The name Local 88 was resolvedly optimistic on Luu’s part. I love to eat and I really missed going to those restaurants.” “With the rise of anti-Asian racism, Asian restaurants here suffered more than the average. “I was afraid my favourite places would close,” she says. Luu ultimately left the administration of the GECREAQ page to invest more energy in Local 88. “Within ten days, the groups were booming within the Asian community,” Luu says, noting that the Local 88 page now has almost 11,500 followers, mostly from Montreal and the suburbs, but with followers from Toronto as well. She decided to start two Facebook groups in parallel: the Groupe d’Entraide contre le Racisme envers les Asiatiques au Quebec (Mutual Assistance against anti-Asian racism in Quebec, GECREAQ), and Local 88, a public page dedicated to supporting local Asian restaurants. Montreal police confirmed what Luu was hearing anecdotally: the number of hate incidents and hate crimes relating to race or ethnic origin increased exponentially from 2019 to 2020, and Luu didn’t want to sit around and watch it happen.
Some were hitting close to home, with friends and relatives telling her about unsettling situations in the city which targeted them as Asians. The actress was hearing disturbing stories about anti-Asian sentiment relating to COVID-19 disinformation. Will you be watching Sesame Street's See Us Coming Together: A Sesame Street Special? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.Laura Luu was on maternity leave at the start of the pandemic in March 2020, and what she saw happening to the Asian community worried her. You can check out more information about See Us Coming Together here. "We can't wait for families to get to know Ji-Young-in this special and in future seasons of Sesame Street-and celebrate some of the Asian and Pacific Islander people in our neighborhood!" "It's a powerful thing when kids see people like themselves represented on screen and in stories-it supports them as they figure out who they are and who they want to be," Alan Muraoka, longtime Sesame Street cast member and co-director of See Us Coming Together said. A viewing guide and materials for adults and children to do together will be available the week of the special. After the incident, Ji-Young seeks out friends and trusted grown-ups to help her know she's exactly where she belongs. The special is also part of Sesame Workshop's "Coming Together" initiative and will include an opportunity to talk about anti-Asian racism with Ji-Young experiencing another child telling her to "go home" off-screen.
With the generous support of The Asian American Foundation, Ford Foundation, and P&G/Pampers, we're proud to bring this special to life." "See Us Coming Together continues Sesame Street's proud legacy of representation with an engaging story that encourages empathy and acceptance and uplifts Asian and Pacific Islander communities. Today, we uphold that mission by empowering children and families of all races, ethnicities, and cultures to value their unique identities," Kay Wilson Stallings, Sesame Workshop's Executive Vice President of Creative and Production said in a statement. "Sesame Workshop's mission is to help kids grow smarter, stronger, and kinder.
The special will feature celebrity guests including Liu as well as To All the Boys I've Loved Before's Anna Cathcart, DC Comics' Jim Lee, and more. The special will follow the Sesame Street characters as they celebrate "Neighbor Day", including Ji-Young, performed by Sesame Workshop puppeteer Kathleen Kim. The special will air on Cartoonito on HBO Max, PBS Kids, and Sesame Street's YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.
On Monday, Sesame Workshop announced the introduction of Ji-Young, a Korean American muppet who will make their debut on See Us Coming Together: A Sesame Street Special that will debut on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 25. Sesame Street is introducing its first Asian American muppet and it's doing so with the help of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star Simu Liu.