As a fellow Ontarioan, I was
already excited about Simu
Liu when he was having Liu when he was having
“Canada success” on “Canada success” on Kim’s Kim’s
Convenience.Convenience. But since But since
then, he’s been on a path then, he’s been on a path
that no Chinese Canadian that no Chinese Canadian
has walked before. He’s part has walked before. He’s part
of the first generation of of the first generation of
Asian AmAsian Americans and Cana-ericans and Cana-
dians to reach true stardomdians to reach true stardom..
It’s been amIt’s been amazing to see azing to see
how beautifully he’s balanc-how beautifully he’s balanc-
ing representing our coming representing our com--
mmunity and staying true to unity and staying true to
himhimself. I saw self. I saw Shang-Chi Shang-Chi
and the Legend of the Ten and the Legend of the Ten
RingsRings three tim three times. I was so es. I was so
pleased to see Simpleased to see Simu exercise u exercise
his comhis comedy chops, his fight-edy chops, his fight-
ing skills, his gravitas. I love ing skills, his gravitas. I love
his ability to poke fun at his ability to poke fun at
himhimself. And, of course, the self. And, of course, the
guy looks great in a suit. guy looks great in a suit.
SimSimu has been working u has been working
hard to get through closed hard to get through closed
doors, and now he wants to doors, and now he wants to
hold those doors open for hold those doors open for
others. You see himothers. You see him doing doing
that through the way he that through the way he
speaks out against hate-speaks out against hate-
ful violence, his openness ful violence, his openness
about his own experiences about his own experiences
of isolation and discrimof isolation and discrimi-i-
nation, his professional nation, his professional
choices. He’s our superhero. choices. He’s our superhero.
Oh is an Emmy-nominated Oh is an Emmy-nominated
actoractor
A Renaissance woman born in Har-
lem during its own Renaissance,
Faith Ringgold has painted, sculpted,
written, sewed, and incited change
all her life. Her fundamental rein-
vention of narrative- based art, es-
pecially her panoptic elevation of
the American craft tradition, has
firmly established her as one of
the great artists of our time. From
the late ’60s, when she was pro-
testing the exclusion of Black and
women artists from museums, to
the late 2010s, when the expanded
Museum of Modern Art proudly
hung her masterpiece, the paintingSimu Liu
Superstar Superstar
B Y S A N D R A O HB Y S A N D R A O H
Faith Ringgold
Essential visionary
BY THELMA GOLDEN30 Time June 6/June 13, 2022 PHOTOGRAPH BY MERON TEKIE MENGHISTAB