Every May, we celebrate the rich cultural diversity and honor the contributions of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. As we look forward to celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, we reflect on the 2026 theme of “A Legacy of Leadership and Resilience.”
If you’re looking for a speaker to motivate, inspire, and educate your audience on the achievements, struggles, and diverse experiences of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, look no further than these amazing individuals who have enriched American history, society, and culture.
Dr. Simran Jeet Singh: Motivational speaker, author, and human rights activist
- Shares the skills and insights that kept him engaged in his commitment to activism
- Teaches how to use compassion as the antidote to anger, self-pity, or social justice burnout
Cathy Park Hong: Award-winning poet and New York Times-bestselling author of Minor Feelings
- Brings to light the racist ideologies we all internalize
- Offers a fresh and honest perspective on race and Asian American identity
Patricia Evangelista: Distinguished journalist and accomplished author of Some People Need Killing
- Illuminates the power of journalism to effect positive change.
- Shares her courage in confronting uncomfortable truths, standing up to autocracy, and shedding light on marginalized voices
Chanel Miller: Artist, activist, and author of the New York Times bestseller Know My Name
- Addresses how she reclaimed her identity and her narrative
- Discusses how storytelling is a tool for healing and progress
Michelle Zauner: Frontwoman of Japanese Breakfast and author of New York Times bestseller Crying in H Mart
- Shares her story of family, food, grief, and self-discovery
- Speaks on how food became a vital source of connection to her Korean heritage
Celeste Ng: Author of the New York Times bestseller Everything I Never Told You and Little Fires Everywhere
- Explores the struggles faced by multicultural families
- Discusses the larger issues of “ethnic” writing and cultural identity in fiction
Ocean Vuong: MacArthur Fellow and New York Times-bestselling author of On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous and Oprah’s Book Club pick The Emperor of Gladness
- Highlights major innovations in literature created by writers on the margins
- Explores the meaning of American identity
K-Ming Chang: Novelist, poet, and author of Bestiary and Gods of Want
- Prompts non-Western storytelling structures to redefine reality in our stories
- Focuses on telling family stories in a way that centers the marginalized, produces new forms and language, and makes space for invention
C Pam Zhang: Debut novelist of How Much of These Hills is Gold and National Book Foundation 2020 5 Under 35 Honoree
- Retells the often homogenized story of the American West from a fresh perspective
- Explains how she breaks new ground in a genre often given over to tropes
Charles Yu: National Book Award-winning author of Interior Chinatown
- Speaks about representation and stereotypes in film and television
- Discusses the issues of immigration and assimilation
Katie Kitamura: Bestselling author of Intimacies
- Speaks about language and the immigrant experience in America
- Explores what it means to write in the first person
Rachel Khong: Award-winning author of Goodbye, Vitamin and Real Americans
- Explores memory and presence in the craft of writing
- Unpacks the fraught relationship between art and productivity in an age of AI and increased distraction
Beth Nguyen: Author of Pioneer Girl, Stealing Buddha’s Dinner and Short Girls
- Discusses her experience as an immigrant that formed the basis of her memoir
- Navigates themes of parenthood and family as a former refugee
Jean Kwok: Award-winning author of Searching for Sylvie Lee and Girl in Translation
- Comments on the American immigrant experience
- Explores generational differences, marriage, and sisterhood