On January 6th, Sandra Oh became the first Asian woman to win the Golden Globes twice and the first Asian to host the 76th Golden Globes.

The “Killing Eve” actress happily describes the moment: “This is one of the most incredible nights of my life.” During her acceptance speech, she tearfully thanked her parents in Korean saying, “Mom and Dad, I love you.”

Not only was Sandra Oh and her family proud, but the whole Asian community was ecstatic. The 2019 Golden Globes was a step towards greater Asian representation in the American film industry.

Aaron Kim, an eleventh grade student in Orange County, says that he felt a “sense of pride” and that the recognition was “long overdue.” While people were proud of Sandra, others such as Ashley Woo believed that “it was an opportunity to help others in getting a chance to better positions in the entertainment industry. Asians were in the shadow, and it is now their time to shine.” And the Asian community cannot help but agree.

Recently, a surge of Asian hits have taken over Hollywood, “Crazy Rich Asians” and “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” to only name a few. “Crazy Rich Asians” has taken a path of its own with four wins from the Hollywood Film Awards, the National Board of Review, the International Film Festival, and the African American Film Critics Association. It has earned 23 nominations! The director of “Crazy Rich Asians”, Jon M. Chu expresses his opinions by saying that “this is more than a movie, it’s a movement.”

On the other hand, Lana Condor, the Vietnamese-American lead of “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before”, has received much deserved attention. Her role in the movie is of a half-Korean and half-American high school girl trying to find her place. Lana says “that’s familiar to me” and her character is definitely a representation of many Asian-Americans in America. Netflix has booked a sequel, “P.S. I Still Love You”, which is scheduled to be released in 2019.

All in all, Asians in the film industry are coming and are here to stay.

As Americans, I believe we should continue to support these pioneering actors, actresses, directors, and producers in a developing industry. As Ryan Chung, a high school student, says, the “biggest thing to do is to watch the movies and show that it is recognizable.” Aaron Kim, an eleventh grader, also says that “all we can do is support and uplift the people of the Asian community.”

As Nathaniel Branden once put it, “The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance.”

<Eunice Kim/ Cypress HS 9th>