Student Blog: Redefining the Modern Minority

What does it mean to be a minority? Well, in the most generalized terms, being a minority means you are part of a population that makes up less than 50% of the total population. Whether it be race, class, gender, or sexuality, minorities and their stories are continuously underrepresented in creative spaces. However, entertainment seems to be shifting towards more representative narratives, and I hope that I can be a part of creating this new standard. 

At my school, I am a part of an organization called the Modern Minority Theatre Company. This organizaiton is dedicated to uplifting minority voices and perspectives in theatre. When I applied to be a part of the executive board in Fall 2025, one of the interview questions was, “Why do you want to join MMTC?”

It was a simple yet packed question that my whole life had prepared me to answer. I could talk about growing up without seeing characters that looked like me on screen or on stage. I could talk about how stereotypical representations of my heritage only made me more self-conscious about who I was. Or I could talk about how my younger self was infatuated by any sort of representation regardless of its authenticity or relation to myself because I assumed there was nothing better.

Growing up in a predominantly white suburb, I never knew what diversity looked like. I was one of only a few Asian girls in my grade, and we were frequently viewed as one entity. I was Jessica, she was Madeline, and to everyone, we were the answers to homework. As I got older, I became more aware of these issues, yet I also became more accustomed to them. That was until I entered college, and the whole world opened up to me.

There were many differences between high school and college, but the main one was that classrooms were no longer a sea of white. With more diversity of race and experience in my classes, I felt a new spark of inspiration and desire to build stories that represent the people who are actually living in this world.

As the quote by Oscar Wilde goes, “Life imitates art far more than art imitates life.”

Our perception of reality is highly influenced by what we see in the arts. We will wear certain clothes, pick up new slang, or even define the way we view a specific demographic by what we see in entertainment. Because of how influential film, television, and theatre can be in our lives, my friends at MMTC and I are hoping to move the needle on representing minorities. 

We are at the midpoint of April which means theatre productions are in full swing. The MMTC spring production of Tick, Tick…Boom! opens in about a week. Even through all of the chaos of putting on a show, though, we all are able to persevere knowing we are helping create something that will make a true difference.

Being a minority is so much more than bringing new looks to the group. Minorities bring new perspectives to old concepts, and embracing these differences is crucial to building more empathetic people: something I believe we need more of now.