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Hi George! Hello!
I'm a fellow UCLA alumni myself so it's great to see another Bruin. This is my friend Simon,
we're both from a band called The Slants. And we played last night here at Dragon Con.
Oh! We want to give you a CD, we've signed and
autographed it for you, so please listen to it Oh! Your group?
As fellow Asian American entertainers, we very much respect you and-
Yeah, and we just really wanted to thank you for all of the work you've done, for not only
Asian Americans, but the LGBTQ community as well.
(cheers) Look at this crowd, you have a lot of friends
there. The world is changing because all of us are pulling at that wagon, each in our
own way. We're moving society forward toward a more decent future, a decent society. So
thank you guys for your work too. So I guess our question is, we're actually
an all-Asian American band and as people of color trying to break into the entertainment
industry, it can sometimes be a challenge, especially because there are so few opportunities
for us sometimes. There's a lot of stereotypes and assumptions about who we are, just as
Asian Americans and we're wondering if you had any advice for us in that regard.
Well, first of all I'm glad that you guys are there. And you guys are, I trust, good
musicians. I'll be checking you out -I don't want to brag, but that CD kicks a
lot of *** Oh My!
(laughter) And Garret, I didn't know that you were going
to be here so come by our booth by the Imperial Ballroom at the Marriot and we'll get you
one too. Will do it my Asian American brother!
I'm going to your panel Sunday morning as well
Cool! See you guys there Well, you know the important thing is for
us to be in the arena because all of these stereotypes that we've had to deal with...Prior
to the time that I decided to become an actor was because there weren't Asian Americans
in the business. Our images, the stereotypes, were not being shaped and formed by us. It
was shaped and formed by people who had stereotypes and images of us. So we have to be in the
arena bringing truth and reality to it and telling the story from our vantage point,
shaping the characters from our experiences and that's how we get that truth into the
media. So it's very important then that we be in
there not only as actors, but as writers, directors, singers, participants in every
aspect of it. Because, Gene Roddenberry, used to say that the script of this planet is in
its diversity coming together all working in concert, each one of us contributing our
unique talents to it. And before, we weren't in there And so now, there are people like
you and Garret and all of these other people as well as people from other experiences and
other backgrounds defining the rich diversity in this country.
You know, just a few days ago, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther
King's "I Have a Dream" speech. That was a landmark event 50 years ago and
he was an extraordinary man. You know, what frustrates me today is that so many young
people will say "I'm only one vote, I'm not going to make any difference." That's not
the way democracy works. Every vote counts! And one person can count. Dr. Martin Luther
King was one person. But he had a mission and he saw America in its almost Utopian picture.He
talked about the day his children could be recognized for the content of their character
and not the color of their skin. Or, when the sons of slaves or grandsons of slaves
could sit down at the table of brotherhood with the sons of slaveowners - that was the
visionary dream that he had. Well, 50 years ago, that was the dream. Today, we have an
African American president of the United States. Advances are being made and one man, like
Dr. Martin Luther King, can move a lot of people to action.
And that's what we have to be doing. Each and every one of us with our unique backgrounds,
with our unique talents, and our unique vantage points - and that was Gene Roddenberry's philosophy.
That all of us could be together, it's going to make our world richer but also move our
world forward. Sometimes it looks like it's a pretty dark
kind of situation, look at what's happening in the Middle East. There's the potential
for another confrontation happening in Syria. So, you'll have many occasions when you'll
be daunted, there'll be challenges, there'll be obstacles, there'll be setbacks but the
important thing is to keep on keeping on. Be resilient, be able to bounce back and to
be able to face that challenge over and over again and we will read that dream that Martin
Luther King had. We've got an African American president now,
who knows...there may be an Asian American president or gay or lesbian president, I mean
we don't have a woman, we haven't had a woman as a president yet, we've got a long ways
to go but we re making progress. And you've got to believe that we are making progress
despite some of the setbacks. You guys are going to be in there establishing your view
point, your talent, and your brilliance, making this diverse society even more brilliant.
So, in short, good luck to you, more power to you, all my heart.