Historical Footnote, Part 2: More all-AAPI panels appear in news shows

I'm not sure if this is the networks way of rebuking Trump's usage of "Chinese virus" that fuels the attacks against Asian Americans, but the presence of AAPI on the network news shows are at an unprecedented high. 

RELATED: See my earlier post noting this trend.

Above, CNN reporters Kyung Lah and Natasha Chen speak to host Don Lemon Monday (March 23) about the apparent turnaround of Donald Trump's use of "Chinese virus" when talking about COFID-19 and xenophobia against Asians that is running rampant across the country, unleashing a torrent of hate-fueled acts.

Below, Monday evening, MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell's The Last Word has three Indian American medical professionals  -- Ashish Jha, Kavita Patel and Vin Gupta -- talking about the effectiveness of the stay-at-home strategy meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Up to now, it is still a rare occurrence when Asian Americans appear in news programs -- the entertainment industry is another story -- as experts in their fields. To have an entire panel of AAPI commentators, is still rare enough to merit me posting it to bring the trend to your attention.

Hopefully, it is not a trend. Maybe the networks won't need a national emergency to notice AAPI expertise in a whole lot of fields beyond racism and medicine. The largely immigrant AAPI communities are making huge contributions to this country and maybe we should be tooting our own horn more often. #IAmAnImmigrant.

Whether or not the appearance of Asian talking heads a deliberate strategy of the networks or simply an example of how deeply entrenched AAPI people are in all aspects of US society -- I'm liking it.

George Takei On U.S. government holding kids In camps...

SCREEN CAPTURE

George Takei: 'It is the most incompetent admnnistration...'

STAR TREK star George Takei was asked to recall his experience as a 5-year old when he and his family were detained during World War II.

Appearing last night (July 31) on MSNBC's Lawarence O'Donnel show, The Last Word, the 81-year old Japanese American actor recalled the soldiers, with bayonets drawn, pounding on the front door, his parents packing, his mother crying. Takei said, "I will never be able to forget that scary, horrible morning" when his family were taken from their home and placed in an internment camp.

Takei was discussing how traumatic events impact young children in relation to the children being separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border.

(Donald Trump) "has reached a new historical low," said Takei. "This notion of taking children from their parents, ... then incarcerating them in cages, then scattering them across the country," said Takei, best known for his role as Mr. Sulu in the original television series Star Trek that launched a megahit franchise with a fanatically loyal fanbase.

"It is the most incompetent administration. a new low in cruelty and inhumanity. It makes Americans ashamed," Takei told the host.

Takei's interview starts around the 3:40 mark in the video below:

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