John Cho: "Coronavirus reminds Asian-Americans like me that our belonging is conditional"

Los Angeles Times

The Cowboy Bebop star penned an Op-Ed for the Los Angeles Times Wednesday decrying the anti-Asian racism that has surfaced in wake of the coronavirus pandemic. "The fact that the coronavirus seems to have originated in China has spawned a slew of anti-Asian hate crimes," he writes. "Across the country, Asian American parents and children are making versions of the call I made. Friends are sharing first-hand accounts of abuse on text chains and circulating articles on Facebook, always ending with the suddenly ominous 'stay safe.' Growing up, the assumption was that once we became American enough, there would be no need for such warnings — that we would be safe. To that end, my parents encouraged me and my younger brother to watch as much television as possible, so that we might learn to speak and act like the natives. The hope was that race would not disadvantage us — the next generation — if we played our cards right. When I became an actor (maybe as a result of all that TV), and really started to work, I felt glimmers of my parents’ hope coming to fruition — doors were open, strangers were kinder. In some ways, I began to lead a life devoid of race. But I’ve learned that a moment always comes along to remind you that your race defines you above all else."

ALSO:

• Jimmy Kimmel blasts his hometown Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman on his show after "bonkers" CNN interview: “As ridiculous as this president is, he’s not alone,” Kimmel said of Goodman's interview with Anderson Cooper. “He got a run for his money today from the mayor of Las Vegas who—well, let’s put it this way. R. Kelly was watching the interview and said, ‘This woman is nuts.’”
• Eddie Murphy to be featured in a three-hour Feeding America Comedy Festival on The Weather Channel: Byron Allen, the former comedian who bought The Weather Channel, will host the May 9 fundraiser that will also air on his Comedy.TV network. The three-hour event will include pre-recorded comedy segments from Murphy, Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish and Billy Crystal.
• MSNBC’s Brian Williams and Nicolle Wallace to host MSNBC's Thursday primetime coronavirus special MSNBC Special Report: Testing & The Road to Reopening
• New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo makes his first late-night appearance since the pandemic started with The Daily Show's Trevor Noah
• Petition calls for Netflix and other streaming services to be made available for free during the coronavirus crisis
• Several The Office stars are offering a virtual hangout to raise money for coronavirus relief
• Watch The Daily Show's Bill Nye-inspired "Don Trump The Science-ish Guy"
• Why California is enlisting its star residents like Larry David and Julia Louis-Dreyfus to film stay-at-home PSAs
• 30 Rock's Jack McBrayer describes his life in quarantine