If you're looking for more organizations that can help you support the AAPI community, check these out: Define American, Equal Justice Initiative, The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum, National Asian Pacific Center on Aging NAPCA "There are so many incredible organizations that are already on the ground that are fighting to protect communities of color against hate crimes." "When looking for solutions to hate crimes, it's really important to go to people who have experience," says Agena. To that end, Choi and Agena have a message: It's time for everyone to speak up and take actions to prevent AAPI racism, prejudice and hate crimes. While Agena has had an incredible career thus far, she's only just now feeling like opportunities are really opening up for other Asian-Americans in the industry - a shocking reality that just reaffirms how far we have to go to stop the racial injustices happening every day in this country. When she looked at the list for callbacks and didn't see her name, she had a crushing realization.Īgena as Edrisa Tanaka in FOX's Prodigal Son She'd auditioned for a play that only had three female leads all of which were written as white, English characters. That, however, changed when she went to college. She told Choi she had the luxury of not being as aware of her Asian-ness. Having grown up in Hawaii, where the majority of the population is Asian-American, Agena had a somewhat different childhood experience. Unfortunately, not all Asian-American people are as lucky. "That made me feel more comfortable in my skin." That separation for simply having different traditions, beliefs and foods can make kids feel ashamed of their heritage and majorly impact how they grow up.Īccording to Choi, fellow restaurateurs, Roy Choi (owner of Kogi BBQ)and David Chang (owner of Momofuku), who also made their way in the food and beverage industry, helped "normalize Asian flavors," which in turn helped Choi throughout his journey.
What Choi had in his lunch box made him feel separate from the other kids at school.
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