There is a lot to celebrate in May. It’s the start of warmer weather and longer, brighter days. We have summer just around the corner, and barbecue smells in the air. It’s also a month used to celebrate and honor Asian and Pacific Islander heritage. In the United States, May is the month we focus on Asian and Pacific Islander Americans and their influence and contributions to the culture and history of the nation.
To celebrate and honor the important heritage, we have rounded up 15 change-making Asian Americans that everyone should know. Some have changed the course of history, while others are just starting their activism and making big waves.
Yuri Kochiyama
Yuri Kochiyama grew up in San Pedro, California, to Japanese-born parents. During her childhood, after her father died, she and her brother and mom were forced to relocate to a Japanese internment camp. Her advocacy work began when she was in her 30s when she met with Malcolm X and started organizing school boycotts. She spent her life advocating for Asian American communities, as well as those in the black, Native American, and Latinx communities.
Tina Chang
Tina Chang was born in Oklahoma to Taiwanese parents and later moved to New York. As a child, she, along with her brother, was sent to live with her family in Taiwan. She was there for two years, and during that time, she found a fascination with language and words. Chang returned to New York and earned her MFA at Columbia University. Now, she’s an award-winning poet and the first female Poet Laureate in Brooklyn, New York. She was a finalist for an Asian American Literary Award from the Asian American Writers’ Workshop.
Kalpana Chawla
Many kids grow up wishing to be an astronaut, but Kalpana Chawla became one. After immigrating to the US to attend graduate school, Chawla was part of the space crew, flight STS087, in 1996. She was the first Indian-born woman to fly in space, and that wasn’t the only time she went. Posthumously, Chawla received the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, and the NASA Space Medal, and her legacy inspires girls everywhere, even today.
Helen Zia
Helen Zia is an inspirational woman and activist. The Winonan describes her as “an award-winning author, journalist, activist and Fulbright Scholar,” and she’s covered many important topics, including her own experience as a second-generation immigrant. She also advocates for LGBTQ+ youth and isn’t afraid to talk about sexual assault on college campuses.
Anna May Wong
Amy May Wong was the first Chinese-American Hollywood actress and she faced unrelenting racism in her career. She often spoke out against the typecasting and stereotypes in the industry. “I was so tired of the parts I had to play,” she said in an interview. “Why is it that the onscreen Chinese is always the villain? And so crude a villain — murderous, treacherous, a snake in the grass.”
Velma Veloria
Velma Veloria is the first Filipino American as well as the first Asian American woman to be elected to the Washington State Legislature. During her time in office, she worked on the legislature HB-1175, making Washington the first state to criminalize human trafficking on a state level. Since Veloria worked on that legislation, several other states have adopted the same strategy.
Chella Man
Chella Man has his hands on a lot of different topics and is bring great visibility to topics close to his heart. As an American YouTuber, model, artist, and LGBTQ activist, Man is known for being vocal about his experiences as a transgender, deaf, genderqueer, and Jewish person of color.
Simon Tam
Simon Tam, born and raised in San Diego, California, is a member of a band called The Slants. He says the name was chosen “as a way of seizing control of a racial slur, turning it on its head and draining its venom. It was also a respectful nod to Asian-Americans who had been using the epithet for decades.” He entered into a long legal battle against the US Patent and Trademark Office to use the name and eventually won after several appeals. He also co-founded the Oregon Center for Human Rights.
Constance Wu
Constance Wu is a Taiwanese-American actress best known for her roles in Crazy Rich Asians and Fresh Off the Boat. She hasn’t shied away from speaking up and has been vocal many times when it comes to Asian American diversity and visibility in Hollywood. She’s been critical of whitewashing in movies and TV shows on more than several occasions.
Helie Lee
Helie Lee is a Korean American writer and university lecturer who is also involved in documentary filmmaking. She’s the national bestseller of Still Life With Rice and In The Absence of Sun — both memoirs that highlight her family’s experience in war-torn Korea from the 1930s to 1997. She also holds lectures around the country on her “bicultural heritage and human rights issues for North Korea refugees.”
Yuji Ichioka
An American historian and civil rights activist, the late Yuji Ichioka is best known for his work in ethnic studies. He “founded the Asian American Political Alliance as way to unite Japanese, Chinese and Filipino American students on campus,” according to NBC News. He is also noted as being the person who coined the term “Asian American” in place of the words that were previously used.
Michele Selene Ang
Best known for her role in 13 Reasons Why, Michele Selene Ang is an American actress. She isn’t afraid to tackle the important topic of whitewashing in movies and TV. She has spoken out about it and does so in more subtle ways like wearing a T-shirt for everyone to see.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas
Priyanka Chopra Jonas has been outspoken regarding more visibility and the need for diversity in Hollywood. She uses her large platform — both as an actor and as a former winner of Miss World beauty pageant — to advocate for better representation and serves as a UNICEF ambassador. She’s also the first South Asian actor to have a leading role in an American network and the first South Asian actor to win a People’s Choice Award.
Ronald Quidachay
Ronald Quidachay co-founded the Philippine American Collegiate Endeavor (PACE) at the then-San Francisco State College in 1967. He’s an advocate for using language to describe differences and helped lead the longest student-led strike. This advocacy led to “expanded college access for people of color and the creation of the first and only College of Ethnic Studies in the nation.” He was also the first judge in California who was of Filipino descent.
Margaret Cho
Best known as a comedian, Margaret Cho's activism has been at the forefront of her career. She’s unapologetically herself and often uses humor as the backbone of her advocacy work. She’s outspoken about Asian American rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and serves the homeless in her hometown of San Francisco.
