Asian Americans Are Ready for a Hero

After going from “model minority” to invisible minority to hunted minority, the community needs a new generation of cultural and political leaders

- By Karl Taro Greenfeld

Picture an athlete. Now a movie star. And now a politician. You probably pictured a White man. Or a Black or Latino person. I’m guessing you didn’t picture an Asian American. I know I usually don’t. And I’m an Asian-American television writer who thinks up imaginary people for a living. We Asian Americans don’t have many cultural or political figures of national stature. Or, one could argue, any. And though segments of the Asian-American community, particularly South Asians, have enjoyed economic success relative to other minority groups, few Asians overall occupy C-suite corner offices. Politically, culturally, and economically, in the positions that matter, Asian Americans are almost invisible.

There has been no Asian-American Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, or Barack Obama. In California, Arizona, and a host of other states, Cesar Chavez Day is a state holiday. Who’s the national, towering Asian-American figure who would be so honored? Andrew Yang? There’s no Asian Jay-Z or Beyoncé, no Asian Bad Bunny or Selena. We’ve seen for years how Black actors have been underrepresented at the Academy Awards. Meanwhile, there has been one Asian American nominated for best actor: Steven Yeun, this year, for his role in Minari, directed by an Asian-American filmmaker, one of two such nominations for Asian-American directors in history.