OPINION | Joy Drop: Around this St. Patrick’s Day, there’s finally some reasons to celebrate | CBC Sports

In addition, there are some other wonderful ways that people commemorate St. Paddy’s day. There are delightful stories on Irish cuisine (the warm Irish soda bread looks particularly incredible) and other great activities, including the Achilles Run. 

The Achilles Run is an annual fundraising event that supports athletes with both physical and mental needs who want to run. According to their website, they offer programs for children, teens, and adults. Achilles Run also offers support for combat veterans who are suffering from PTSD. Able-bodied and disabled runners partake side-by-side in a 5K run or  walk through downtown Toronto. It’s a great way to use the power of running as a communal tool of community care. I hope whichever way you celebrate it is safely. May the road rise up to meet you. 

Super heroes with super representation

As soon as I saw the trailer drop I knew that it would be an essential part of this week’s Joy Drop.

The Ms. Marvel trailer came out on March 15 and I can’t even begin to express how thrilled I was. Ms. Marvel/ Kamala Khan is depicted as a Pakistani-American teenager from New Jersey. She is a real super hero and coming to our screens on June 8 from the folks at Marvel Universe.

Iman Vellani, the star of the series, hails from Markham, Ont. As predicted, fans shared excitement about this. And it isn’t just the plot or the cool animation or digital storytelling that impacts so many people. It is that we see ourselves in this character who is from a community that has seldom been the star of a feature series or film.  

I never really got into comic books or the Marvel Universe. Mostly because I didn’t see myself represented anywhere in the character. Then my kids insisted I watch Black Panther. I was stunned at the visuals, the characters and the seamless way that Black and African culture was revered. I fell in love with these stories.

Last fall I watched Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings starring Canada’s Simu Liu and again, I was mesmerized by Chinese culture so beautifully woven into a mainstream super-hero story. It was always possible, just never done before. 

This week, two of my sons and I watched Turning Red. It’s a stunning animated film, set in the early 2000s in Toronto, about a young Chinese girl who is navigating teenage life and angst while balancing family expectations.

In addition to being moved by the film, I was equally moved by a piece in the Toronto Star written by my friend, journalist Evy Kwong, about her visceral response to watching Turning Red. 

She writes: “In depicting this struggle happening during those awkward teen years, Mei is a reflection of those weird nuanced burdens we carried as immigrant kids. Her story tells us we aren’t alone in those complex, confusing experiences.”

As a first-generation Canadian, my multi-layered and varied experiences are not the same as other people’s; we are not a monolith, but we are represented and reflected in them. That the writing rooms of these films have BIPOC producers, writers and directors are equally necessary. The jokes make sense, the dialogue is authentic and we feel heard. 

Some may say that these movies are for kids, but there is something so touching,  familiar and joyous about these films. Whether I am five, 25, 45 or 75, there is room for the joy of being seen. There is something so powerful about being known. 

I leave you with my favourite song from the Rankin Family that will have you clapping your hands and tapping your toes. Sláinte!