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.

SF film festival offering drive-in experience and virtual presentations in celebrating Asian and AAPI films, artists

A scene from 'Try Harder!', a documentary about Lowell High School in San Francisco.

A documentary film about San Francisco's highly competitive Lowell High School and its predominantly Asian American students opens the CAAMFest celebration of Asian American films Thursday night.

The film festival, presented by the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) . kicks off with opening night presentations of Try Harder! at the makeshift Fort Mason Flix drive-in. 

Due to the OVID-19 restrictions and a cautionary concern about the health of film fans and filmmakers, the movie was shown in an outdoor drive-in format at Fort Mason.

 “The current COVID-19 pandemic is a crisis of unprecedented scope, one that presents unique challenges to the Asian American community,” says Stephen Gong, executive director of CAAM. “Now, more than ever, the power of storytelling is vital to the health and happiness of our diverse communities.” 

Try Harder!, the acclaimed documentary by local filmmaker Debbie Lum looks at the highly competitive atmosphere at San Francisco’s Lowell High School, where many students are Asian American. The heat is on for these students as they work hard at school while also experiencing the incredibly stressful process of applying to elite colleges and universities where only a few open spots exist for the flood of applications the campuses will receive. 

Try Harder! screens at the Fort Mason Flix drive-in at 6:30 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. on Thursday, May 13, 2021.

Several spotlighted films will be exhibited at the makeshift drive-int as CAAM welcomes back fans after resorting to an all-virtual format last year. To enrich the experience, film festival organizers is bringing in food trucks featuring Asian cuisine for festival-goers.

Scene from "Lumpia With A Vengeance," will be shown on Day 2 of CAAMFest.

CAAMFest 2021  offers two films in the special drive-in program, “Celebration Of Filipino American Stories” -- The Fabulous Filipino Brothers and Lumpia With A Vengeance) -- on Friday, May 14, 2021, at 6:30 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. (Sold out.)

The drive-in portion of CAAMFest 2021 wraps up on Saturday, May 15, 2021, with the “Hong Kong Cinema Showcase” featuring films by Hong Kong movie makers at 6:30 p.m. and 9:15 p.m.

CAAM continues the virtual format with a schedule of over 50 events, including screenings, panels, and live performances. 

One of Basco's earlier films, The Debut, is being made available as one of CAAMFest's virtual screenings. The feature, made in 2001, is perhaps the first movie featuring Filipino American lead characters.

CAAMFest 2021 has offerings for everyone from media makers to film lovers to those interested in Asian and Asian American representation, conveyed through unique voices highlighting the intersections of community - an apt marking of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month during this year when Asian Americans have been targeted for widespread violence.

Comedian and actress Margaret Cho will be present at the screening for 'Korean Ghost Story.'

 Many more virtual programs continue through Sunday, May 23, 2021, with CAAMFest 2021’s eclectic schedule of online screenings.

“The world may have paused due to the pandemic, but our filmmakers didn’t,” says Masashi Niwano, festival and exhibitions director at CAAM. “The vibrancy and energy of this year’s programming is unmatched with our filmmakers bravely telling their unique and vital stories." 

While some screenings are ticketed, CAAMFest also offers free events. Ticket options include $8 to $10 for individual virtual screenings, $12 to $15 for special screening events, $44 to $50 for the CAAMFest On Demand Pass, $44 to $50 per vehicle for single drive-in screenings, and $84 to $90 per vehicle for drive-in double features.

* * *

For a complete list of the CAAMFest film offerings, panels, showcases and celebrations, click here.

To register for the live events and to receive access to the virtual films, click here.

CORRECTION, May 13, 11 a.m.: Earlier version of this post had the wrong film for Day 2. Thursday, May 14, 'Lumpia With A Vengeance' will play alongside 'The Fabulous Filipino Brothers.'

The Asian American Foundation launches to improve AAPI advocacy, power, and representation across American society

As Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month gets underway, a new group launched May 3 with a $125 million treasure chest that will go towards fighting the current surge of hate targeting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

The Asian American Foundation ("TAAF") aims to act as a convener, incubator, and funder for the AAPI community. TAAF has already raised $125 million among its board members to support AAPI organizations and causes over the next five years — the largest philanthropic commitment in history by Asian Americans fully focused on supporting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. 

