The 97th Academy Awards are just around the corner, and the film adaptation of Wicked is in the running with 10 nominations; including Best Actress for Cynthia Erivo, Best Supporting Actress for Ariana Grande, and Best Picture.
Continue reading “Jon M. Chu Knows How to Direct Scenes About Being Seen”
Part II of a three-part series looking at the Hulu series Interior Chinatown in relation to the Asian American-themed media it references, satirizes, and interpolates. The meta-comedic film-set motif of the show pointedly focuses on the “Chinatown Episode” featured in numerous crime-procedural shows, in which the protagonists investigate a murder in Chinatown, which brings them into contact with Asian exotica, typically at the rate of 1.5 murders per season.
Continue reading “‘Interior Chinatown’ vs the “Chinatown Episodes” of ‘NYPD Blue’ and ‘Law & Order’”
I once heard the great political philosopher and activist Angela Davis argue that Americans are so obsessed with race as an identifying feature that when we meet racially ambiguous people, we are anxious until we know on which side of the color line they fall. Upon hearing this, I was relieved by the articulation of something I had suspected was at the heart of my experience. It was like experiencing great art, that rush of adrenaline that comes with recognizing what we’ve known all along presented as fantastically new.
Continue reading “The ‘Heights’ of Anxiety and the Color Line: Racial Ambiguity in a Culture of Absolutes”
After reading Desiree Rodriguez’s essay about Latinx representation and how we assume one’s race based on looks, I was inspired to write my own essay on the assumption of one’s race and biracial representation, while sharing some of my experiences as a black biracial woman.
Before we go any further, I’m African-American, Greek, French, and Scottish. However, I identify as being Black-Greek, black biracial, or half black/half white. I know this is a question I’m going to get, so I had to address it as soon as possible before diving even deeper into these subjects. Please remember that not everyone who is biracial and or a POC have had the same experiences as me; however, I’m simply adding my experiences to the conversation to hopefully give a new perspective.
