Asia Society Celebrates 2024 Asia Game Changer Awards
Asia Society Celebrates 2024 Asia Game Changer Awards
NEW YORK; October 25, 2024 — The Asia Society celebrated its marquee Asia Game Changer Awards on October 24, 2024, in the spectacular great hall of Cipriani’s lower Manhattan location. The 2024 honorees represent the fields of journalism, advocacy, music, film, and comedy, strengthening bonds between Asia and the world.
The event, held annually in partnership with Founding Partner Citi, was emceed by Ida Liu, Global Head of Citi Private Bank. Liu opened the ceremony by thanking the guests and honorees for their contributions. “I am thrilled that Citi has been a founding sponsor of this event since its inception 11 years ago,” she stated. “Truly the most innovative individuals are here tonight, inspiring and motivating us to make a difference in our own communities.”
Asia Society Global Board of Trustees Chair Ambassador Chan Heng Chee welcomed the guests and introduced Asia Society President and CEO Dr. Kyung-wha Kang at her first Asia Game Changer Awards since assuming the presidency earlier this year. “Kyung-wha Kang brings to Asia Society a remarkable depth of experience in international diplomacy and human rights…since joining Asia Society, she has already begun charting an ambitious agenda for our organization,” Ambassador Chan said.
In her remarks, Dr. Kang noted “Tonight’s honorees have each deepened our sense of humanity in very meaningful ways: reporting the issues of the day, making films that represent life and history, advocating for the Asian American community, elevating K-pop and Korean culture, and making people laugh.”
Asia Society Chair Emeritus Henrietta Holsman Fore took a moment to honor the memory and many contributions of recently deceased Honorary Life Trustee Cynthia Hazen Polsky. “In every sense, she was the original game changer at Asia Society…a visionary who understood culture could bridge divides and transform understanding. Her wisdom shaped not only our arts programming but our entire organization.”
Asia Society Global Board Vice Chair Lulu Wang praised award-winning journalist Christiane Amanpour, the first honoree to take the stage. “For over four decades, Christiane Amanpour has brought us to the front lines of history…upholding the highest standards of journalistic integrity.” Wang praised her for “the indelible mark she has left on global journalism.”
“There have been a lot of women at this podium this evening,” Amanpour noted as she opened her remarks, “that is a great thing.” She noted that Asia Society founder John D. Rockefeller 3rd created Asia Society to teach Americans more about Asia and the rest of the world drawing a parallel to her own work. “That has been my mission…I really wanted to tell the story of the world to Americans. The idea of [laying] the groundwork for peace and harmony and understanding is clearly needed now more than ever.”
ABC News Nightline Co-Anchor Juju Chang presented the Asia Game Changer Award to The Asian American Foundation (TAAF), the national organization launched in 2021 in part to fight against hate and violence against the AANHPI community and reclaim AANHPI narratives. Chang praised TAAF president Norman Chen for his leadership and for TAAF’s important work: “What’s truly inspiring is the common thread that goes through all of this…it’s a commitment to serving the most vulnerable in society.” Chen, in accepting the award, spoke passionately of the organization’s work and mission: “We are Asian and we are American. We are Asian American. The narrative that we can only be one thing is false. Our shared future is something that should be celebrated.” He noted among the organization’s accomplishments the important national anti-hate network TAAF has created, their work expanding the teaching of Asian American studies—seven states now require it—and thanked the many corporations and supporters, many present at the event, who supported TAAF’s efforts stating they have deployed over 30 million dollars to AANHPI-led organizations across country.
Speaking in Korean, HYBE founder and chairman Bang Si-Hyuk spoke of the importance of and his commitment to combining unique and varied cultural elements to create inspiring music. “Embracing diversity not only strengthens us, it sparks our creativity,” he said. Citing Asia Society’s commitment to celebrating the uniqueness of cultures, he said, “deeply resonates with me, making it an even greater honor to be here tonight.”
During the dinner interlude, guests were treated to performance led by the talented composer, drummer, and dhol player Sunny Jain his Wild Wild East band that was by turn soulful, energetic, and joyous. He coaxed the audience into an impromptu bangra dance, with several members of the audience even taking the stage to participate.
Janet Yang next took to the podium to introduce Academy® Award-winning filmmakers Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin. “Chai and Jimmy both in their own ways scale new heights and plug new depths in examining the human condition. It is a rare experience being in this level of absolute awe of what a couple can do.”
Vasarheyli noted she grew up a few blocks from Asia Society which she called “a beacon, where there are people who look like us, who have shared [stories and] backgrounds.” Chin praised their fellow honorees and the “unsung heroes who build bridges between cultures, many of [whom] embody the ideals of people like Asia Society founder John D. Rockefeller 3rd.”
The evening concluded with Academy® Award-nominated actress Stephanie Hsu's presentation of the award to Bowen Yang. The two met as NYU students coming up together in the local comedy scene. “Bowen was the only student stealing the show while studying pre-med,” she recalled. “We had close to no role models to look to in this field we both sought to come up in. Since then, Bowen Yang has become a writer, an Emmy nominee, a co-host on the legendary and award-winning podcast Las Culturistas and of course, the first Chinese American on Saturday Night Live.”
In his remarks, Yang injected his signature sense of humor while also reflecting on the importance of his family and upbringing. “Growing up, whenever we would travel to other cities, we wouldn’t do any actual sightseeing because all my parents wanted to do was take us to various Chinatowns. I wanted to go to the Hard Rock Café and to where they shot Oprah. Now growing up I love them for doing that. I understand what they were doing was searching for community wherever they went."
"To be Asian is to immediately understand the expanse of all things. Being part of an identity that is so broad, you are very aware of how you are sharing the world with so many other people….One of my grandmothers had her feet bound, the other experienced atrocities by the Japanese leading up to World War II. In just two generations we have hurtled the expanse of the world…and I am the luckiest beneficiary of that journey."