At the same time, TAAF is launching the "AAPI Giving Challenge" to galvanize even more resources to meet the needs of AAPI communities.

"We created TAAF to stand up for the 23 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders living in this country and help bring us all together in the fight for our own prosperity. TAAF wants to strengthen and build power for AAPIs, particularly as we face an exponential increase in hate and violence," said Sonal Shah, President of TAAF. 

"AAPI communities need systemic change to ensure we are better supported, represented, and celebrated across all aspects of American life. TAAF plans to spark that systemic change and help fundamentally transform AAPI empowerment and support well into the future." Shah previously served as Deputy Assistant to President Obama and founded the White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation.

TAAF was founded to solve for the longstanding lack of investment in AAPI communities — particularly as anti-AAPI hate and violence persist at alarming rates. Historically, AAPI communities have received less than 0.5% of charitable giving from foundations. The foundation will address this severe underinvestment by offering funding and resources to the ecosystem of advocates and organizations committed to AAPI causes. 

Additionally, TAAF seeks to bring AAPI communities together to more effectively mobilize action against hate and violence and to build the infrastructure needed to improve AAPI advocacy, power, and representation across American society.

To start, TAAF will focus its efforts on three areas where the need is most urgent:

• Anti-Hate: TAAF will support organizations and leaders building long-term solutions for measuring and defending against anti-AAPI violence.

• Data & Research: TAAF will work to develop the common data standards to better track incidents of hate and violence targeting AAPI communities, while investing in data-driven research that identify the needs of AAPI communities to inform future policymaking, advocacy, and philanthropy.

• Education: TAAF will help create K-12 and higher education curricula that reflect the history of Asian American and Pacific Islanders as part of the American story. TAAF will also fund storytelling across the arts, media and film to include the AAPI experience and AAPI contributions to the tapestry of American history.

TAAF's Board of Directors https://www.taaf.org/our-team is led by Board Chair Li Lu, Founder & Chairman of Himalaya Capital. The board is composed of business and social impact leaders who have coalesced around the need to bring investments and resources to AAPI communities through a unified, well-funded platform. 

TAAF will also benefit from the support of an Advisory Council of over 30 leading AAPI leaders and allies of the community working in public policy, business, philanthropy, media, and the arts who will act as ambassadors of TAAF and support the advancement of its work. 

Founding Advisory Council members include CNN hosts Lisa Ling and Fareed Zakaria, CEO of the George W. Bush Center Ken Hersh, actor and producer Daniel Dae Kim, basketball player Jeremy Lin, former President of The World Bank Dr. Jim Kim, and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

In addition to its initial commitment of $125 million, TAAF is inviting leaders from business and philanthropy to participate in its AAPI Giving Challenge, a 5-year commitment to bringing sorely needed resources to under-funded AAPI communities and causes. TAAF will work with the partners who join the AAPI Giving Challenge to develop programs and help bring TAAF's mission and vision to life.

Some of the high-profile donors include: Care.com founder Sheila Lirio Marcelo; Li Lu, the founder and chairman of the investment firm Himalaya Capital; Joseph Bae, the co-president of the investment firm Kohlberg Kravis & Roberts; Jerry Yang, the co-founder of Yahoo; Joseph Tsai, the co-founder and executive vice chairman of the Chinese technology company Alibaba; and Peng Zhao, the CEO of the financial services firm Citadel Securities.

The foundation has already made several critical investments in AAPI communities in order to ensure organizations can address anti-AAPI hate and violence. In the aftermath of the tragic Atlanta-area shooting that took place in March 2021, TAAF distributed $1 million each to Asian Americans Advancing Justice ("AAJC") coalition, Stop AAPI Hate, and  the National Asian American Women's Forum ("NAPAWF"). These grants will offer ongoing support as these organizations monitor anti-AAPI hate incidents and build systems to measure and defend hate against the community for the long-term.

A full list of grants made to date is available on the TAAF website. https://www.taaf.org/projects.

"Every Asian American has their American story. We are the cashiers, nurses, doctors, care workers, small business owners, students, political and business leaders," said Foundation president Shah.

