucial?</h3>Participating in "Bling Empire" gave me the opportunity to make a positive shift for Asian representation and my son Baby G's generation to come. With "Bling Empire," I wanted the greater opportunity to do good. My mother would constantly remind me growing up: "To whom much is given, much is expected."I've always had this instinct in my heart to do more with the time I have. Sometimes it comes out in my philanthropic contributions, but sometimes it's not as exciting as "Bling Empire" on Netflix. It was a risk, being in the reality TV space, but I was willing to take a gamble to push the messaging and storylines forward.<a href="http://nadjasayej.com/">Nadja Sayej</a> is a freelance journalist based in New York City, who writes for The New York Times, The Guardian, Forbes and Vanity Fair London, and loves the art of the celebrity Q&amp;A. She's also a red-carpet photographer who shoots for photo agencies Alamy and Backgrid, as well as publications like Interview Germany and V Magazine.

Christine Chiu teases why she turned down 'Real Housewives' and why 'Bling Empire' is a better opportunity to represent her community

<a href="https://www.insider.com/asian-american-pacific-islander-highlighting-heritage-from-here-2021-5"></a><div type="image" title="Jay Leno watches as Jet Li peforms a martial arts demonstration on July 16, 1998." height="1325" width="1766" msid="82943754" hostid="261"></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>Critics say late-night TV is driven by ostracizing people of color, especially <keyword id="426188" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Asian-Americans">Asian Americans</keyword>.</li><li>Late-night comedians including Jay Leno used Asians as props, caricatures and punchlines. </li><li>Hollywood is slowly shifting from its traditional model, launching diverse hiring initiatives.</li></ul>In the wake of the <a href="https://www.insider.com/deadly-spa-shootings-in-atlanta-metro-area-2021-3">mass shooting at the Asian-owned spas in Atlanta</a>, the Late Night With Seth Meyers opening looked slightly different. Instead of the usual sarcastic monologue, comedian and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eECOwT1T5M">Late Night writer Karen Chee</a> took a moment to speak on how <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="news">news</keyword> outlets were sustaining the erasure of Asian-Americans."While the news media has been reporting on the incident, most outlets failed to call it what it is. A hate crime," she said. <a href="https://stopaapihate.org/">According to Stop AAPI Hate</a>, since March 2020, around 3,800 racist incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have been<a href="https://secureservercdn.net/104.238.69.231/a1w.90d.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Press-Statement-re_-Bay-Area-Elderly-Incidents-2.9.2021-1.pdf"> reported</a>, with the spread of the coronavirus as a source of the<a href="https://www.insider.com/hate-incidents-against-asian-americans-have-skyrocketed-2021-2"> increase in attacks</a> Following the Atlanta incident, Chee concluded her speech encouraging viewers to read on Asian American history, and at the very least, "call this week's murders what they are, a hate crime." If this were decades ago, not only would comedians like Chee not have the chance to address this issue on a Late Night stage, but they wouldn't even be in the writer's room. Some Asian-American comedians say say the legacy of Late Night television was rooted in a system that enjoyed ostracizing people of color, including how it continued to reduce them as foreign caricatures.<q class="pullquote-quotation">I think Late Night networks and comedians don't take Asian stereotypes seriously because they don't feel like they have to.</q> Alex Song-Xia, comedian"The way that people think of Asian Americans is largely impacted by what they see and how they see us portrayed.," said Guy Aoki, co-founder of<a href="https://manaa.org/"> Media Action Network for Asian Americans </a>(MANAA). "In order to make fun of Asian people, they'll have our actors speak with an accent."Like<a href="http://www.konaomi.com/"> Naomi Ko</a>, some Asian-American comedians grew up having no interest in being part of the Late Night comedy industry for its "white, male, sexist, and racist" blueprint. Critics say, for nearly seven decades, the Late Night television universe was a problematic one. It successfully started with Johnny Carson (1962 - 1982), followed by David Letterman (1982-1993), and then Jay Leno (1992 - 2009).It set the standard for the Late Night hosts to come: Joan Rivers, Arsenio Hall, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Jon Stewart, Seth Meyers, James Corden, and Trevor Noah.Successful Late Night shows like Carson, Leno, and Letterman, were loyal to the formula; a suit, a band, some pop culture news, and some jokes - a simple concept. But, critics have noted they rarely addressed cultural issues and instead relied on using Asian-Americans and people of color as props and really bad punchlines. In 2002, South Korean skater Kim Dong Sung lost the gold medal in the 1500 meter short-track skating competition to Apolo Anton Ohno. On The Tonight Show, Leno <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/01/news/america-on-thin-ice-in-south-korea.html">commented</a>, "He was so mad, he went home and kicked