I went to a screening of Easter Sunday – a movie starring comedian, Jo Koy – with a friend in downtown San Francisco today!

I’m a fan of Jo Koy’s comedy – I loved his Netflix specials. His impressions and explanations of Asian accents are hilarious. I saw him on tour at the Chase Center in 2020, where I sang along to 90s R&B songs that were part of his set.

Growing up, I mostly watched Black tv shows and movies. I didn’t really understand why until now. There was barely any Asian representation in media, let alone Asian families being shown, so Black tv was the next best relatable thing.

But now, I saw a Filipino family on the big screen today, accents and all. Accents were used to reflect intonations and how people speak, without it being derogatory or diminishing. I know this movie is going to be a gamechanger for kids growing up today to see their food, culture, jokes, and even accents from their community being honored and celebrated.

I remember I used to be so ashamed of my parents’ accents, so I tried to speak as “white” or “American” as I could. I’m so grateful for AAPI identity and community – and immigrant stories – becoming increasingly mainstream, and that the next generation of AAPI teenagers can live freely and boldly in a world that accepts them, parents, and families as they are.

Easter Sunday is such a feel good movie! It’s funny and sweet – and a little corny at times, but it’s to be expected. Jo writes that his inspiration was “Friday.” It was a delight to see so many AAPI and Black actors in a movie. I can’t wait to see them star in other roles in the future.

Here’s an interesting stat and a few links to coverage:

• Only 5.9% of characters from 2007-2019 were played by AAPI actors – and 3.3% were AAPI leads or co-leads according to a 2021 study covering 1,300 top movies published by the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative at the University of Southern California
• “Jo Koy diverted ‘Easter Sunday’ from Netflix so Filipinos could see themselves on the big screen” – NBC
• “Jo Koy on Comedy They Told Him Wouldn’t Work: the standup’s breakthrough film, ‘Easter Sunday,’ focuses on Filipino family themes dear to him, especially after naysayers said audiences couldn’t relate.” – NYT