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Superhero for change- Why Shang-Chi is Relevant Beyond The Box Office
Transformative shift towards belonging and inclusion, not just an (Asian) American story.
A few years ago I attended “Black Panther”, the night before the official release at the insistence of a friend. The fact that she is black and had never seen a Marvel superhero movie was significant. It was a compelling experience viewing it with her, as she saw someone who looked like her depicted in a powerful figure on the big screen. I was so moved, I felt the need to write about it publicly, hence my first post on Medium (Shift Happens).
The night before the official release of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”, I invited a (different) friend, who happens to work on building inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems, to attend the movie with me. As a long time Marvel fan, the experience may not have been the same as my Black Panther newbie friend’s, but it was transformative all the same.
Growing up as an immigrant to the US, in Flushing, NY back in the 70’s, I spent a lot of time around people who did not look like me. It was a predominantly Irish, Italian and Jewish neighborhood at the time; difficult to imagine if you walk along Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue today. Back then, there was a good chance I was the only Asian person on a given block, grabbing a slice of pizza…
