If one ever travels to Los Angeles, perhaps one of its most famous attractions would be the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Famous celebrities have their names engraved on stars on the pavement and everywhere one walks, another recognizable name is in view.

On June 17, 2021, the most recent Hollywood Walk of Fame Class of 2022 was announced, and it included four Asian Americans. Those chosen included Jason Momoa (“See”, “Aquaman”, “Game of Thrones”), Ming-Na Wen (“Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD”, “The Mandalorian”, “Yasuke”), James Hong (“Blade Runner”, “Kung Fu Panda”, “Mulan”), and the multi-racial musical group Black Eyed Peas, featuring a Filipino member known as Apl.de.ap.

It serves as a historic moment for the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The first Asian Americans on the famous landmark appeared in 1960 with Anna May Wong, Sessue Hayakawa, and Sabu among the honorees in that inaugural year. Nevertheless, since then, only 11 of the further 2,697 honorees were Asian American. The list includes Philip Ahn (1984), George Takei (1986), Keye Luke (1990), Bruce Lee (1993), Mako (1994), Pat Morita (1994), Jackie Chan (2002), Keanu Reeves (2005), Ben Kingsley (2010), Toshiro Mifune (2016), and Lucy Liu (2019). (12 if you could Godzilla, a fictional character, in 2004.)

To have four in one year represents an advancement in the entertainment industry in recognizing the talents of Asian Americans. Time will tell if it’s a tradition that continues.