This AAPI History Month, New York Minute Magazine wants to celebrate all of the groundbreaking Asian women trailblazers who inspire us every day. As a Filipina college student, it was only when I got to college where I really understood how much representation can affect your identity growing up. It’s not only important but necessary to highlight the successes and triumphs of AAPI women who have done so much to inspire young girls in America.
Sandra Oh
You may know Sandra Oh through her role as Christina Yang on Grey’s Anatomy, which gave her her prominence in the acting world. Oh received multiple Golden Globe nominations for her role as Yang, and rightfully so! More recently, she won a Golden Globe in 2019 for Best Leading TV Actress for BBC’s Killing Eve, where Oh plays Eve Polastri.
Kamala Harris
Representation in all facets of society matters! Kamala Harris is the first African American, Asian American, and woman vice president of the United States. Her impressive resume includes her role as senator and attorney general. As of now, she’s the highest-ranking female politician the United States has ever had and we know she’ll pave the way for the future women of color who will help run this country in the future.
Olivia Rodrigo
Rodrigo made her industry debut through her role in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series on Disney+. More recently, she’s made waves throughout the music industry with her song ‘Drivers License’, which broke the record for most Spotify streams of a song within a single week.
Kalpana Chawla
Kalpana Chawla was the first woman of Indian descent to go into space in 1997. After her death in 2003, she was awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.
Priyanka Chopra
Priyanka Chopra is a woman of many hats. While her claim to fame began when she became Miss World in 2000, she has since expanded her talents to acting, singing, and producing.
Naomi Osaka
While Naomi Osaka is only 23-years-old, she’s already been ranked as the #1 female tennis player by the Women’s Tennis Association. She was the first Asian player to hold this title. She’s also the highest-paid female athlete in the world, boasting sponsorships with Louis Vuitton, Nike, Mastercard, and other major companies.
Chloe Zhao
Zhao made history during this past Oscars after winning Best Director for her film Nomadland. She was the second woman in history to win a Golden Globe for Best Director as well as the first woman of color to win an Oscar for Best Director. Gender inequality behind-the-scenes has long plagued the media industry, and Zhao’s win represented a promising step forward towards equality in Hollywood. Her next upcoming project? Marvel’s next superhero movie Eternals.
Amy Tan
World-renowned writer Amy Tan is extremely well-respected in the literary world, with her bestseller The Joy Luck Club, which describes the life of four Chinese-American immigrant families navigating life in America. The novel was later turned into a movie in 1993.
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In light of the alarming number of hate crimes against the AAPI community throughout the pandemic, we want to remind all of our AAPI readers that you are strong, powerful, and deserving of success.