the dog, and then ate him!" He made the same joke ten years later about Kim Jong-un. Although there were anti-racist campaigns against him for years, like MANAA, who continued to call him out, the host was found making similar comments about Koreans eating dogs as recent as<a href="https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/americas-got-talent-asian-advocacy-groups-condemn-jay-leno-nbc-1203435820/"> 2019, on set of America's Got Talent</a>. "I think Late Night networks and comedians don't take Asian stereotypes seriously because they don't feel like they have to," said Chinese Canadian-American comedian, <a href="https://alexsongxia.com/">Alex Song-Xia</a>. "I don't think networks and the entertainment industry at large cared enough about what the Asian American community thought to do anything differently."For decades, Aoki said Leno perpetuated Asian stereotypes with ease, perhaps even with ignorance. In 1998, before Leno's <a href="https://manaa.org/">problematic timeline</a>, the comic had met the rising host at a Dick Clark party in Malibu. He had heard nothing but good things, at first. After thanking Leno for commentary on the OJ Simpson trial that did not ridicule Judge Lance Ito and criminologist Denis Fung for their Asian heritage, Aoki told Insider the late-night host back then responded, "No, there's no reason to do that." "When he started doing these jokes, just two years later, I was really confused. I said, 'wait a minute, I thought he got it.' I thought he didn't need to be told about why this is wrong," Aoki recalled.Progress, and accountability, haven't come with time. <h2>Change comes with time, or does it?</h2>In<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/china/archive/2013/11/the-banality-of-televised-anti-chinese-racism/281776/"> 2013,</a> Jimmy Kimmel asked a 6-year old boy what the U.S should do about its debt to China as part of a segment. The 6-year-old answered, "Kill everyone in China," which Kimmel replied: "OK, that's an interesting idea."Three years later, SNL <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/9/16/20869194/shane-gillis-fired-snl-racist-remarks">quickly fired</a> Shane Gillis over homophobic statements and racist remarks about Asians in a <a href="https://billypenn.com/2016/05/24/this-philly-comedy-show-tries-for-youtube-comments-irl/">2016 interview</a>. Instead of apologizing, he justified his comments as comedians often do as merely pushing boundaries.Aoki noticed that Late Night hosts suddenly took matters seriously, and doubled down on their jokes when attacks against marginalized communities increased over the past two years.Last march, <a href="https://www.ririnagao.com/">UX writer Riri Nagao</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ririnagao/status/1372535127272792066">quote tweeted </a> a short clip of James Corden talking about the casual racism that harms Asian-American communities. Her tweet read, "As one of the few late-night hosts who actually acknowledged this and took a stand, I respect it. But please also acknowledge that you've demonized staple foods from Asian culture in your "Spill Your Guts" segment, which is also "casual racism.Although Corden was one of the few Late Night hosts to mention the Atlanta spa shootings, let alone how hateful language increases violent crimes. Nagao felt it was also crucial for the host to "acknowledge and apologize for how he has contributed by demonizing foods from Asian cultures simply because they don't fit his culinary preferences."Activists say making Asian-Americans the butt of the joke isn't just hurtful to the community, but it's also harmful to their safety. "When comics make Asian Americans an object of a joke, it dehumanizes us and sends a message to other people that we're not worthy of our lives," said Ko. Accountability has been slow for a Hollywood focused on duck taping an already fractured system, launching hiring programs aimed at recruiting diverse writers for already problematic late-night platforms. While diversity hiring initiatives create more opportunities for racialized communities, Ko explains that usually, diversity hires are funded from different budgets and a separate paycheck - creating a climate reinforces writers of color don't belong. "The whole entire room knows that you're not actual staff, they don't consider you staff, because you're not part of the show's budget," said Ko. Although Diversity departments seem to be one solution to establishing value in diversity hiring, Aoki says, "there's kind of a disconnect in power from the diversity department to the ones who make the decisions on who to hire."According to a <a href="https://www.wga.org/uploadedFiles/who_we_are/HWR16.pdf">2016 study</a> from the Writers Guild of America West, only 2.9% of Asians guild members worked in television than its 86.9% white members. The entrenched lack of diverse voices in the writer's room encourages a competitive environment among people of color, including aspiring Asian-American comedy writers."For a long time, I felt like I had to be in competition with other Asian comedians because comedy has been ruled by white men," stand-up comedian, actor, and writer, <a href="https://www.bryanyang.com/bio" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bryan Yang</a>, told Insider. "I thought there would only be one spot for an Asian comedian, and I wanted it to be me. It took a long time to decolonize my thinking, accept myself, and accept other Asian artists."Since the start of Donald Trump's presidency, there has been a <a href="https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/television/2021/05/02/the-story-of-late-night-from-white-men-in-ties-to-more-diverse-hosts-with-points-of-view.html">slow shift in Late Night television</a>, where hosts could not avoid speaking out on political and cultural issues. Silly games and celebrity culture were overshadowed by political commentary, which meant hosts saw the benefits of having a diverse writer's room.Asian-American comedians like Bowen Yang, Karen Chee, Alan Yang and more were finally getting their flowers. <h2>Does the writer's room equal a 'seat at the table?'