The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

The media we consume also serves as an educator. The world is a diverse place, and movies and television shows should strive to reflect the ways in which it is distinct.

Complexity of diversity in media

by Yifan Li, Co-Conservatory Editor August 25, 2023

Characters flit in and out of my computer screen, their stories blossoming in each frame that passes. I scroll up endlessly, engrossed in a show and wanting to know what happens next, and soon, I’ve...

As Wajahat Ali continued on his path of storytelling as a Pakistani-American and Muslim, the lack of representation he has found along the way with has sometimes been difficult to overcome. But because of his love for and his interest in expressing and documenting stories and moments that unveil the richness of the stories of America, he found it fulfilling to keep doing what he does.

Wajahat Ali tells the real stories of America

by Sarah Mohammed, Asst. Features Editor December 11, 2020

Wajahat Ali remembers working on his first short story in Harker’s fifth-grade English and art classroom. His teacher, Ms. Peterson, had instructed him to write a page-long narrative—and Ali’s piece...

President-elect Joseph R. Biden and vice president-elect Kamala Harris’ win on Nov. 7 brought about the possibility of increased representation for marginalized communities. The last four years have exacerbated discrimination and underrerpesentation for groups such as Latinx, Black and LGBTQ+ communities, but Biden’s administration signals potential changes for the better.

Pulse of the People: Biden-Harris and the promise for change

by Alysa Suleiman and Arely Sun November 16, 2020

On Election Night, Jeannette Fernandez, a Latina and upper school math teacher, recalls sitting in her living room, watching with bated breath alongside millions of other Americans as the nation collectively...

Katherine Ho sings on stage. Her music journey started at age five when she began a tradition of performing every year in her local Lunar New Year show dancing and singing in Mandarin.

Inside a Crazy Rich Asians singer’s quest to mix the best of both worlds

by Jin Tuan, Lifestyle Editor November 1, 2018

Neat rows of mahjong tiles shuffle around on the movie screen. Quick cuts between shots of Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) and Eleanor Sung-Young (Michelle Yeoh) reveal their poker faces, strained with tight...

Impacts of increased ethnic representation in the entertainment industry

Impacts of increased ethnic representation in the entertainment industry

by Jessie Wang, Reporter October 25, 2018

This September, I went to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon, and saw Snow in Midsummer, a play based off of an ancient Chinese operatic performance. What was special about this show...

Crazy Rich RepresentAsian: Crazy Rich Asians sets a new benchmark for Asian portrayal in popular media

Crazy Rich RepresentAsian: Crazy Rich Asians sets a new benchmark for Asian portrayal in popular media

by Gloria Zhang and Nina Gee September 3, 2018

Before the classic high school plot of “The D.U.F.F” was “Mean Girls”, and before “Mean Girls” was “Clueless”. Before the romantic musical of “La La Land” was “Singin’ In the Rain”....

Pulse of the People: Awards season marks new horizon for representation

Pulse of the People: Awards season marks “new horizon” for representation

by Anvi Banga, Farah Hosseini, and Maya Kumar February 5, 2018

As feminist and social justice movements further develop, many people are outraged at the lack of diversity in Hollywood and its award winners. Many people were upset when the winners of the biggest...

Minority Representation

Minority Representation

by Meilan Steimle, Reporter January 27, 2014

2,809 Oscar Statuettes have been awarded in the 85 years of the Academy Awards’s existence. Out of those 2,809, 38 have been awarded to Asian Americans, 29 have been to African Americans, and one has...

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