Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month - Employee Spotlight: Anna Lee

In celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPIHM), Crunchyroll’s A.N.I.M.E Rising Employee Resource Group is spotlighting Anna Lee, Associate Manager, Global Partnerships and Content Strategy. Read more about her experience growing up as a Chinese American and a 2nd Generation, first to be born natively in the U.S.

1. Tell us a little about yourself!?

I’ve been in the Bay Area pretty much all my life except for my time at UC Santa Barbara (go Gauchos!). I joined the Crunchyroll Business Development & Partnerships team about a year ago and am absolutely loving it. In my free time you can find me curled up with a book, watching a show, or writing in my backyard.?

1. How do you identify within the Asian and Pacific Islander community? What generation are you in the Asian diaspora? (1st Generation - first to immigrate to the U.S; 1.5 Generation: immigrated to the U.S. during formative years as a child or teen; 2nd Generation: first to be natively born in the U.S., 2nd+ Generation: generations thereafter)

I am Chinese American and a 2nd Generation, first to be born natively in the U.S. My mother grew up in Shanghai China, and my father – although Chinese – grew up in Vietnam. My father immigrated to the U.S. as a refugee of the Vietnam War.?????????

1. What was it like for you growing up and how has your heritage shaped the person you are today?

A huge way that my family and I connect is through food, which seems to be a common love language in API cultures. You can feel the love with the abundance of food scooped onto your plate or with the dishes prepared that take hours beforehand to simmer or braise or to prep.?

Growing up Chinese American, I also encountered challenges bridging the stark gap that would appear at times between my Chinese and American identities. When I was younger, I found myself struggling between what I was taught at home and what was expected in my culture versus what I was learning at school. At home, I was taught to never question elders and to work hard without bragging about your successes. At school and in American culture, it couldn’t have been more different – you’re encouraged to challenge others (even teachers!) and not just to work hard, but to celebrate your successes. It's a constant balancing act and this is but just one example of how nuanced the Asian American experience can be.???????????????

1. When was your first encounter with anime and what was that experience like? Any anime recommendations? Who is your anime twin/spirit animal?

My first encounter with anime was a Sailor Moon VHS tape my dad picked up for me at some store and I so badly wanted to be a part of their superhero crew (alas, I found out the hard way that spinning around with a pen in hand does not turn me into Sailor Moon). I also watched Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh on TV. My anime twin/spirit animal would have to be Yuko Aioi from Nichijou aka My Ordinary Life.

1. Mainstream media has often been criticized for its lack of representation or trivialized portrayal of Asian and Pacific Islanders. What are your thoughts on the current state? Who was the first Asian or Asian American you remember seeing or encountering in the media entertainment space (can be TV, film, music, or social media)??

This is a topic that is especially close to my heart. Growing up, I really didn’t see much API representation on screen or even in music. The first instances of Asian representation I encountered were via avenues outside of Hollywood or outside of the U.S. altogether – it was with YouTubers like KevJumba and Michelle Phan and for music, it was through K-Pop. I was a huge fan of a K-pop girl group named 2NE1. It was the first time where I saw Asian women being portrayed as fierce and unapologetic. Only in recent years did we start to see a rise in representation of Asian and Pacific Islanders in mainstream media in what I like to call the Crazy Rich Asians era. There was Fresh Off the Boat, Kim’s Convenience, and The Farewell. BTS from South Korea, took the music world by storm and now anime is becoming mainstream with recent films setting box office records.?

It’s great to see this increase in API representation across the media entertainment industry and I would love to see this reach new heights. This means studios putting budgets behind API stories, more nuanced portrayals of Asian Pacific Islanders on screen, and increased representation of API talent behind the screen in storytelling positions. Imagine how powerful it is for more folks in the API community to feel like they are not alone in their experiences… or to see characters or role models who look like them overcome tremendous obstacles or achieve happiness on their own terms.?

1. Our theme for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is to “Rise to Greater Heights”, no matter how small or large the action is. How are you challenging yourself to do so this month and what are your hopes for our API community this year??

I’ve recently joined the leadership board of Crunchyroll’s Asian Pacific Islander Employee Resource Group called A.N.I.M.E. Rising (Asian Network Inclusive of Multiple Ethnicities). Through the ERG, my goal is to help spark conversations on issues of importance for our community, empower others to take action, and to uplift community members. While AAPIHM will provide a nudge to community members and allies to challenge themselves in spirit of our theme to “Rise to Greater Heights”, I hope that this mindset prevails beyond this month and that our community will grow in solidarity and strength, become unafraid to speak up, and unabashedly make waves.?