</h2><div type="image" title="Asian community protests Atlanta shooting" height="1080" width="1920" msid="82943755" hostid="261"></div>Since the start of the Trump era, the murder of George Floyd, and the rise of attacks against Asian Americans, there has been a surge of white apologies, including from <a href="https://www.insider.com/jay-leno-apologizes-for-past-anti-asian-racist-jokes-2021-3">Jay Leno</a>. And some white hosts started embracing their responsibility in the public media, including Seth Meyers, who enlists writers Amber Ruffin and Jenny Hagel to deliver the punchline for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rR0I3IRo0o0">Jokes Seth Can't Tell</a>' on account of him being <a href="https://www.vulture.com/2016/07/jokes-seth-cant-tell-is-the-best-new-segment-in-late-night.html">a straight white male</a>." But Asian-American comedians want to see more awareness, along with change in the system where diverse voices are valued and not exploited. For Ko, apologies don't mean anything if it's not followed up with reparations in helping further Asian-American comedians' careers. "If you don't have individuals who are really thinking in a way that makes non-white men feel safe in a room, then it doesn't really change the cycle," she told Insider.Yang argues that "Jay Leno is just one guy" and that changes comes from holding accountable the "people more powerful than him [Leno] got him on the air night after night and gave him a huge platform." "Apologies are great. But the industry as a whole needs to reckon with itself and make foundational changes." Behind the scenes of late-night still looks pretty white. While there is more work to be done in its reparations with the Asian-American community and people of color, some comedians are looking forward to the steps taken to get there. Aoki thinks, "comedians can be funny, but they can also be responsible."

Asian-American comedians are fighting back against late night television that makes their culture the punchline.

<a href="https://www.insider.com/asian-american-pacific-islander-highlighting-heritage-from-here-2021-5"></a><div type="image" title="losing someone" height="1413" width="1885" msid="82620317" hostid="261"></div>For Ritu Prasad, based in New York, having a huge support system of family and friends in India meant that she could always look to them for help with caring for her parents. "Everybody's like a big family, everyone's auntie and uncle.""That's our culture," she told Insider."Growing up, we touched everybody's feet who came to our home, it didn't matter if they were related by blood or not," Prasad added.But when the <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> pandemic hit last year, that support system was immediately taken away through social distancing measures and travel bans. "Suddenly, all non-resident Indians who had family just didn't know what to do," she said, "Asking someone to help could basically put your parents in danger because they could get infected."The fear of infection has since escalated, as the world reaches <a href="https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/?utm_campaign=homeAdUOA?Si">158 million coronavirus cases and over 3 million deaths</a>. Many have recently come from India, as the country's coronavirus cases surge to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-first-country-to-record-400000-single-day-coronavirus-cases-2021-5">record-breaking highs</a>, and are beginning to spike in <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/india-suffers-asian-countries-also-seeing-worrying-covid-19/">neighboring countries</a>. For tight-knit families like Prasad's, that means South Asians within these countries, and in their diasporas, are experiencing a new form of loss and <keyword id="60307" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="grief">grief</keyword> from being without their communities. Insider spoke with several South Asians both in the American and British diasporas about how the pandemic has changed the way that they mourn. Their stories reveal how a once collectivist experience of grief has become replaced with isolation and anxiety, in turn having unique effects on how they view their cultural identities. <h2>'Grief becomes power' </h2>During times of loss, South Asian cultures typically join their communities for a mourning period, consisting of prayers and other cultural customs in the home of the deceased.Some family members consider this their responsibility, to respect the loved ones that they have lost, and to honor them in the wider community. Saurav Dutt lost a loved one in