AAPI Power Players

As senior policy advisor at the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, Anne del Castillo is guiding the City’s “Culture at Risk” initiative to safeguard NYC’s cultural and creative infrastructure. Previously, del Castillo served as commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment and led the recovery of NYC’s $150 billion creative and nighttime economy through the pandemic. A native New Yorker of Filipino heritage, she completed her education at Boston University and Brooklyn Law School.

If you could give your younger-self advice, what would it be?
Be kind to yourself and be mindful of the journey.

Do you have any event/movie/music suggestions for our readers to check out in celebration of AAPI Heritage Month?
As home to the second largest AAPI community in the country, NYC offers plenty of opportunities to celebrate AAPI Heritage Month. From the CrossCurrent AAPI Arts Festival at Flushing Town Hall, to Brooklyn Museum’s First Saturday featuring artists, poets, and musicians from the Asian diaspora, to screenings of short films by Think!Chinatown at the Chinatown Storytelling Festival – these are just a few of the many diverse cultural events the City is proud to support.

How has your heritage shaped the person you are today?
Growing up as a first-generation Asian American, I did not see myself or others like me represented in mainstream culture or the public square. That experience has informed my work to cultivate spaces that value and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the broadest sense, particularly in the cultural and creative sectors, which shape our perspectives, foster the exchange of cultures and ideas, and build community connections.

What can New York policymakers do to support the AAPI-community in the short-term? In the long-term?
We need to recognize that the AAPI community is not a monolith but a community rich in diversity – more than 20 different ethnic groups that speak over 50 different languages. Additionally, the “model minority” stereotype obscures the wide-ranging disparities in socio-economic status among Asian Americans. We need more representation across the board and at every level to inform policy-making and invest in programs that combat harmful stereotypes and provide critical resources to organizations supporting AAPI communities.

Bhairavi Desai is executive director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance which represents 15,000 taxi drivers throughout New York City. Ms. Desai has remained at the forefront of the organizations since its founding, leading protests and strikes advocating for the rights of drivers.   In 2011, Ms. Desai formed the National Taxi Workers Alliance which joined the AFL-CIO. Ms. Desai earned her degree in women’s studies from Rutgers University.

David Do has been commissioner and chair of the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission since May 19, 2022. Do has helped secure millions in relief to taxi medallion owners and spearheaded driver-pay raises, among other key policies. Previously, he served as the director of the Washington, D.C. Department of For-Hire Vehicles. Do also served as the director of the Washington, D.C. Mayor’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs.

If you could give your younger-self advice, what would it be?
Harness your strengths and embrace expectations. I was the first in my family to graduate from college, so I learned early how to work under pressure. Also, don’t be afraid to be different. Learn to appreciate your differences because oftentimes they become the strengths and skills that will make you stand out to others.

Do you have any event/movie/music suggestions for our readers to check out in celebration of AAPI Heritage Month?
Many museums, organizations and cultural centers bring to light much of AAPI history, especially the local impact and contributions they have made. The New York Public Library has many free events for people of all ages. I recently took part in an event hosted by the Fordham University School of Law’s Asian Pacific American Law Students Association that brought awareness to the history of hostility faced by AAPI people.

How has your heritage shaped the person you are today?
As the son of immigrant parents who came to the U.S. from Vietnam in the early 1980s after the war, my goal has been serving people who need it most. My focus has always been on equity and access, especially since a majority of taxi drivers in NYC are immigrants that come here looking for a better life.

What can New York policymakers do to support the AAPI-community in the short-term? In the long-term?
Most of our licensees are immigrants, and many are part of NYC’s vast AAPI community. When we passed the Green Rides Initiative – a first-in-nation set of rules that will transition TLC’s high-volume rideshare (Uber and Lyft) trips to be either zero-emission or wheelchair-accessible vehicles by 2030 – we had drivers in mind. More drivers now have a path forward to the middle class by being able to become their own small business.

Ed Domingo is president and chief operating officer at Empire City Casino by MGM Resorts. Formerly the chief financial officer of Bellagio in Las Vegas, Domingo is an industry veteran with decades of experience in law, finance, hospitality and gaming. A first-generation Filipino-American, Domingo received his bachelor’s degree and MBA from Duke University, and his J.D. from NYU School of Law. He sits on the board of trustees of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York. Domingo resides in Westchester with his wife and twin daughters.

