For film and martial arts icon Bruce Lee, before there was Fist of Fury or Enter the Dragon, there was The Big Boss. The film marked Lee’s 1971 big-screen breakout role. He would tragically die two years later in May of 1973 from a cerebral edema.

Now, 52 years later, Lee’s daughter, Shannon Lee, is “The Big Boss” of the Bruce Lee Foundation and Bruce Lee Enterprises, which manage the legacy, intellectual property, and image of her iconic father. For her work, Shannon was recognized over the weekend by the Very Asian Foundation during its third annual Sunday Funday gala held in Bellevue.

Shannon was the executive producer of the 2008 television series The Legend of Bruce Lee and the 2009 documentary How Bruce Lee Changed the World. She also co-produced the Warrior series, based on her father’s journal entries, which debuted in 2019 and ran for three seasons. 

“Shannon is an amazing part of, I think, the culture—but also Asian American culture,” says Very Asian Foundation founder Michelle Li. “She’s such a creator. She has done so many amazing things. She’s such a boss lady. She’s really a very compelling entrepreneur.”

Michelle Li, founder of the Very Asian Foundation.

Photos by Truong Nguyen Photography/Very Asian Foundation

The luncheon drew more than 200 guests to the Eastside to support the Very Asian Foundation’s May Book Project and its Creators Grant Program. 

“I am a huge fan of the Very Asian Foundation due to its authenticity, humility, and impact in a world where many are clamoring to be the loudest,” says JoySauce founder and CEO—and Seattle magazine publisher—Jonathan Sposato. “Very Asian Foundation quietly and powerfully puts their head down to champion our community and never forgets the youth, the up-and-coming, the non-famous, or the marginalized. They have a lot of receipts, which is not at all a surprise given their incredible leadership by the always lead-by-example Michelle Li.”

The foundation also recognized this year’s winners of the Creators Grant Program, which promotes artists and storytellers who amplify underrepresented voices and perspectives of AA+PI communities.

This year’s recipients are Peerbagh CEO Upasna Kakroo; filmmaker, playwright, and organizer Diana Khong; therapist and activist Rameya Shanmugavelayutham; artist and metalsmith Kim Stahl; and musician Schoua Na Yang. Each received a $1,500 grant to pursue their work advocating for AA+PI communities.

Shannon acknowledges the challenges for storytellers of color and emphasizes the value of collaboration. “Bruce Lee is a global icon. Everyone knows the name Bruce Lee,” she says. “Everyone thinks it is easy and says, ‘Of course, we should do stuff about Bruce Lee.’ Most of the key decisionmakers in Hollywood and other places are older men, typically not people of color. They’ll say, ‘Yeah, that Bruce Lee guy—is he that kung fu guy that died 50 years ago? Why is he still relevant?’ There’s a lot of that. That’s not just in Hollywood. That’s true also in the commercial world.”

Shannon also says sexism and bias continue to confine the creative process in television and film. “I run into a lot of difficulty in people taking me seriously as a creator,” she says. “They see me as a rights holder. They want Bruce Lee. They don’t want me. It is hard for me to get projects made. People want to take what I have, but they don’t want to collaborate. And so, I am always looking for the people who will collaborate, which is hard to find. And as a woman, I am not listened to a lot. You have to collaborate with life. You have to keep going.”

Sposato echoes Shannon’s call for collaboration and diverse voices in media and storytelling. “AA+PIs are 8% of the population nationally, and in some metro markets as high as over 20%. Yet the number of speaking roles for Asian Americans in movies and TV is less than 3%. We must do better, and the Very Asian Foundation is helping us all fight the good fight.”

Sunday’s fundraiser capped a weekend of Bruce Lee–centered celebrations and fundraisers. Shannon was also the guest of honor at a dim sum brunch at Diamond Bay Restaurant in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District, which raised more than $100,000 to install a bronze statue of Bruce Lee at Hing Hay Park.“Putting in a Bruce Lee statue would make it an attraction to bring people to the Chinatown-International District,” says Jerry Lee, who spearheaded the fundraising drive.

In addition, AA+PI filmmaker and Seattle Children’s Theatre trustee Mimi Gan announced that the theatre will premiere Young Dragon: A Bruce Lee Story this winter. The original production is written and will be directed by the multiracial artist Keiko Green.