"We serve and defend our country. We live in rural America, suburban America and urban America. Each of our stories are different, but we are part of the American story. We came for change. We came to build. We came because we believe in the promise of America. We belong. We are part of the American story."

Google doodle honors Japanese American author

After World War II, Japanese American author Hisaye Yamamoto spent a lifetime fighting racism and was one of the first Asian Americans to act as a bridge between the Asian American and Black communities.

In honor of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Google made the short story author the subject of today's Doodle.

Throughout an acclaimed career, Yamamoto constructed candid and incisive stories that aimed to bridge the cultural divide between first and second-generation Japanese Americans by detailing their experiences in the wake of World War II.

Born on August 23, 1921, in Redondo Beach, California, Hisaye Yamamoto was the daughter of Japanese immigrant strawberry farmers.. In her teens, Yamamoto wrote articles for a daily newspaper for Japanese Californians under the pen name Napoleon. 

Because of race-focused laws, her family was forced to move frequently. But as a teenager she found comfort in writing, contributing short stories and letters under the pseudonym Napoleon to newspapers that served the Japanese American community.

Following the outbreak of World War II and due to Executive Order 9066, Yamamoto’s family was among the over 120,000 Japanese Americans forced by the U.S. to relocate to government prison camps (aka Japanese internment camps), where they faced violence and harsh conditions. Despite the injustices encountered daily, she kept her literary aspirations alive as a reporter and columnist for the camp newspaper. 

As the war wound down, Yamamoto was released from the internment camp and returned to the Los Angeles area in 1945. She soon found work as a columnist with the Los Angeles Tribune, a weekly Black-owned and founded newspaper that sought to diversify the voices in journalism and unify the Black community with Asian Americans.

HISAYE YAMAMOTO

Over the next three years gathering news for the publication, Yamamoto witnessed firsthand the widespread racism that many underrepresented groups faced. These experiences profoundly changed Yamamoto, who became a literary champion of not just the Asian American community, but for others who also endured discrimination. 

Yamamoto wrote about the complexities of racial interaction in the US.

One of her stories was about the intimidation a Black family experienced racism from white neighbors in segregated Fontana, California After the family perished in an apparent arson attack, she scolded herself for using terms such as "alleged" or "claims" to describe the threats against the family.

In 1948, Yamamoto published her first short story, “The High Heeled Shoes,” which inspired Yamamoto to leave journalism and pursue writing full-time, often exploring topics related to the intersection of gender, race, and ethnicity in her works.

In 1986, Yamamoto’s storytelling won the Before Columbus Foundation’s American Book Award for Lifetime Achievement for her contributions to American multicultural literature. 

The adversity she overcame at the prison camp formed the basis for much of Yamamoto’s work, such as her 1950 short story “The Legend of Miss Sasagawara.” She also remained a life-long advocate in the fight against war, racism, and violence.

The Doddle's artist, Alyssa Winans, explains the inspiration behind her work:

"Reading Yamamoto’s work and working on this Doodle amidst all the recent news about rising violence hit especially hard. It’s difficult to see elements of history repeating itself, and my heart goes out to all the individuals and families that have been affected. As someone of mixed background, I have a complex relationship with different aspects of my culture, so I feel honored to be able to work on a Doodle for APAHM. I am always glad to see a space where Asian American and Pacific Islander voices, causes, and culture is elevated and celebrated."

PBS documentary, 'Asian Americans,' premieres tonight

It has been years in the making but Asian Americans will finally air on May 11 and 12, at 8 p.m. on your local PBS station.

The 5-part documentary series examines what the 2010 U.S. Census identifies as the fastest growing racial/ethnic group in the United States. Told through individual lives and personal histories, Asian Americans explores the impact of this group on the country’s past, present, and future.

The television series chronicles the fastest growing racial/ethnic group's history in the United States and examines the role Asian Americans have played in shaping America. More specifically, the Asian American-led series explores the impact Asian Americans have had on the country, from the1850s Asian immigrants lured by the California Gold Rush to modern refugee crises to the fight for desegregation and education equality.

