Racism & The Asian American Community ~ Guest, Christine Toy Johnson

Bill Myers Inspires

Bill Myers Inspires Asian American citizens face unique challenges today as COVID 19 ravages the world which originated in China, Black Lives Matter, and a divisive political climate. How has the Asian American community been affected by racism in America? Christine Toy Johnson is an award-winning actor, writer, director, filmmaker, and advocate for inclusion based in New York City. As a performer, she has been breaking the color barrier for over 30 years, and has been featured extensively on Broadway, off-Broadway, in regional theatres across the country, in film, television, and concerts worldwide. An avid advocate for inclusion, Christine is a member of the elected leadership of the Dramatists Guild of America and serves as Chair of the Guild’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee as well as host of their podcast “Talkback” distributed on the Broadway Podcast Network. She is a founding member of the Obie-Award winning AAPAC (Asian American Performers Action Coalition), founder of the Asian American Musical Theater Writers Project, served for 28 years as part of the elected leadership of Actors’ Equity Association (and as Chair of the union’s Equal Employment Opportunity Committee for 22 years), and served on the Board of the Tony honored Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts for over 15 years. Christine was honored by the JACL (the nation’s largest and oldest Asian American civil rights organization) in 2010 for “exemplary leadership and dedication”, the “Wai Look Award for Service in the Arts” from the Asian American Arts Alliance in 2012, and the Rosetta LeNoire Award for “outstanding contributions to the universality of the human spirit” from Actors’ Equity Association, in 2013. She is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and the Certificate of Screenwriting Program at NYU. https://www.christinetoyjohnson.com/. ~ More About Bill Myers Inspires ~ Emmy Award-winning actor Bill Myers is an accomplished actor, jazz musician, filmmaker, writer, educator, and speaker. As a bi-racial man who is both black and white, Bill leverages his background, talents, and voice through creativity, compassion, and connection as activism for social justice to focus on uniting the divide and compelling change. In a civic leadership capacity, he has served as President of the African American Jazz Caucus in NYC, member of the Indianapolis Cultural Development Committee, and served as President of the Indianapolis Downtown Optimist Club. In addition to his Emmy Award, Bill has received many awards and notable commissions for his work including being commissioned by the Indianapolis Museum of Art to create an original work for Dr. Martin Luther King Day entitled “The Music, Martin & Me.” Bill Myers seeks to encourage, enlighten, and empower others through the power of entertainment to affect social justice. You can find him at his website Billmyersinspires.com, Bill Myers Inspires on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/billmyersinspires/, Twitter https://twitter.com/bmyersinspires1, Instagram https://www.instagram.com/billmyersinspires/ , or via email [e-mail]. To get more of Bill Myers Inspires, be sure to visit the podcast page for replays of all her shows here: https://www.inspiredchoicesnetwork.com/podcast/bill-myers-inspires/