Thread by @nancy_kiu

Like many in my community, I've been struggling with the acts of violence that happened this week. There's a lot of talk about "what to do next" and questions about "how to be better allies." For those of us in the entertainment industry, there's one concrete thing we can do (1/)

Commit to putting more #AAPI characters on television. (While we're at it, commit to including more marginalized & BIPOC characters overall!) The ent industry has used harmful tropes for decades, & it's time to commit to deliberate, meaningful choices in our storytelling. (2/)

Include more #AAPI, BIPOC, marginalized characters. That doesn't mean just adding one for the sake of adding them. If you include an AAPI character, that means infusing them with their own agency, drive, and backstory, not just reacting to white characters. (3/)

Now, infusing a character with a backstory related to their race, culture, or ethnicity doesn't mean walking into a room screaming I'M ASIAN. I sure as hell don't do that in my day-to-day life. (4/)

But, my Chinese-American upbringing informs many of my everyday choices and actions, in ways big and small. Infusing a character with these elements means you can't write a character as if they're white, and just swapping in a BIPOC to play them. (5/)

It's difficult work, because it means taking a long-hard look at our own biases, and committing to continually educating ourselves. It's necessary. It means committing to the hard work of self-reflection, and acknowledging and changing damaging behavior.  (6/)

Most importantly, it's necessary for white allies -- in the room, in executive suites, in the agencies, in casting offices, etc -- to back us. Amplify our voices. Help us champion these stories & characters so that we're not just pushing this rock up the mountain ourselves. (7/)

I've been a staffed writer for 7 seasons, broken about 150 episodes of one-hour TV, & before that was an asst for 12 yrs. In 7 seasons, I've written or co-written 20 eps. To my recollection, I have only ever written a meaningful scene btwn two Asian characters in ONE episode (8/)

I worked on a show where my boss sent my outline notes to ANOTHER #Asian writer, on ANOTHER show. This boss mistook us for each other, despite the fact that we looked nothing alike, nor did we work on the same show. This happened twice that season. (9/)

I worked on a show where I pitched a Story of the Week about an #Asian family. My showrunner fully supported this story & was a great ally, but eventually as it went up the TV chain it was kicked back. The story was changed to a Story of the Week featuring a white family. (10/)

On one show where I was the only #AAPI writer, an #Asian series regular was introduced. When it came time to break the character's immigrant backstory, I walked into the writers room to find the staff of white men breaking this story w/ no input from their #Asian writer. (11/)

I once worked on a show where I tried to cast an #AAPI day player for a one-scene role as a high ranking US government official. A producer on the show asked, "but is that believable?" The subtext being, is it believable that an AAPI would be a high ranking US official? (12/)

These are just a few examples of microaggressions I've encountered. (13/)

Writers, Producers, and Executives must commit to CASTING #AAPI actors in a variety of roles. No more excuses of "the talent isn't there." Cast them in smaller parts, allow them to grow. You're not looking hard enough. (14/)

I've only been staffed in a room w/ another #AAPI writer once. The industry needs to commit to STAFFING more AAPI creatives. We're here. And we can tell stories from the white perspective, b/c we've spent our whole lives seeing & hearing stories through the white lens. (15/)

The industry needs to include more #AAPI executives in the boardroom, people who can and will champion the development of more inclusive stories. (16/)

The industry needs to commit to telling more stories that aren't just stereotypes and tropes. See @moryan's amazing thread about AAPI content on the air right now, with a majority Asian cast. Spoiler: There are only five shows. (17/)

https://twitter.com/moryan/status/1372235411951616000

See this link from @nielsen & this telling quote: "When we pitch an Asian show, we often hear industry executives say “We already have an Asian sitcom in development,” as if that solves the diversity problem & it would be insane to have two or more." (18/)

https://twitter.com/nielsen/status/1372348893892067330

I've heard that myself when discussing development and centering characters. But how many white procedural franchises, doctor, cop, lawyer, superhero, shows do we have? We can't have more than ONE #Asian-led show? Or center #AAPIs in these stories? (19/)

And when we choose to center #AAPI stories, we must also commit to avoiding & dispelling harmful stereotypes and tropes. Don't know where to start? The research is out there. A great resource is @WriteInclusion. Or, again, hire more people with these cultural perspectives! (20/)

I've wrestled with whether to say anything, or how much to say. But we're past of the point of staying quiet, especially when it harms the #AAPI community. TL:DR: The entertainment industry just needs to do better. (/fin)