“FLY IN POWER” GIVES VOICE TO ASIAN MIGRANT MASSAGE WORKERS

by Kathy Ou

Co-directed by Yin Q and Yoon Grace Ra, Fly In Power (2023) is the feature-length follow-up to a short film of the same title, which Q spearheaded after the death of Yang Song and which was released on YouTube in 2019. In the feature-length film, we see the filmmakers develop their aesthetics of collectivity, for example, by incorporating crowdsourced images and outsourced phone footage as alternative perspectives to one scene.

We also see the added perspectives of the massage parlor workers themselves. One of the main characters, Charlotte, is a Korean massage worker, who tells about her upbringing in a big Korean family that prioritized educational and developmental opportunities for boys while the girls learned to care for the boys’ needs. Initially skeptical when Q—the film’s co-director and leading member of Red Canary Song— first approached her, Charlotte recounts slowly opening up after seeing Q’s persistence and genuine care for her. Q treats her like a close friend even though they met not too long ago. Charlotte is now a core organizer of Red Canary Song’s outreach team.

Khokhoi is another fascinating character. Hailing from the Philippines, Khokhoi holds the spirits of the film. She identifies herself as a body, plant, and cultural worker who has lived in occupied Lenape land (New York) for the past 10 years. Land acknowledgment has a significant presence in the film—Q powerfully declares early on in the film, “Our care evolution must include remembrance.” Indeed, from mourning Yang Song to Indigenous land to the victims of the Atlanta shootings, the film is a thoughtful meditation on loss in both public and private spaces.
Throughout the film, we see abundant footage of foodmaking, massaging, and other acts of body contact, all filmed in close proximity that emphasizes the tenderness and dexterity of the women’s hands. As Q thanks Charlotte for the food and altars she made for the one year anniversary memorial of the Atlanta shooting, the film seeks to make visible the often hidden and unrecognized labor performed by women. It’s in scenes like these that we see the inevitability and sensuality of our physical existence. If we can agree that the bodily is essential, why should massage, sex, or body work be invalidated, discriminated against, or criminalized?

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In the wake of the tragic deaths of eight people, 6 Asian Women massage workers, Red Canary Song has been answering press again and again, speaking at Town hall meetings and panels nationwide, and tirelessly answering the flood of inquiries coming in. 

Before asking anything from us/me, please take the time to listen to what our collective has already SCREAMED into the world. 
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​I am behind the scenes, organizing for/with our local workers and international allies. I am not speaking to press or on panels at this time, but my incredible colleagues are out there, amplifying our work and issues.

The Long History Of Sexual And Physical Violence Asian Women Face In The U.S.​

​NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks with Yves Nguyen, an organizer with Red Canary Song, about the gender-based violence that Asian and Asian American massage workers face.

For TRANSCRIPT

by RCS organizer Prof Elena Shih
Policing and criminalization of sex work hurts massage workers, even when they aren’t sex workers.
READ ARTICLE HERE

​Being an Asian migrant sex worker in America shouldn't be a death sentence by Kate Zen

​MORE RED CANARY SONG PRESS ARTICLES 

• Mother Jones
• The Guardian
• Time to Say Goodbye Podcast
• VICE
• ABC News
• New Republic
• NYMag

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