Calcutta, India while based in the UK. He told Insider that not being able to conduct <keyword id="6368818" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="hindu">Hindu</keyword> death rituals left him feeling regretful and powerless."You feel a sense of duty in honoring their life and ensuring that they leave this world the way they should," he said. "Grief becomes power."For Dutt, to have that honor taken away by the pandemic felt like he was "cheating the person who has passed away of the ritual that they deserved." "And you are also cheating yourself as well in terms of your duty," he told Insider. <q class="pullquote-quotation">Suddenly, all non-resident Indians who had family just didn't know what to do," she said, "Asking someone to help could basically put your parents in danger because they could get infected.</q> Ritu PrasadTherapist Ashley Singh looks into this sense of regret further, explaining that South Asians "live in community and thrive in community." She cautions clients that grief can bring on "more grief.""You grieve places and moments, not just the person," she said, noting that without grieving as a community, a new "trauma" emerges in South Asians where being unable to "what we've been raised to do will have <keyword id="6354774" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Mental-health">mental health</keyword> implications."<div type="image" title="sikh sangat gurdwara" height="1984" width="2646" msid="82620319" hostid="261"></div>One element Singh has seen is anxiety around how being separated from the diaspora affects even South Asians understanding of their identities.Aman Sehdev said that grieving the loss of his Nana (maternal grandfather) away from his extended family left him "soul searching" to better understand his cultural upbringing - something that he "consistently struggles with.""To have one of the few elements of your culture that you find useful in your life to be thrown away, it disconnects me from my culture even more," he said, adding that because of the physical distance, and <a href="https://www.insider.com/zoom-funerals-are-a-new-reality-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic-2020-5">having to watch the funeral over livestream</a>, his Nana's death "never registered as a thing that happened."Like Aman, many South Asians have turned to alternative ways of accessing customs and prayers in their homes.When Manmeet Chowdhry lost her mother, one service she appreciated having was <a href="https://digisangat.co.uk/">DigiSangat</a>, a website where Sikhs can share prayer videos - like the prayers occurring over the mourning period - and have a holy congregation known as Sangat by joining virtually.Outside of the virtual world, what gave her solace was being able to access versions of her mother in other family relationships - like her Aunt, who she said has been like a "surrogate mom" following her loss, even if she has just been checking up on her over the phone.<h2>"Doing it for the rest of the family"</h2>Dr. Devika Srivastava, a psychologist focused on the study of South Asian Americans, said that traditions are not the only part of why grieving communally is so uniquely important to South Asian culture. "Part of the sadness is you want to be by yourself," she told Insider. "But for our cultures that might be being with somebody else, especially if we're talking about like our parents' generation or first-generation immigrants.""A lot of the diaspora are second or third generation, Srivastava added. "We're not our parents, so we might not share their values or their same adherence to religion.""And how to step that up in the pandemic has been extremely complicated," she added, "[The diaspora] never had to take on that role before, or that's not part of their values or their identities, but they're doing it for the rest of the family."<q class="pullquote-quotation">To have one of the few elements of your culture that you find useful in your life to be thrown away, it disconnects me from my culture even more.</q> Aman SehdevThis split in generational attitudes towards tradition has seen a less unified approach to grief amongst families in the pandemic, where not everyone values the traditions as greatly when mourning alone. When Nisha Thakkar lost her mother in the first wave of the pandemic, she and her husband Vijay were not concerned with fulfilling Hindu mourning traditions."Our [grief] was much about taking care of the older generation and looking after ourselves, and then having the time to grieve," Vijay Thakkar said. But it was Nisha Thakkar's elder sister that didn't share her feelings. Her mourning had been prolonged because she waited two weeks to tell her sisters the news, in fear that it may come as a shock to a family already struggling with COVID-19. "The biggest regret is actually not seeing her in her last moments," Vijay Thakkar told Insider. "Everything else which followed afterwards is immaterial, because not seeing her and not going to a funeral? That was the biggest thing."Nisha's sisters still want to fulfill the traditions in honor of their mother, like scattering her ashes in the River Ganges in India. But Vijay and Nisha, who don't agree with waiting for the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-on-uk-travel-red-list-covid-19-variant-cases-surge-2021-4">lifting of travel restrictions</a> to say their final goodbyes, are ready to move on. "Some people want to relive it because they obviously miss Mom, and we didn't want to do it," Vijay told Insider, "So that creates natural family frictions."We want to put it behind us," he added.