The United States of Asian+America

Meet the AAPI trailblazers who changed America.

They shaped some of our nation's biggest industries and cultural shifts. Now, they're sharing their stories. A new series by TAAF and Wong Fu Productions, now streaming on YouTube.

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Explore the Latest Episodes

How One Sikh American Redefined What It Means to Serve

U.S. Army National Guard Soldier Saminder Singh Dhindsa sits down with Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Kamal Kalsi to explore the story of one Sikh American Army doctor whose fight to serve without compromising his faith helped reshape religious accommodation policies across the U.S. military. After challenging longstanding grooming regulations that prevented observant Sikhs from serving with turbans and beards, Kamal Kalsi’s journey became a turning point for religious freedom in the armed forces, paving the way for service members of all faiths to serve openly while remaining true to their beliefs.

How One Asian American Scientist Transformed the Fight Against HIV/AIDS

Dr. Tim Tiutan sits down with Dr. David Ho, the pioneering scientist whose revolutionary combination therapy transformed the fight against HIV/AIDS. From the early days of an epidemic that claimed countless lives to the groundbreaking research that turned HIV from a once-fatal diagnosis into a manageable condition, Dr. Tiutan and Dr. Ho explore the scientific breakthroughs that changed the course of a global epidemic and highlight the pivotal role AAPI doctors played in transforming the future of medicine.

How Filipino Nurses Transformed U.S. Healthcare

Registered nurse, advocate, and writer Rachel Nance sits down with Madelyn Yu, former president of the Philippine Nurses Association of America, to uncover the decades-long history of Filipino nurses in the United States. From the COVID-19 frontline, where Filipino American nurses risked their lives to care for patients, to the generations of nurses whose sacrifice, resilience, and leadership helped shape the nation’s healthcare system, Rachel and Madelyn explore a powerful legacy of service that continues to save lives and transform American healthcare today.

How Chinese Immigrants Built California's Wine Country

CHO Wines CEO Lois Cho sits down with Jessica Koga, winemaker at Schramsberg Vineyards, to uncover the hidden Chinese American history beneath one of California’s most celebrated wineries. From the historic tunnels carved by Chinese immigrants to the generations of Asian American workers who helped shape California’s wine industry, Lois explores the people and stories that helped build wine country—and continue to influence it today.

How One Asian American Artist Redefined Hollywood Animation for a Generation

Actress Piper Curda traces a creative legacy from Hollywood animation to today’s global storytelling alongside Pamela Tom, director of Tyrus. A glimpse into Tyrus Wong’s life and groundbreaking visual work on Bambi, the two explore how his artistry helped redefine animation—and paved the way for a new generation of storytellers bringing deeply personal, culturally rooted stories to the screen.

How Asian Americans Organized the Internet

Creator Chloe Shih sits down with Yahoo! co-founder Jerry Yang and Yahoo!’s fifth employee, Srinija Srinivasan, for a rare look inside one of the internet’s most influential success stories. From transforming how Americans discovered information to pioneering new models for digital media and advertising, they explore how Yahoo! helped usher the internet into the mainstream—laying the foundation for the connected world we know today.

The First Asian Woman in Hip Hop

Sophia Chang sits down with Founder of Righteous Eats Jaeki Cho to unpack her journey through hip hop, from managing members of the Wu-Tang Clan and A Tribe Called Quest to helping shape the careers and legacies of some of the culture’s most influential artists. Together, they explore the Asian+American imprint on hip hop—and how creativity, community, and cultural influence can travel from underground scenes to the world stage.

The Original Chinese Food Influencer

Chef and creator Jon Kung traces the origins of Asian+American food influencers with Martin Yan, who brought Chinese cooking into millions of American homes with Yan Can Cook. Together they explore how Yan paved the way for the current wave of AAPI food creators who use digital platforms to redefine culture, community, and what American cuisine really means.

The Pioneering Asian American Rapper Who Broke Barriers

Founder of Righteous Eats Jaeki Cho sits down with MC Jin to discuss how he broke barriers as one of the first Asian American rappers to achieve mainstream success in hip hop, and helped open doors for a new generation of Asian American artists in music and beyond.

The Indian American Who Connected the World with USB

Filmmaker Shruti Ganguly sits down with Ajay Bhatt to explore how the invention of USB simplified personal computing and helped power a wave of innovation—highlighting the often-overlooked role Asian American engineers have played in shaping the hardware that made today’s digital and AI-driven world possible.

How Asian Americans Built the Creator Economy

Co-founder of Wong Fu Productions Philip Wang joins YouTube co-founder Steve Chen to discuss the platform’s unlikely origin story—and how pioneers, including Phil and Wong Fu Productions, helped build a new path for Asian+American voices to be heard and celebrated on their own terms.

About the Campaign

A national campaign by The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) that celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) impact as an essential part of our nation's story.

