ISA sa mga pangunahing layunin ng grupo ang pagbuo ng mga proyekto na maipapakita ang ‘diversity sells’: “Everyone who produces and finances content should be taking notice. China should also add a big dollop of, ‘Wake up!’” ayon sa producer na si Janet Yang.
Ipinakita ng Asians in Hollywood ang aktibong pakikibahagi nila sa diversity conversation sa pamamagitan ng meeting noong Mayo sa Academy – kabilang sa mga pumunta sina George Takei, president Cheryl Boone Isaacs at CEO Dawn Hudson – at inilunsad na ang kanilang Facebook page nitong Hulyo 4, na mayroon nang 1,400 likes.
“We are gathering as many names as possible and we are becoming quite a formidable group now. There is obviously power in numbers,” sabi ni Yang (The People vs. Larry Flynt) sa THR. Dagdag pa niya, multi-faceted ang kanilang misyon na saklaw ang direktiba upang dagdagan ang kamalayan tungkol dito, magtayo ng inclusive environment, at gumawa ng mga proyekto na nagpapakita ng “diversity sells.”
Wala nang iba pang panahon kundi ngayon, sabi ni Yang, sa lalo na’t nauuso ang stereotypical Asian jokes ng host na si Chris Rocks sa Oscars, ang white-washing controversies sa ilang proyekto tulad ng anime adaptation na Ghosts in the Shell na pinagbibidahan ni Scarlett Johansson.
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Klinaro ni Yang na hindi sila interesado sa pagiging alternatibong tagapagbantay. “We don’t want to be a finger-pointing group. There’s enough of that. We want to help find positive solutions to a systemic problem. Most people, in our opinion, are not intentionally demeaning in their portrayal of Asians or in overlooking Asian actors for roles. It is the result of a hundred years of Hollywood making films from a particular point of view,” aniya. “If we don’t change the perception of us in entertainment and media, we will forever be sidelined.”
Idinagdag din ni Yang na bubuksan sa lalong medaling panahon ang kanilang grupo para sa mga nais sumali. “Over time, we would like to include non-Asian members who also feel marginalized and underrepresented,” sabi ni Yang. “The issues are the same, and we are grateful to the African-American community for proving that real change is possible.”
The Hollywood Reporter (Isinalin ni Helen Wong)
