Nicole Kang, Leah Lewis, Momona Tamada, & Adeline Rudolph Chat A Brighter Future With Glamour
Nicole Kang, Leah Lewis, Momona Tamada, and Adeline Rudolph came together to chat Asian representation with Glamour magazine. The young actresses shot for the article and sat down with the outlet while on break from filming on their individual shows in Vancouver. Highlights from their interview are below.
Adeline on how she is coping with the recent tragedy in Atlanta: “For me, what’s been interesting is that I didn’t grow up in America. I grew up in Hong Kong, surrounded by a lot of Asian people. I came to the States about three and a half years ago, and it has been an interesting experience being Asian in America. It hit me hard this week. I didn’t realize how much it really impacted me until I kept calling my boyfriend and would just sit there in silence. I couldn’t verbalize my thoughts as I was thinking about internalized racism growing up and microaggressions. It took a toll on me.”
Nicole on allyship and using their voice to raise others up: “Culturally, we are told to behave, perform well at work, and keep our heads down. That, no matter what, we shouldn’t bring in disruption and chaos. So to speak out and cause a racket…. As Daniel Dae Kim recently said to Congress: ‘We are 23 million strong, we are united, and we are waking up.’ That act of waking up is so difficult as a community because it really goes against culturally what we are taught to do. Amplify your friends’ voices, reach out to your friends, and celebrate successes in each other, because I think that is the real act of rebellion.”
Momona on the difficulties she is facing at 14: “I’ve been told all my life that I don’t look Asian enough. I’ve seen others who—and I don’t even want to say this—’look more Asian’ be treated in ways I have never been. I shouldn’t be treated differently than others. In elementary school I didn’t think it was weird to be the only Japanese Canadian girl. As I’ve gotten older and gone through middle school, I’ve seen that innocence kind of leave. You guys mentioned so much stuff that people have said to me, and I’m just realizing now that I’ve internalized it, taken it as a joke, or ignored it completely. Now I regret not speaking up. It really sucks that it had to come to this point where deaths had to be involved for people to really wake up. And that includes myself. We have to speak out about everything we’ve been through so we can all learn from our pasts and are no longer being silenced or made to feel ashamed by others.”
Leah on fighting stereotypes: “Growing up with white parents, they always reminded me that being Chinese was something incredibly special that my sisters and I should be celebrating and want to learn about. My mom put me in Chinese school and had me hang out with as many Chinese and Asian friends as possible, but I never really understood what it was like to have that culture at home. I wish I had more of that growing up. I’m still learning what it is to be Asian American. Other people who have grown up in a fully Asian family share their experiences with me, and it’s been a lot to keep my heart open to learning so much. All of me is Asian, but I grew up in a white household, so it feels almost like impostor syndrome. But I am so, so proud to be Chinese. We’re all getting more vocal and bold, and our voices are rising together. That’s so empowering to me.”
You can check out even more from this amazing interview here.