<h2>"People have a bias against us"</h2>Outside of the diaspora's differences, some say the bigger impact has been how Western culture can sometimes undermine the South Asian experience of grief. <div type="image" title="river ganges" height="2247" width="2996" msid="82620321" hostid="261"></div>When Komal Chohan lost her Nani (maternal grandmother) in the mass shooting at a <a href="https://www.insider.com/shooting-at-indianapolis-fedex-facility-with-multiple-victims-reported-2021-4">FedEx facility in Indianapolis</a>, she wanted to look to the Indian community through her local Gurdwara - where her Nani was actively involved.Without those support systems, in an area where <a href="https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/IN">Asians only make up 2.6% of Indiana's population</a>, the separation from the community intensified for Komal how Western culture looked at her and her family's grief differently."When we lose someone [in Indiana], it hits the whole community, not just the immediate family," she told Insider, adding that the pandemic has seen "people have a bias against us." "I feel like in the pandemic, I've had more people say certain derogatory terms towards me," she added. "So have other people in the community.""I think I shifted from sadness to anger because of all that because we don't know if [her Nani's death] was bias-related," she noted about how it affected the way she grieved her Nani's loss.For others, this difference in grief comes across systemically. Apoorva Jadhav, based in Houston, said her workplace, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/experts-on-how-to-support-the-wellbeing-of-employees-of-color-2021-2">despite its support and benefits</a>, was limited in eligibility for bereavement leave. She could only take time off for the loss of an immediate family member, which undermined the relationship she had with her Uncle, a "second father" to her, who died over the pandemic. "In the cultures that we come from, the loss of somebody like an Uncle, or a cousin, who may have been so instrumental and impactful in your life [means] you won't distinguish between immediate family versus extended family," she said."It really was such a shock to the way we may identify who we grieve for, and who we can grieve for in the West," she added. For many, it's the support and validation of the community's grief that matters to the South Asian diaspora.Komal appreciated seeing so many ethnic minorities come together for the virtual vigils honoring the death of her Nani, and the other victims of the Indianapolis shooting."I think a lot of us feel alienated," she told Insider. "We feel like outsiders. So when it comes to the community needing us to show up we do.""That's what community is, showing up for your people," she added.<h2>"The dandelion is still there"</h2>Some told Insider that the biggest change for South Asians since the pandemic has been the fear and anxiety around infecting others and pushing communities away even further because of it. Dr. Srivastava predicts that this anxiety will persist post-pandemic. "There will probably be more importance on having scheduled visits, having structure around community," she said."The loss and the change still might be carried and still might have to be processed in a different way," she added, noting that with <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-36489893">mental health often being stigmatized in South Asian cultures</a>, "if they're not getting treated it's going to stick with them."<q class="pullquote-quotation">The dandelion is the individual that has died. Suddenly you blow the dandelion and it goes into all these pieces. But the dandelion is still there. Their traits are just dispersed amongst the many.They're never gone.</q> Manmeet ChowdhryBut even if these community spaces will remain virtual, Apoorva said she has seen some "positive offshoots" from it, where her otherwise scattered family has made more of an effort to come together to talk about life beyond their loss. "The traditions that I have really enjoyed the most have been when we've just gone around the Zoom and just talking about that person and remembering things we'd forgotten," she said. Those kinds of moments are what I cherish."Seeking out those loving relationships in others has helped many South Asians both overcome loss over the pandemic, and disconnection from their cultures.Manmeet Chowdhry, who works as a leadership coach for others in similar situations, described her grief as like a "dandelion," where she could celebrate her mother's life through finding her traits in other family members, like her Aunt."The dandelion is the individual that has died," she said. "Suddenly you blow the dandelion and it goes into all these pieces. But the dandelion is still there. It's just dispersed into many things.""When someone dies, their traits are just dispersed amongst the many," she added. "They're never gone."

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'Grief becomes power.' How the coronavirus pandemic changed the South Asian diaspora's experience of mourning.

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