Early in the pandemic, actor Christine Chang was verbally attacked in a grocery store.
She told her story to
New Amsterdam co-executive producer and writer Y. Shireen Razack, who then adapted it for the small screen, and in the recent episode of the NBC hospital drama, Chang's character Dr Agnes Kao treated an Asian-American patient experiencing PTSD from a hate crime.
In the scene, Dr Kao was able to diagnose the patient, who was shaken by physical touch, because she, too, had experienced violence.
"We want to make accurate storytelling about underrepresented communities," Razack, who also co-founded a think tank for inclusion and equity with the goal of increasing inclusivity in TV and advancing authentic storytelling, said during a virtual panel on Friday (April 2).