"Although Asian Americans have significantly shaped national identity through educational change, most Americans may be unfamiliar with such efforts," says Stewart Kwoh, Executive Director and President of Advancing Justice – Los Angeles and who championed the need for such a comprehensive documentary.


Kwoh continued, "It is fitting the documentary launches this month during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month because there is so much people do not understand about our culture and how much we are woven into the fabric of this country's historical tapestry."

Summaries of each episodes are below:

EPISODE 1: BREAKING GROUND (Monday, 8 p.m.)

In an era of exclusion and U.S. empire, new immigrants arrive from China, India, Japan, the Philippines and beyond. Barred by anti-Asian laws they become America’s first “undocumented immigrants,” yet they build railroads, dazzle on the silver screen, and take their fight for equality to the U.S. Supreme Court. 

EPISODE 2: A QUESTION OF LOYALTY (Monday, 9 p.m.)

An American-born generation straddles their country of birth and their parents’ homelands in Japan and Korea. Those loyalties are tested during World War II, when families are imprisoned in detention camps, and brothers find themselves on opposite sides of the battle lines. 

EPISODE 3: GOOD AMERICANS  (Tuesday, 8 p.m.)

During the Cold War years, Asian Americans are simultaneously heralded as a Model Minority, and targeted as the perpetual foreigner. It is also a time of bold ambition, as Asian Americans aspire for the first time to national political office and a coming culture-quake simmers beneath the surface. 

EPISODE 4: GENERATION RISING (Tuesday, 9 p.m.) 

During a time of war and social tumult, a young generation fights for equality in the fields, on campuses and in the culture, and claim a new identity: Asian Americans. The war’s aftermath brings new immigrants and refugees who expand the population and the definition of Asian America. 

EPISODE 5: BREAKING THROUGH (Tuesday 10 p.m.)

At the turn of the new millennium, the national conversation turns to immigration, race, and economic disparity. As the U.S becomes more diverse, yet more divided, a new generation of Asian Americans tackle the question, how do we as a nation move forward together?

Asian Americans joined the civil rights campaigns in the late 60s and 70s.

Five hours doesn't seem enough time and there are sure to be some questions on what is not included in what has been described as a comprehensive look at Asian Americans' impact on the US. Fears have been expressed that the series will emphasize an East Asian perspective and overlook the contributions and history of Hmong Americans, Filipino Americans and South Asians. The producers say they took great pains to make sure that the voices go beyond the Japanese, Chinese and Korean communities.

Hopefully, teachers and students working out of their homes will take advantage of this series for their social studies, government and history classes. A full K-12 education curriculum will bring this historical significance and more to light with engaging digital content from the series. Through the new curriculum, the history of the Asian American experience will be available for current and future generations and for all communities of color to explore the history, contributions, and complexities of Asian Americans.

“These are American stories: stories of resilience in the face of racism, of overcoming challenges as refugees from war and strife, of making contributions in all sectors of society: business, technology, military service, and the arts, said Stephen Gong, Executive Director of the Center for Asian American Media. 

"These Asian American experiences and voices provide a vital foundation for a future fast approaching, in which no single ethnic or racial group defines America, in which shared principles will define who we are as Americans.”

Asian Americans is a production of WETA Washington, D.C. and CAAM for PBS, in association with the Independent Television Service (ITVS), Flash Cuts, and Tajima-Peña Productions – the company behind Who Killed Vincent Chin? and No Más Bebés. 

Census says there are 22.2 million Asian Americans and rising

The Asian American population in the United States is now 22.2 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau based on their estimates as for the year 2017.
That is an 18% increase, or 4 million more than the 2010 census. Because the community's high immigration rate, Asian America is the fastest growing ethnic community in the U.S.

The Census also said there are 1.6 million Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders

For Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, the Census released a batch of new numbers pertaining to Asian and Paciiic Americans.

The following facts are made possible by the invaluable responses to the U.S. Census Bureau’s surveys. We appreciate the public’s cooperation as we continuously measure America’s people, places and economy.

