The best essay, video or not, that I’ve seen about Asians in Sinners.
The only thing I have to add, is that nobody has commented on the fact that the women are running the money. This is the norm in East Asian cultures, like China, Japan, and Korea. While the cultures are patriarchal, the role of running the household and often family business, falls to women.
It’s not just a “shared duty”, which is how I’ve seen it regarded as in various comment sections - it’s outright control, where the man is given an allowance, and maybe only some say into how the money is spent.
Additionally, Bo’s comfort with the gangsters reflects an odd aspect of Chinese American history (which is not common with other Asian groups in the US), was the existence of powerful “tongs”, literally “organizations”, that were mutual aid societies for the immigrants. They provided jobs, business capital, workers, interpreters, and recreation. They also resolved disputes within the community, because they couldn’t rely on the courts. So they had youth gangs, as enforcers, but also to enforce control over Chinatown.
So, I’m not sure if it’s made explicit, but it’s possible that Bo had a history as a gangster, operating within a crime organization, which was also a community mutual aid organization, which may have provided financing for the store, which interfaced with the white society.
He’s also not really running the family money, or unilaterally making family decisions. That’s not the man’s role. He’s supposed to maintain relations with the community, and provide security.