FEATURE: A look back at this year’s historic moments in pop culture

By Mary Jeneverre Schultz | @jeneverre

A Look Back at

Asian Americans are becoming prominent in the pop culture scene. While anti-Asian sentiments due to COVID misinformation, are still occuring in metropolitan cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, Asians are becoming more visible in positive ways. It’s easy to turn on any media streaming channel, insert Asian in the search line and see a list of movies starring Asian, South Asian and Pacific Islander actors and actresses.

Blockbuster hits are making Hollywood hunt for Asian-inspired stories, scripts, and books. It’s more than just immigration stories. Coming of age, teenage angst, and the hardship of living between two worlds are major themes in recently released memoirs, television scripts, and storylines.

Let’s celebrate the successes of Asians in pop culture in 2021.

Suni Lee in Olympics | 18-year-old Suni Lee stands as the first Hmong American to win three gold medals in

gymnastics last summer at the Tokyo Olympics. Her gold medal wins garner her appearances in prominent shows such as Dancing with the Stars. As a resident of St. Paul, Minn., Lee became the fifth American woman to win Olympic gymnastics gold in the individual allaround. In addition, she won a silver in the team competition.

Marvel’s Shang Chi | For the first time ever, Marvel Studios produced a movie with its first Asian superhero... finally. Released during Labor Day weekend, the film has been in development since 2001. Directed by an Asian director and filled with an all-Asian cast, the film grossed $431 million globally.

Packed with action, fight scenes and hair-raising chases, the movie is fun to watch with a twist of Asian legends, secret villages, and ginormous monsters.

Squid Games | Breaking records and doing the unthinkable, streaming giant Netflix does it again! Squid Games, a Korean dystopian-style series, reached more than 111 million viewers in less than four weeks from its debut. Because of the series unprecedented success, the streaming service is planning to invest $500 million in Korean movies and television series. Greed, vengeance, and the evil side of humans are all played out in this series. Each episode features a children’s game such as tug-of-war or red light, green light with each episode more outrageous than the last.

Sesame Street’s Ji-Young | During the Thanksgiving holidays, Sesame Street featured its first Asian American muppet, Ji-Young. The producers of Sesame Street wanted to showcase Asian American culture because of the rise of anti-Asian sentiment throughout the U.S.

Critics argue race should not be part of a puppet’s identity. Despite the controversy, there has been an enormous support for the Korean American muppet. It’s been a long time coming.

Daniel Dae Kim | After 30 years as an actor in Hollywood movies and television series, Daniel Dae Kim takes a leading role in NatGeo’s The Hot Zone: Anthrax. The scientific thriller is featured in six episodes.

Moving forward: What will 2022 bring?

• More LGBTQ stories will feature Asian Americans. • Blended families will become more prominent in television series. • Hollywood Asian Americans will take more lead roles than ever before.