APA Heritage Month: Gold House names 100 most impactful AAPIs

Musicians, business executives, tech entrepreneurs, athletes, actors, authors, filmmakers. The annual list of the AAPI movers and shakers produced by Gold House kicks off Asian Pacific American Heritage Month was unveiled Friday, May 1.

The full A100 list can be viewed on Gold House's website.

Perhaps the biggest surprise to people who have only a casual connection to the AAPI communities, is that Gold House was able to find so many in so many fields, a testament to the influence and power of AAPI individuals because most of them don't grab the headlines or spotlight of America's media.

“The AAPI community is facing a pivotal juncture in our history,” said a Gold House spokesperson in a statement. “Unprecedented hope and progress – seen in IPOs and other major company exits to the Democratic Presidential Primaries to the Oscars and Golden Globes – quickly turned into hateful harassment and violence.

"The A100 spotlights significant contributions made by the Asian diaspora that transcend ethnicities, generations, industries, and continents – a powerful reminder that we have always been and will continue to be an integral part of the fabric of American society,” continued the statement.

Born three years ago specifically to assure the box office success of the landmark film, Crazy Rich Asians, Gold House's list leans heavily to show business personalities, including Awkwafina, Chrissy Teigen, Lilly Singh, Dwayne Johnson and the K-pop sensations BTS and Black Pink, joined by former presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Andrew Yang, but there are also less known but just as impactful standouts in the business and tech worlds.

For the first time, judges and voters also selected the single, most impactful Asians per category, as well as the Legend Lifetime Achievement Award:

• Business: Betty Liu (executive vice chairman, New York Stock Exchange)
• Fashion and Lifestyle: Prabal Gurung (designer)
• Media & Entertainment: Awkwafina (actress, producer, musician)
• Social Activism: Andrew Yang (founder, Humanity Forward, and former United States presidential candidate)
• Technology: Satya Nadella (CEO, Microsoft)
• Legend Lifetime Achievement Award: Miky Lee (vice chairman, CJ Entertainment)

“It is as important as ever to highlight leaders in the Asian community and support one another,” Prabal Gurung told Adweek. “When we uplift each other, it is a show of solidarity to the world that we are here, we are united, and we aren’t going anywhere. 

"Also, unity within our own community allows us to be stronger allies to other minority groups. Right now, you can support the AAPI community by speaking out against racism using whatever platform you have (big or small) and supporting small businesses.”

These individuals, standout in their fields, are proof that AAPI are part of today's America, contributing to its ever-shifting culture, energizing its economy, adding to its knowledge and expanding its dreams.