Can you play "Spot the Asian"?

Dr. Crumbley's interview on Adoption, the Movie make me think about the lack of role models for children of color and how Caucasians may not be aware of the insidious inferiority complex that comes from when they compare themselves to what is the standard of beauty in the United States.

It is true that some children's programs do have multi-cultural and multi-racial casts we still have a long way to go to bring those casts and characters to the level they need to be in order to level the playing field by eliminating biases and stereotyping.

However, as Frances Kai-Hwa Wang wrote on
, young APAs still yearn for heroes and positive role models; we are still playing "Spot the Asian" in the media.

We are not only playing "Spot the Asian", we are playing "Spot the person of color".
In fact, a TV commercial for Chuck E. Cheese-that self proclaimed
bastion of multi-culturalism seems to have forgotten to add black children (there was a token Asian and a smattering of Hispanic kids)to the spot! OOPSIE!

I might not have noticed this if I 1) was not raising a child of color or 2) had not read Ms. Wang's article.

Part of our job in eliminating bias and preventing bullying is to NOTICE and then RESPOND when we see things that further stereotypes. So, watch out Chuck E. Cheese, here we come.

What are you going to do?

With respect and celebration,
deb