Asian women took center stage at the launch of Asia Women Empowered (AWE) on Tuesday, Oct. 12.
“I’ve had this idea for a long time,” AWE chair Janet Yang said of the launch. “The mission is to really uplift and support women of Asian descent.”
Part of the global Asia Society, which has centers in locations like Thailand and Afghanistan to address intersectional problems faced by Asians, AWE will boost the success of Asian women around the world. The program’s three-pronged approach fosters mentorship, provides public education on Asian women and their struggles and researches the tangible impacts made by each AWE initiative. In addition to Yang, the committee includes Katie Soo and Yiwen Li as co-chairs, Charles Coker, Sylvia Kim and more.
The launch event included an inaugural awards ceremony that recognized journalist Lisa Ling as the AWE Social Justice Visionary, nonprofit leader Chun-Yen Chen as the AWE Catalyst Visionary and the An family, the famed Vietnamese American restaurateurs behind the House of An, as the AWE Culture Visionaries. Performances from “Birds of Prey” actress Ella Jay Basco and Cheryl K., the artist behind the “Crazy Rich Asians” ear-worm “Money,” rounded out the evening.
“Being part of a group of women that can lift each other and support each other is what we need at this time,” said Catherine An, managing director at House of An. “[Our family is] excited to stay on board and be mentors of AWE, and we’ll be able to support young women and the next generation to achieve their goals and dreams.”
Watch the video above for full coverage of the launch, and prepare to be AWEd by all this program will accomplish.
