I admit I get excited if I see an Asian actor pop up in the media, on television, or simply in a funny commercial. Better yet, if I see an Asian lead in American media (Jackie Chan’s “Rush Hour” series are to die for), I might fall off my seat and call over my family to come watch.

With that embarrassing confession aside, racial diversity has been increasingly exemplified in our evolving society of greater acceptance, seen in shows like “The Mindy Project” or movies like “Slumdog Millionaire,” but personally, I see a problem. Media should truly represent the diversity of the U.S. today; however, I am still surprised to see a lead in a movie or television show to not be Caucasian.

In the United States, Caucasians make up 75 percent of the population, but on television, more than 84 percent actor leads are white, according to Thinkprogress.org. Latinos and Asians contribute 16.1 percent of our population while only 5.7 percent are leads in shows. 12.9 percent African Americans in the US, and 8.8 percent in television.

I, like others, shouldn’t be surprised to see an African American or Middle Eastern man on the streets or in Central, so why are we surprised to see one as a lead in a movie or show? Because even with some progress, there’s still a lack of minorities in the media. Sure, there’s the occasional Morgan Freeman, Jackie Chan or but rarely do movies showcase a multicultural lead actor, usually letting the minorities take on the supporting roles.

Fox’s “The Mindy Project” is a novelty though. It is the first American television show that features an Indian American lead. When this show premiered, numerous articles popped up highlighting the historical movement of multiculturalism in the media.

Now, Indian Americans don’t have to only look to Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, the Indian Kwik-E-Mart storekeeper in the “Simpsons,” for Indian representation anymore. Actually, that was never even true representation, since Apu was played by a white actor.

Some more South Asian representation has come with the release of the new Marvel superhero, Kamala Khan, a Pakistani-American teenage Muslim girl. It makes me proud of America when I see more representation, and there is progress. It’s still better than the “Simpsons”.

But when I think back, if the U.S. is so keen to highlighting racial acceptance and all, why is it still a surprise to see an Indian American girl in the media? Why do so many shows only cast Caucasians? Even with more representation of racial diversity, how can we make true progress if it’s such a rarity to see this representation?

During my junior year, I remembering hearing an American Indian peer describe her disappointment when an elder discouraged her aspirations to be a Broadway actress and singer because “there are no Indians in the musical industry, so there’s no chance.”

This statement disgusted me, but I couldn’t help think that the situation was partially true. With so little representation in the Broadway industry (only 1.5 percent of those cast in the last five years were Asian American, according to the Asian American Performers Action Coalition), the chances of her to be a lead in a musical, let alone be cast at all, are very slim.

In order to increase diversity quickly and thoroughly, movie, television, broadcast or theater companies should be strongly encouraged or even required to increase the multiculturalism of the actors cast to closely mimic the percentages of the ethnic representation in the US today. Even if this idea may be far-fetched, pressure and encouragement from the press to start that trend is a start and it can’t hurt.

In many ways, diversity is still not being exemplified in the media. While there are improvements being made already, like with “The Mindy Project,” racial diversity is still lacking.

If we are still surprised to see an African American male lead or a Middle Eastern female lead in American television, then the media isn’t doing a good enough job. In order to actually be successful in showing ethnicity, then we should be able to see an Asian American as a star of a movie and not think twice about the rarity. We don’t see their obvious physical features but their entertaining abilities and their talent as equals to the rest of the actors. I’m done seeing “Simpson’s” Apus. Let’s see some accurate diversity.