Helping Reporters and Community Connect: What AANHPI Coloradans Want From News Coverage

Written by Tina Griego | Photos by Gil Asakawa

On Feb. 2, Joie Ha, 29, the daughter of ethnic Chinese refugees from Vietnam, stood before an optimistic gathering of about 40 people at Happy Living Center in Aurora.

Most in attendance were Asian, South Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. A smattering of journalists was in the crowd. All were waiting to hear the upshot of a series of conversations that took place last spring and summer about local news. More specifically, about local news coverage that reduced AANHPI communities to overachievers or model minorities or exotic outsiders or spreaders of COVID-19, that confined them to certain roles in certain stories at certain times.

The conversations had a goal: To figure out how to broaden and deepen the coverage, creating relationships between communities of color and local newsrooms that build trust rather than fray it.

The “Fighting to be Seen” report called for: (1) sustained connection between Colorado’s local newsrooms and Asian, South Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities; (2) deeper understanding by reporters and editors of these communities’ diversity, cultures and histories; (3) increased representation in newsroom hiring and in coverage, and (4) newsroom and philanthropic investments in translations and platforms that will reach young and older generations.

Each broad recommendation will require smaller, significant steps to make it a reality. One of those steps — a guide to help community members find reporters and reporters find community members — was launched right then and there Thursday evening. COLab, with support of a $25,000 grant from Colorado Media Project, will lead the creation of Amplify Colorado, an online diverse source guide.

Amplify Colorado could serve multiple purposes. For exam- ple, new-to-Colorado people can find others with like interests from their cultural communities.

“This work is important and it expands outside of these walls,” Ha told the gathering. Ha, who is vice chair of Colorado Asian Pacific United, said she chose to help lead the conversations — held under the umbrella of COLab and Colorado Media Project’s Voices Initiative — because the relationship between local media and the AANHPI community has to find room for community members “to tell our own stories and take charge of the narrative.”

The Voices Initiative, she said, “presented an incredible opportunity to ensure that AANHPI folks could express their thoughts in a way that we knew would be heard.”

Voices has been an evolving project, one that over the past two years has brought together some 75 people — Black, Latinx, AANHPI and Indigenous — seeking to chart a path forward to more equitable news coverage. The AANHPI group has members who identify as Americans, as Coloradans, as members of their respective, sometimes multiple, ethnic communities: Indian and Punjabi, Korean, South Korean, Thai, Chinese, Taiwanese, Indonesian, Native Hawaiian, Japanese, Mongolian, Filipino, Vietnamese.

They recognize and are willing to act upon something we’ve said before here at COLab: The status quo is not an option. Not for newsrooms needing to grow their audiences and their bottom lines. Not for communities that need to have accurate information and to see themselves portrayed as human beings instead of cardboard cutouts.

Learn more about the Voices Project, read the full report with suggestions to local media, or add a source for Amplify Colorado at: colabnews.co/the-voices-initiative.

Overview of Aubergine

Aging parents, hospice care, food, and death are themes of the two-hour and 15-minute Korean-American play called Aubergine

The play opens the conversation to other cultural themes such as the sacrifices of Asian immigrant parents and communication challenges. The opening monologue speaks to how food plays an important part of reminiscing and keeping memories alive. From Feb. 2 to 19, Aubergine, written by Julia Cho, ran at the Ent Center for the Arts in Colorado Springs. Performed in English and Korean, and subtitled in both languages, Aubergine (or eggplant) offered an intimate look at the way Korean heritage, food, and family can transcend language to share love across all kinds of barriers.

“Even though we are discussing a complicated topic around death and hospice care, we can still find moments of joy and connection in the characters and many of our audience members sharing their stories,” said Jennifer Fok, freelance lighting designer and designer for Aubergine. “I love the humor in this play and how the play touches on expressions of love, family bonds, and impending loss.”

The Korean American play, written by Julia Cho, ran at the Ent Center for the Arts from February 2 to 19, 2023.

Performances

The monologues in Aubergine were beautifully written. The opening monologue sets the tone for the rest of the play. All of the actors and actresses were memorable and emoted the feelings of their respective characters. It also helped that they believed in the playwright.

“I thought the play was very touching and warm. Julia Cho does a great job of balancing a heavy topic with humor and care” said Jin Park, the actress who plays Cornelia, friend of the main actor. “There are many wise things the characters say that stick with me and that I will probably come back to as I think about life or the day, I will have to mourn someone.”

The reference to food was apparent. During the final production on Feb. 19, aromas of bulgogi and kimchi filled the theater as American Seoul Food served audience members before the play and during intermission.

Production, technical, and artistic direction

The Dusty Loo Bon Vivant Theater space is beautiful. In an amphitheater style, all seats have a good angle of the stage. In terms of the lighting, the actors were showcased well.

“In many of my works, color, shadow, texture, and isolation are great tools in my storytelling tool kit,” said Fok. “Those elements are more emphasized in a thrust configuration where I can explore lighting a play in a non-symmetrical way. Having worked in the space before, I’ve picked up specific techniques and used the challenges of the theatre to my advantage.”

Audiences don’t often see the behind-the-scenes or minutiae of details. “The biggest challenge is always time and budget. As designers, we dream big and try not to think initially about the limitations but ultimately things will always change, morph, and develop based on the given resources --- ideas take time to grow,” Fok said. “The best idea always wins.

She encourages audiences to “go see and support local performing arts in your area! There is so much fantastic work out there!”

Written by Mary Jeneverre Schultz