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 2023 theme of “Advancing Leaders Through Opportunity.”
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
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
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
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: Poet and author of On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous
- 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
