Lucy Liu, Padma Lakshmi among those honored by Gold House

Lucy Liu, left, and Padma Lakshmi among the most impactful honorees.

Actress Lucy Liu and culinary hostess Padma Lakshmi  are among the Asian Americans being honored during May, Asian American Heritage Month.

Gold House's gala honoring the 100 most impactful Asian Pacific changemakers in culture and society over the past year is one of the highlights of AAPI Heritage Month. The  annual Gold Gala is taking place this May 11 at the Music Center in downtown Los Angeles.

"Gold House and Gold Gala have become the beacon for the Asian Pacific community to unite, invest in, and celebrate our inventiveness and impact, says ashion designer Prabal Gurung, Gold House creative director. 

"This year, I've focused on making Gold Gala look truly global while feeling local, balancing the breadth of our expansive diaspora with its bold, unified heart. From the organic and towering arboreal growths to our centerpiece spheres that shape us-the sun, the moon, our Earth-we envisage a new, more holistic, more centered world that enables all of us to bloom." 

The Gold Gala, the annual gathering of top Asian Pacific and multicultural leaders, will convene over 600 guests to celebrate the 2024 A100 List (to be announced on May 1, 2024) - the 100 most impactful Asian Pacific changemakers in culture and society over the past year - with on-stage presentations to special honorees, including Lucy Liu, Bang Si-Hyuk, Cynthia Erivo, Hoa Xuande, Hello Kitty, Karan Johar, Padma Lakshmi, Saweetie, Valkyrae, the creator and cast of Beef, Maui first responders, and Olympic gold medalists.

The Gold Gala will close with a multi-song performance from award-winning artist and 2023 A100 honoree Saweetie, a Filipino American.

Special honors to be presented at the Gold Gala include:

• In recognition of their lifetime achievements, the Gold Legend Honor will be presented to Bang Si-Hyuk, founder and chairman of HYBE; producer and director Karan Johar; actress, artist, advocate, director, and producer Lucy Liu; and producer, television host, food expert, and New York Times best-selling author Padma Lakshmi.

• The cast and creators of Beef, historic winner for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards, will be honored with the Gold Icon Honor for its groundbreaking representation of the Asian American experience.

• Multi-platinum-selling recording artist and entrepreneur Saweetie will receive the first-ever Billboard Gold Music Honor, recognizing boundary-pushing musical accomplishments that redefine cultural narratives.

• Grammy, Emmy, Tony-winning and Oscar-nominated actress, singer, songwriter and producer Cynthia Erivo, who will star in Wicked later this year, will receive the Gold Ally Honor for her award-winning work to advance inclusive representation in front of and behind the camera.

• Honorees of the A1 Honor, recognizing the most impactful in their field over the past year, including content creator and streamer Valkyrae for Gaming and Sports and the Maui First Responders for Social Impact.

• Hello Kitty will receive the Gold Generation Award for her 50th anniversary, a testament to her ability to connect generations of people all over the world, while sharing her positive message of friendship and kindness, over the last five decades.

• Hoa Xuande, star of the new smash hit on Max, The Sympathizer, will be honored with the New Gold Honor for a rising leader who will redefine canon for the Asian Pacific community.

• Olympic Gold Medalist snowboarder Chloe Kim, Olympic Gold Medalist figure skater and New York Times best-selling author Kristi Yamaguchi, the most decorated Winter Olympian Apolo Anton Ohno, Olympic Bronze Medalist ice dancers Maia and Alex Shibutani, and Paralympian Scout Bassett will unite onstage for a special moment to celebrate the USA's newly awarded 2022 Team Skating Gold Medal, including the Asian Americans on the US skating team from the Beijing Winter Olympics Nathan Chen, Vincent Zhou, Madison Chock, and Evan Bates.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the  blog Views From the Edge.