Created in partnership with Wong Fu Productions, The United States of Asian+America is an interview series that goes coast to coast uncovering the hidden AAPI stories, trailblazers, and historic turning points behind America’s biggest industries and cultural shifts—revealing that these are not just AAPI stories, but the story of America itself.

By uplifting our stories, our goal is to encourage AAPIs everywhere to celebrate the complexity and beauty of their dual identities and be empowered to see themselves in the American narrative. We have always been here, belong here, and will help define America’s future.

‍The United States of Asian+America is an expansion of TAAF's award-winning “Asian+American” PSA campaign, which launched in 2025 to foster dialogue around the beautiful complexity of being both Asian and American.
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Our Partner

Leading the production of this digital series is Wong Fu Productions, an independent digital production company specializing in commercial and film production founded in 2003.

Director: Philip Wang

Producer: Benson Quach

Established as a YouTube channel reaching over 3 million subscribers and over half a billion views, the company has evolved into a full-service creative studio.

With independent narrative work that has landed on streamers and theaters around the world, and award winning branded content and campaigns for leading companies, Wong Fu has become a beacon in Asian American media for generations. Through its commitment to representing the AAPI audience, as well has uplifting new AAPI talent in front and behind the camera, Wong Fu continues its mission from over 20 years ago.

Limited Campaign Collaboration

Denim Tang Jacket

‍As part of the campaign, TAAF is celebrating local AAPI business owners and their businesses through limited edition collaborations.

Now, you can purchase an exclusive Tang Denim Jacket, created by Bay Area AAPI-owned streetwear brand Nostalgia.

Founded by Chinese American and Filipino American creatives Humbert Lee and Jaden Yo-Eco, every piece in Nostalgia’s collection is a reflection of their Asian+American identity, shaped by their cultural upbringing and their Bay Area roots.

Asian+American Holiday

Explore Asian+American recipes this holiday season

Food is a powerful expression of Asian+American identity, bringing together heritage, family traditions, and personal reinvention. At TAAF, we believe Asian American history is American history—and food is one way those stories are passed down.

TAAF's Asian+American Holiday brings together AAPI chefs, influential voices, and creators to share recipes that reflect the many ways we make our histories, cultures, and identities our own.

SEE THE RECIPES

Resources

Explore these resources to learn about, support, and uplift our community.

TAAF's Asian+American Storytelling Initiative

A grant and mentorship program supporting original stories about overlooked AAPI figures, communities, and moments in U.S. history.

TAAF's Asian+American Storytelling Initiative

A grant and mentorship program supporting original stories about overlooked AAPI figures, communities, and moments in U.S. history.

STAATUS Index 2026

The leading national study of Americans' perceptions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

STAATUS Index 2026

The leading national study of Americans' perceptions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

AAPI History Hub

A centralized, vetted, and interactive platform for K-12 educators to access lesson plans, multimedia, and other learning materials on Asian American and Pacific Islander history.

AAPI History Hub

A centralized, vetted, and interactive platform for K-12 educators to access lesson plans, multimedia, and other learning materials on Asian American and Pacific Islander history.

Reframing Representation: The Case for More Asian and Asian American Narratives in Hollywood

Whether you’re an emerging storyteller or an industry veteran, discover the commercial opportunities and strategic incentives for investing in diverse storytelling with our entertainment business case study.

Reframing Representation: The Case for More Asian and Asian American Narratives in Hollywood

Whether you’re an emerging storyteller or an industry veteran, discover the commercial opportunities and strategic incentives for investing in diverse storytelling with our entertainment business case study.

TAAF's Asian+American Campaign

We’re not caught between two worlds, we’re creating a new one.

TAAF's Asian+American Campaign

We’re not caught between two worlds, we’re creating a new one.

The New York Times: A Spotlight on Asian American Culture Today

The New York Times explores how Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, the country’s fastest growing demographic, are reshaping the arts — and how we live.

The New York Times: A Spotlight on Asian American Culture Today

The New York Times explores how Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, the country’s fastest growing demographic, are reshaping the arts — and how we live.

Fighting to Belong!

A comic book series, in collaboration with Third State Books, LAAUNCH, and AAEdu, for middle schoolers that tells AAPI history in an appealing and accessible way.

Fighting to Belong!

A comic book series, in collaboration with Third State Books, LAAUNCH, and AAEdu, for middle schoolers that tells AAPI history in an appealing and accessible way.

The AAPI Nonprofit Database

Providing resources to AAPI orgs long overlooked and disproportionally underfunded.

The AAPI Nonprofit Database

Providing resources to AAPI orgs long overlooked and disproportionally underfunded.

TAAF is a non-partisan 501(c)3 non-profit recognized by the IRS. Your contribution to TAAF is tax-deductible for Federal tax purposes, to the extent provided by applicable Federal tax laws.

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