It’s a feminist and anti-racist symbol. Actress Anna May Wong will be the first Asian American to adorn the coins In the USA. An opportunity to shed light on a female figure committed to denouncing racist stereotypes in cinema.
Denounce Asian stereotypes in Hollywood
Actress who died in 1961, Anna May Wong is one of the five women chosen as part of the “American Women Quarters”, a program launched in 2022 aimed at make visible and pay homage to pioneer women.
the poetess Maya Angelou thus became the first muse of black coins. Likewise, Sally laughsastrophysicist and first American astronaut in space or even Wilma Mankillerthe first woman to be elected head of the Cherokee nation was honored.
Ventris Gibsonthe director of the American mint explained that this coin reflects ” breadth and depth Anna May Wong’s results »qualifying the latter as ” brave defender who fought for greater representation and multidimensional roles ” Asian-American actors.
Coin as an influential symbol
Born in 1905 in Los Angeles to Chinese parents, Anna May Wong has been reduced to stereotypical roles, which she has never stopped denouncing, as reported The Guardian. In 1937 she even saw herself reject the main role from Faces of the East for the benefit of the actress white Luisa Rainer, grimée as an Asian person. Looking for better representationshe had left Hollywood to join Europe in the early 1920s. In 1933, he explained in Los Angeles Times :
“I’ve had so many fed up with the roles I had to play. Because it’s on the screen the Chinese are almost always the bad guysand a bad if cruel – murderer, traitora snake in the grass? […] How could we be, with a civilization so much older than the Western one? “
As reported PBSNorman Chen, CEO ofAsian American Foundation aimed at protecting and supporting Asian populations in the United States explained the impact of United States currency symbol :
“Asian American woman on a coin […] is a symbol of how we belong an integral part of American society while still being perceived as stereotype. […] Nothing is more American than our money. “
This isn’t Anna May Wong’s first time go down in history : in 1960 she was also the first Asian American woman to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Featured Image Credit: © Isabel Santos Pilot / Flickr
Source: Madmoizelle
Ashley Root is an author and celebrity journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a keen eye for all things celebrity, Ashley is always up-to-date on the latest gossip and trends in the world of entertainment.
