Thread by @its_willyu

During #APAHM, I wanted to share some thoughts on where my mind was at since #StarringJohnCho launched 5 years ago. I didn't have the words. So I started to reflect. While I am filled with both hope and fear, I am driven by urgency most of all. Here's where I'm at. Thread coming.

If you're just catching up, see below for a 2016 @nytimes article about what #StarringJohnCho is and how it captured the world's attention for a little while. nytimes.com/2016/05/11/mov…

In 2016, #StarringJohnCho started off with a hypothesis that people cared about Asian American representation as much as I did. Since then, we've not only seen indie hits and Oscar wins from Asian American voices, but also seen a larger welcoming of Asian narratives in Hollywood.

Culture moves so fast. It feels weird to say now, but 5 years ago, I could not take for granted the fact that so many Asian-led movies would exist. We are all in debt to those who were already laying the groundwork to make the stories we now get to watch possible. Thank you.

When I think about why #StarringJohnCho became a global phenomenon, my first instinct is to feel silly. It's a hashtag. Anyone can Photoshop. Since then, many organizations and activists have used my method and strategy to make similar points. But when I think a bit harder...

#StarringJohnCho captured a mindset shift. The frustration of whitewashing and erasure of Asian American stories was on the tip of everyone's tongue. The posters gave someone an artifact to point to and say, "See? It's not that hard!" We weren't going to take it anymore.

The project also used data and creativity together to expose a truth that we know, but rarely see on-screen: Asian American are human fucking beings. We span the breadth of the human condition. Shocker. Seeing the posters made viewers confront that truth and their own bias.

Before launching the project, I almost talked myself out of it. I worried that I was simply rehashing the same old discussions. Was I bringing anything new to the table? My biggest fear was that in 5 years, we'd be having the same arguments. Complaining about the same problems.

Today, we are and we aren't. I can confidently say the truth that Asian representation matters is now table stakes to many in Hollywood. That said, stats show that the rhetoric doesn't always match the reality. Things are better, but still not great. annenberg.usc.edu/news/research-…

On top of that, we have a rise of mass anti-Asian racism the likes of which I've never experienced in my lifetime. Many times this past year, I've despaired. What use is writing a script in a time like this? Who the fuck cares about entertainment when the world is on fire?

I don't have an answer. I'm still despairing. But I do believe that culture can drive change. It can change minds. It can further discourse. It can comfort. Hurt. Relieve. But I don't just want change. I want a HIGH RATE OF CHANGE. And that requires urgency.

What finally made me send #StarringJohnCho out into the world was thinking that, if it caught on, maybe, just maybe we could skip a couple steps. We could stop imagining. Start demanding. Stop asking. Start making. I think, to a decent extent, the project worked in that respect.

I'm grateful to see the focus shift to hard conversations that many folks have been having for decades. Discussions that interrogate our vulnerabilities and fears. That demand introspection of our communties and how they how intersect with others. But this is just the beginning.

I've spoken at conferences, high schools, and colleges about my work and the data that drives it. Often, I am asked, "What should I do?" from other Asian Americans. The irony being that, after an hour of my telling them to seize their stories, they're now asking for permission.

I used to say, "Just make something." Create. But now, I don't think that's enough. Not if we want things to change at the rate we want. So now, I say something different. Something that requires courage to follow. That may cause discomfort.

I need you to create urgently.

This ask isn't a license to be a dick. Or speed through work without regard to who you hurt. It's a request that acknowledges we only have a finite amount of time here. That hopes you will yank the culture forward. Build on what's come before. Further ideas. Bring new nuance.

The hard truth: There's a good chance that what you make won't land. Rub someone the wrong way. Say something you don't mean. All I ask is that you lead with empathy. Be thoughtful in your approach. If a pivot is needed, meet that challenge on with a full heart.

I want Asian Americans to err on the side of doing the most. Tell the biggest stories. The smallest. The most personal. Vulnerable. Bombastic. Heart-wrenching. Wild. Take whatever you're feeling, dial it up to 15, 50, 100, then unleash it on the world. Add something NEW.

Two years ago, three years after #StarringJohnCho, I left a comfortable career as an advertising strategist to pursue a screenwriting career. It's the scariest thing I've ever done. I am creating urgently to add my stories to the culture. I hope that I can help speed us along.

Five years ago, a hashtag changed my life. Because so many of you engaged with it, everything in my world changed. I'm grateful for every Like, Retweet, interview, and think-piece written. I don't know what's gonna happen next, but I know we're going to make the most of it ✨✌️🏼