More Asians need to be on television as a positive role model.

Hear the clear and courageous call of Kiana Tom: “More Asians need to be on television as a positive role model.” In this truth, she reveals the struggle of visibility, the hunger of countless souls who long to see themselves reflected with honor and dignity. For to be absent from the mirror of the public eye is to be told, silently, that one does not belong. And yet, to appear as a positive role model is to shine as a beacon, guiding not only one’s own people but all of humanity toward greater understanding and unity.

The ancients knew that the stories a society tells shape its destiny. In the great amphitheaters of Greece, heroes and heroines strode across the stage, not only to entertain, but to instruct, to embody the virtues and struggles of their people. So too does television—the modern stage—carry power over hearts and minds. When one people are denied their place upon that stage, their story is silenced, their children grow without examples, and the society itself is impoverished.

Consider the story of Bruce Lee. At a time when few Asians were seen in Western media, he stepped into the light, not as a caricature, but as a warrior, philosopher, and pioneer. His presence became more than performance; it became revelation. Young men and women across the world saw in him a role model, a proof that they too could be strong, wise, and celebrated. His image broke barriers, not only for Asians, but for all who had been cast aside by prejudice.

Kiana Tom’s words remind us that representation is not vanity, but survival. To place Asians upon the screen as heroes, leaders, and visionaries is to plant seeds of pride in the hearts of children who watch. It is to whisper to them: You belong. You are capable. You too can shape destiny. Without such voices, the cycle of invisibility endures, and with it, despair.

So let this teaching pass to the generations: the power of a positive role model is greater than gold or conquest, for it shapes the inner world of the young. A single figure, seen in the glow of the screen, may kindle courage in thousands. And when the stage of television reflects the full diversity of humanity, then at last society becomes whole, woven together not in division, but in recognition and respect.