The recent record-breaking success of Crazy Rich Asians and Black Panther has given the mistaken belief that “people of color are not marketable” a run for its money. And we, the unwanted people, want that money.
Success is the best revenge in my book. We all cheer for the underdog to win. I remember in Pretty Woman when Julia Roberts’s character went back to that store where she was snubbed and shook her purchases at them shouting, “Big mistake!” In Crazy Rich Asians, it was awesome seeing Michelle Yeoh’s character literally buy the hotel out from the staff who would not honor her reservation.
What those two scenes tell us is that money is power and it matters how and where we spend it, because people–the ones who said our stories don’t matter, or that they’re better at telling it than we are, or that our stories needed one of them or they wouldn’t be interested, or putting one of us on the cover would stop sales–are paying attention now.
Because they were wrong.
And I’m very, very happy about that.