Asian Americans

22.2 million

The estimated number of Asians, alone or in combination, residents in the U.S. in 2017.
Source: 2017 Population Estimates

5.0 million

The estimated number of the Asian population of Chinese, except Taiwanese, descent in the United States in 2017. The Chinese (except Taiwanese) population was the largest Asian group, followed by Asian Indian (4.4 million), Filipino (4.0 million), Vietnamese (2.1 million), Korean (1.9 million) and Japanese (1.5 million). These estimates represent the number of people who reported a specific detailed Asian group alone, as well as people who reported that detailed Asian group in combination with one or more other detailed Asian groups or another race(s).
Source: 2017 American Community Survey

2.4%

The percentage of Asian alone or in combination military veterans in 2017.
Source: 2017 American Community Survey 

53.0%

Source:\ 2017 American Community Survey
87.5%

The percentage of the Asian alone or in combination population age 25 and older who had at least a high school diploma or equivalency in 2017.
Source: 2017 American Community Survey

555,262

The estimated number of Asian-owned employer firms in the United States in 2016.
Source: 2016 Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs

For more Stats about Asian Americans, click here.

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Population

1.6 million

The estimated number of Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone or in combination residents of the United States in 2017.
Source: 2017 Population Estimates

614,572

The number of Native Hawaiian residents of the United States in 2017. The Native Hawaiian population was the largest detailed Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (NHPI) group, followed by Samoan (202,268) and Guamanian or Chamorro (156,482). These estimates represent the number of people who reported a specific detailed NHPI group alone, as well as people who reported that detailed NHPI group in combination with one or more other detailed NHPI groups or another race(s).
Source:2017 American Community Survey

7.1%

The percentage of Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone or in combination military veterans in 2017.
Source:2017 American Community Survey

23.3%

The percentage of the Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone or in combination population age 25 and older who had a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2017.
Source:2017 American Community Survey

89.4%

The percentage of the Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone or in combination population age 25 and older with at least a high school diploma or equivalency in 2017.
Source:2017 American Community Survey

5,157

The estimated number of Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander-owned employer firms in the United States in 2016. 

For more stats on this demographic group, click here.

100 Most Influential Asian Americans picked

A few of the 100 most influential Asian/Americans.

A WIDE-RANGING LIST including entertainers, politicians and tech innovators are included in the list of the 100 most influential Asian/Americans released in time for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

The list has been put out by a new nonprofit, Gold House, which describes itself as an “exclusive collective of pioneering Asian founders, creative voices, and leaders dedicated to elevating our professional and cultural legacy.”

Those included on the list range from CEOs to Celebrities and everything in between.

Included on the list is Peter Wang, the young Parkland student who was fatally shot as he  helped fellow students escape the shooter on the Marjorie Douglas High School campus. His death, along witih 16 others killed that day, inspired a national movement to place more restrictions on guns.

A group of 16 judges made up the selection committee. Among them are Olympian Michelle Kwan; celebrity chef Martin Yang and Jerry Yang, founder of Yahoo. You can see the full list of the selection committee and their choices for the top 100 here.

As with any list, there will be debate about who was excluded and who among the honorees perhaps shouldn’t have been included.

Anne Dugal, founder of the Female Founders Fund, told Tech Crunch it’s “inspiring to see so many Asian Americans who are building incredible tech companies from across the country.”

Dugal, along with Female Founders Fund co-founder Sutian Dong, were among those named.

“For me personally, the Asian network has been extremely valuable as a tech founder and VC. This network has opened up doors and allowed me to access so many mentors who have been a very important part of my career story,” she said.

Hollywood celebrities on the list include comedians Ali Wong and Aziz Ansari, along with filmmaker Jon Chu, director of the upcoming film, Crazy Rich Asians and Justin Lin, director of Star Trek, Beyond.
Journalists include Richard Lui of MSNBC/NBC and Lisa Ling of CNN.

“All too often, the impact of Asians in the worlds of media, fashion, the arts, activism and sometimes even technology is unseen or understated,” selection committee member Tham Khai Meng, co-chair and chief creative officer at Ogilvy & Mather, said to The Hollywood Reporter. “The A100 uniquely cuts across genders, pan-Asian ethnicities, beliefs, industries and generations. I’m so proud of them and of Gold House for this incredible initiative.”

Who would you like to see on the list?

EDITOR'S NOTE: Edited May 3 for clarity.

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