In Honor of Asian Pacific Islander Month, Here are 10 Asian Pacific Islander Women That You Should Know

Many people in American look forward to the month of May for its nice spring weather, but for others this is a month to celebrate the accomplishments of Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans. More importantly, the actions and accomplishments of the women in those two groups should be celebrated. These women have ingrained themselves in all aspects of American culture, from Hollywood movies to national politics, and it is necessary to acknowledge the positive impact they have had on communities and culture within the United States. Without them, many historical contributions and artistic achievements would not have been possible.

1) Muna Tseng

Born in Hong Kong, Muna Tseng began classical Asian dance classes when she was a child in Canada. Tseng moved to New York and founded Muna Tseng Dance Projects Inc. in 1984 where she works as a performer and choreographer. Her company was created to make art and creative ideas with collaborators and researchers through film, love performances, videos, exhibitions, photography, visual art installations, books, and other media. She has been a part of over 40 dance productions that were based in over 30 cities, and she has performed at festivals in 15 countries. She has worked at Queens College, City University of New York, Douglas College at Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts NJ, and New York University. Aside from being a talented dancer, lecturer, and author, she also works as an estate manager, advocate, and archivist of her brother’s artwork, and has been doing so since his AIDS-related death in 1977.

2) Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu

Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, also known as Kumu Hina, is a transgender woman and a māhū- the third gender in Hawaiian culture that is neither male nor female, but something in between. She attended the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa before she created the organization Kulia Na Mamo, which was founded to improve the lives of other māhū wahine. Wong-Kalu was featured in an award-winning documentary in 2014 called Kumu Hina. Wong-Kalu is also a community leader, a Kanaka Maoli teacher, a cultural advisor, and a cultural practitioner. She was one of the first transgender people to run for statewide political office in the U.S. and is the chair of the O’ahu Island Burial Council. Wong-Kalu is now married and living with her spouse in Honolulu where she is working in civic activities and community affairs.

3) Isabella Borgeson

Isabella “Isa” Borgeson (she/they) is a queer and Filipina artist, poet, educator, and community organizer. She is from Oakland, California, and that is where she cofounded an organization called Root Slam which was created by Borgeson to use poetry as a tool for resistance and to promote the growth of artists and poets of the Bay Area. In 2015 Borgeson was one of four poets to perform at the United Nations Climate Change negotiations in Paris for COP21. She is currently campaigning to slow the spread of the Covid-19 virus in detention centers, prisons, and jails across California with the #StopSanQuentinOutbreak coalition.

4) Kayla Briët

Kayla Briët is a Chinese and Dutch-Indonesian artist, musician, composer and filmmaker who is well-known for her award-winning short documentary, Smoke That Travels, which she scored, directed, shot, and edited by herself so that it could accurately reflect her Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation heritage. Her film has been screened in over 45 countries, which provides hope that her culture will not be forgotten. Briët is also a one-woman band in which she plays the guzheng zither, keyboard, loop pedal, and guitar. She explores the themes of identity though multiple story-telling formats, such as virtual reality, film, and music. Her goal is to use her platforms to inspire others to use their voices and tell their stories through technology and art. Briët is currently working on a new film, as well as her next virtual reality project titled “Trove”.

5) Wang-Ping Oshiro

Wang-Ping Oshio is a mother, massage therapist, and Chinese American immigrant. Prior to being a massage therapist at Stadium Swap Meet, she was a hotel maid and a worker at McDonald’s. She is one of the four women who star in an immersive and inspirational short film called “AFTEREARTH”. In that documentary, Oshiro and her son, Kit Yan, reflect on their family and on their connection to the environment in an attempt to inspire a positive change from viewers. Oshiro has three children, and she has sponsored her extended family so that they could immigrate to Hawaii from China. She is fighting to preserve the environment for future generations through activism, theatre, and art.

6) Queen Liliuokalani

Queen Liliuokalani, also known as Lydia Kamakaecha, Liliu Kamakaecha, and Lydia Liliuokalani Paki, was the only Hawaiian queen, the last sovereign of the Kalākaua dynasty, and the last Hawaiian sovereign to govern the islands of Hawaii. She became queen after the death of her older brother in 1891, but her reign only lasted until 1893 when a military-backed coup deposed her. After the coup, Hawaii was annexed by the United States of America, which was then followed by a failed attempt to return Liliuokalani to power. She was then charged with treason and placed under house arrest before being exiled. In 1895 Liliuokalani signed a formal abdication, but until her death on November 11, 1917, she advocated to free Hawaii from the US.

7) Maya Lin

Maya Lin is an architect, a sculptor, an environmental activist, an author, and a Yale University graduate. She is most commonly known for her work in designing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Lin’s parents were Chinese immigrants that sought refuge in the United States after the Communist takeover of China in 1949 and they became professors at Ohio University. Since graduating from Yale University, Lin has designed many other monuments, sculptures, and parks. She was presented with the National Medal of Arts in 2009 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016, both given to her by then-president Barack Obama. She now owns and runs her own company called Maya Lin Studio in New York where she lives with her two daughters.

8) Awkwafina

Awkwafina, born Nora Lum, is a tv host, actress, author, comedian, rapper, and internet personality. Her rise to fame began with a YouTube video in which she rapped a self-written song called “My Vag”. Since her break-out rap in 2012, Lum has been in multiple A-list movies, hosted SNL, released an EP, and has helped create a Comedy Central TV series called Awkwafina is Nora From Queens which is based loosely on her life. She is also a supporter of the Time’s Up movement and the Logo Remix campaign. Lum has brought many aspects of Chinese representation to the forefront of movies, tv shows, and YouTube throughout her career, and she is continuing to do so with her upcoming projects.

9) Min Jin Lee

Min Jin Lee is a Korean American journalist and author who moved to New York when she was seven years old. She attended Yale College and Georgetown University before beginning her career in writing. She wrote the novels Pachinko and Free Food for Millionaires, which have earned her multiple fellowships, many awards, a place on Barack Obama’s reading list, and an upcoming adaptation of Pachinko on Apple TV. She was given an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letter from Monmouth College and she was also inducted into the New York Foundation for the Arts Hall of Fame. Lee is currently a trustee of PEN America, as well as a Writer-in-Residence at Amherst College.

10) Grace Lee Boggs

Grace Lee Boggs was a feminist, author, philosopher, and social activist, as well as a Rhode Island native. She was the daughter of Chinese immigrants, and she attended Barnard College before going to Bryn Mawr College where she received her Ph.D. in philosophy. Lee started off her life of political activism with the issue of tenants’ rights before moving onto work with the Workers Party. From there she became involved with Raya Dunayevskaya, C. L. R. James, the March on Washington, and the marginalization of minority groups. After marrying James Boggs, Grace and her husband created Detroit Summer, an organization where community members were brought together to help rebuild Detroit. Boggs continued to be a community activist and public speaker until her death in 2015 when she was 100 years old.

All of these women have made powerful impacts on American society, and off course, there are many other Asian American and Pacific Islander Americans who have made great impacts on this country, but these 10 have been great role-models for other girls and women who want more representation of themselves in the many aspects of American culture. For more information and events pertaining to Asian Pacific American Heritage Month visit https://asianpacificheritage.gov/.

Written By

Madeline Thomas

Writing intern at Hired By, Ohio University student studying journalism and music production/industry recording, and writer for Odyssey Online.

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