Sacramento, CA — Today, the California Joint Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Legislative Caucus celebrated APIA Heritage Month in the State Assembly and Senate. House Resolution (HR) 102 and Senate Resolution (SR) 80 were presented by Assemblymember Evan Low and Senator Dave Min to recognize May as APIA Heritage Month and the contributions of the AAPI community to California and the United States.
The Joint AAPI Legislative Caucus also honored distinguished AAPI leaders through this year’s “Excellence Awards.” Awards were presented to distinguished AAPI individuals during a special floor ceremony dedicated to honoring leaders who have demonstrated excellence in their craft.
This year’s 2022 California APIA Heritage Month Honorees are:
- Excellence in Advocacy: Tammy Cho, Co-founder and CEO of Hate Is A Virus
- Excellence in Arts & Entertainment: Dr. Ken Jeong, Actor, Producer, and Writer
- Excellence in Business: Dr. Charles Huang, Entrepreneur, Founder and Chairman of Pasaca Capital Inc.
- Excellence in Civil Rights: Manufou Liaiga-Anoa’I, Board Trustee of Jefferson Elementary School District Governing Board and Community Leader
- Excellence in Health: Dr. Peter Bretan, Transplant and Urologic Surgeon, and First Filipino-American Physician to serve as CMA’s 152nd President
- Excellence in Labor: Bryan Ha, Director of Government Relations for the California Faculty Association
- Excellence in Science: Samaira Mehta, Entrepreneur, STEM Promoter, and Creator of CoderBunnyz
- Excellence in Sports: Shohei Ohtani, Pitcher and Designated Hitter for the Los Angeles Angels
"It's an honor for Hate Is a Virus to be recognized with a 2022 Excellence Award from the AAPI Legislative Caucus. As I look at the diverse backgrounds of my fellow honorees, I'm reminded that movements are never carried forward by an individual, but by communities rallying together. I'm proud to have co-founded one such community, including every current and former member of our team. Together, we will continue the fight for solidarity, equity, and awareness for our diverse AANHPI populations,” said Tammy Cho, Co-Founder of Hate Is A Virus
“Thank you so much to the Joint AAPI Legislative Caucus. I am truly honored to receive the Excellence Award in Arts & Entertainment. We must continue to do everything we can to Stop Asian Hate,” said Ken Jeong, Actor, Producer, Writer
“I am very humbled to be recognized in Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month and this award will compel me to do more to help the world, especially our State and local communities,” said Dr. Charles Huang, Founder and Chairman of Pasaca Capital, Inc.
“As a Samoan-Pacific Islander woman, I fully recognize my presence in these spaces is a rarity and can sometimes be tokenized. I do not take for granted the importance of my representation as I bring my community into these spaces with me,” said Manufou Liaiga-Anoa’i, Board Trustee of Jefferson Elementary School District Governing Board and Community Leader “Servant leadership is in my bones, flows through my blood, it's a natural part of being Polynesian. We must always be intentional and inclusive in making space to build dreams of hope and bring positive change. I pray that my leadership, my voice will afford many others from unseen, unheard communities to always have a seat at the table as valued contributors of excellence.”
“I am greatly honored to be recognized by the CA AAPILC for working with the 55,000 physician members of the California Medical Association, as their president, to help achieve equity in healthcare, especially during these recent years of COVID,” said Dr. Peter Bretan, Transplant and Urologic Surgeon. “I am so humbled to be included amongst so many selfless, generous, and accomplished honorees. We are all so empowered by the strong foundation of this LC especially during this time of crimes of hate and violence against members of our AAPI. May we to continue grow and progress to support each other and help strengthen all aspects of our diverse and great American Society.”
“Labor is often described as a central force on political issues and in our communities. Today our work has evolved a bit - no longer solely focused on traditional union issues, these days we are becoming the heart and conscience of our communities and our country. We’ve grown from our roots of empowering workers to negotiate for more favorable working conditions and other benefits through collective bargaining. We are now promoting social justice, fighting to end structural racism, working to protect our environment, and more. Our roots continue to be deep and strong - we continue to champion worker rights. But we are also passionate about racial and social justice, we need to ensure that our communities remain resilient and our voices are heard in this state,” said Bryan Ha, Director of Government Relations for the California Faculty Association
“I’m big on hard work and persistence because I genuinely believe it’s the only way to succeed. My number 1 advice would be my favorite quote of all time: “work while they sleep. learn while they party. live as they dream.” Our modern-day comforts are the result of someone who worked hard to create them. Hard work is a prerequisite to creating positive change in the world. And it cannot be avoided,” said Samaira Mehta, Entrepreneur, STEM Promoter, and Creator of CoderBunnyz