Sandra Oh, Darren Criss, Marie Kondo, K-pop band BTS and more are being honored as a part of nonprofit collective Gold House’s second annual A100 List to celebrate Asians and Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) and their transformative contributions to society.
Additionally, for the first time, Gold House is launching the A1, a vote among the A100 honorees for the single most impactful Asian in culture from the last year. Honorees can vote online until May 15, with the winner being announced at the end of the month.
The A100 list, which honors 100 of the most esteemed and impactful Asians in media and entertainment, fashion and lifestyle, technology, business, and social activism and politics from the past year, also includes Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu, comedian Hasan Minhaj, actress Lilly Singh, fashion designer Phillip Lim, THR senior reporter Rebecca Sun, and U.S. Senator and 2020 presidential candidate Kamala Harris, among others.
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The honorees were chosen through a rigorous selection process with a selection committee consisting of Gold House’s hundreds of nationwide members, 20 of the country’s top Asian nonprofit leaders, and a group of multicultural icons including Forest Whitaker, GLAAD CEO Sarah Kate Ellis, decorated Olympian Michelle Kwan, former CCO of the Hollywood Reporter–Billboard Group Janice Min and more.
AAPIs represent 7 percent of the total U.S. population and outpace the nation’s general population in income, educational attainment and population growth, according to a Nielsen report in 2018. They also out-consume the general population in both traditional and new media, and because of this, Gold House hopes that the list “serves as a culmination of these facts to showcase and spread further awareness of AAPIs’ broadening impact on consumerism, culture, and business.”
“We know the world’s divided; when traditional institutions fail to unify us, it’s incumbent on our cultural leaders — founders, creative voices, nonprofit organizations and businesses — to show us a brighter, more productive path. It’s always been this way: cultural shifts have always preceded policy changes. The A100 List embraces the pinnacles of integrative cultural achievement to unify not only the Asian diaspora, but all communities,” a Gold House spokesperson said.
The A100 honorees will be feted at three different receptions in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York City, where they will ring the NYSE Closing Bell to herald in the list and Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
The full A100 list can be found on Gold House’s website.
