![]() ![]() In public, I’d be quick to speak loudly to show I had no accent. Bruce Willis over Bruce Lee, Marshall Faulk over martial arts. ![]() Kids called me Bruce Lee, teased me in broken English: “You know kung fu? HWAAAAA!” I distanced myself from martial arts and anything representing my culture to prove my Americanness. ![]() Growing up, I rejected Lee because of my own racial insecurities. Among his pupils was Steve McQueen, the actor once known as the “ King of Cool.” Lee redefined Asian masculinity to the western world. He was good friends with basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and waxed him in a movie for kicks. The Chinese American legend was born in San Francisco and is the subject of ESPN’s latest 30 for 30 documentary, Be Water, which premieres on Sunday. Lee might be the baddest Asian to ever grace a screen. Talking about Asian identity issues feels like an utter lack of perspective, but as my colleague Marc Spears tweeted: “This Bruce Lee documentary is coming at a excellent time in the midst of today’s world.” ![]() I’m thinking about what’s happening to black and African Americans in this country. I’m supposed to write about Bruce Lee right now, but it’s hard to concentrate. “Those who are unaware they are walking in darkness will never see the light” ![]()
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