“To the Hmong community, Lee’s victory isn’t a means to mend a broken country, nor to gain acceptance from a nation that once abandoned us. Her success has replaced tears of trauma with tears of joy. Our elders have always yearned that one day we will have a country to unify our people. Suni Lee proved that our love for one another is enough.”

“YouTube allowed creators the creative freedom to authentically and unabashedly share their own experiences. What we’re seeing in today’s landscape of big-screen movies is years of work on smaller screens. An entire world of Asian creators paved the way to better representation on YouTube.”

“Standing frozen on that stage with nowhere to hide, I was forced to lie in the bed I had made. All this time, I thought I had earned my role because of my acting abilities, when in reality I was just there to fill a diversity quota of one. I felt humiliated singing a song about honor when I could only feel shame. In that moment, as I stood in yellowface, I had finally fulfilled my quest to become white.”