If you could give your younger-self advice, what would it be?
We all want to spend our professional lives doing something we feel passionate about, but getting there is easier if you are always actively engaging in every opportunity along the way. Not every step in your career is going to be your dream job, but if you lean into the aspects of every job that does speak to you, you may be pleasantly surprised about how you end up seeing those jobs in the end.

How has your heritage shaped the person you are today?
Having parents that actively chose the immigrant path means you are always aware of the role you have in creating opportunities for others. Knowing the sacrifices they made in order to create opportunities for our family, I look to pass that on obviously to my own children but also to everyone whose career I have the privilege to influence.

What can New York policymakers do to support the AAPI-community in the short-term? In the long-term?
Efforts around diversity need to continue and expand to ensure there is equality for all at every stage in life beginning at birth. No one is better positioned to ensure hope becomes a reality than our public policy leaders.

Margaret Fung is executive director and a co-founder of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF). She graduated from New York University School of Law and was a Revson Fellow at Columbia University, where she studied journalism. In 1994, her advocacy under the Voting Rights Act led to the first fully-translated Chinese-language ballots in New York City.

If you could give your younger-self advice, what would it be?
Be compassionate, and never stop moving.

Do you have any event/movie/music suggestions for our readers to check out in celebration of AAPI Heritage Month?
On May 2, 2024, Audible will release the play “Yellow Face,” by David Henry Hwang. It’s a hilarious, semi-autobiographical story about the playwright’s response to the “Miss Saigon” casting controversy, mistaken racial identity, and media stereotypes. AAPI Heritage Month is the ideal time to think about how to continue the fight against racial injustice. I’m excited that a theater production of “Yellow Face” is returning to Broadway this fall!

How has your heritage shaped the person you are today?
The Asian American movement of the ‘70s highlighted the persistence of racial and economic injustice in our society. AALDEF was created in 1974 to focus on protecting the civil rights of Asian Americans.

What can New York policymakers do to support the AAPI-community in the short-term? In the long-term?
Elected officials and policymakers should understand the needs of diverse Asian American communities, listen to the recommendations of local advocates working for racial equity, and take action to address aspects of racial and economic justice affecting all communities of color.

Lisa Jongae Gold is the executive director of the Asian American Arts Alliance (A4), a 40-year-old nonprofit service organization that works to ensure equity, representation, and opportunities for AAPI artists and arts organizations. Lisa has decades of experience in the nonprofit arts having worked in leadership roles at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington Projects for the Arts, Drawing Center, and Socrates Sculpture Park. She currently serves on Mayor Adams’ live performance industry council.

If you could give your younger-self advice, what would it be?
Follow your curiosity.

Do you have any event/movie/music suggestions for our readers to check out in celebration of AAPI Heritage Month?
A4 will be presenting an exhibition entitled “Devoted: Religion in Asian American Art” featuring works by six contemporary artists. The A4 calendar has a full list of community events to check out: https://www.aaartsalliance.org/events. And be sure to keep an eye on LinkNYC kiosks for a series of AAPI trivia questions posed by the A4 team!

How has your heritage shaped the person you are today?
My family deeply valued education and service so I think I bring that into the work that I do to support artists and the AAPI community as a whole.

What can New York policymakers do to support the AAPI-community in the short-term? In the long-term?
In the short-term, data disaggregation! In the long-term, ensure transparency and accountability in the city’s equity efforts.

Anita Gundanna joined Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF) as co-executive director in April 2017. She has worked throughout her career to prevent and address violence against women and children, and to promote healthy families, primarily in minority and immigrant communities of New York City. Prior to her return to CACF, Anita worked as a consultant with a number of small and growing community-based non-profit organizations mostly serving Asian American and immigrant communities. Vanessa Leung  joined CACF as co-executive director in April 2017. She has served the education community through her career, advocating on behalf of Asian Pacific American students and English language learners in New York City public schools. She was appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio to the panel for educational policy (PEP) and served as chair of the PEP for eight years from January 2014 to December 2021. She currently also sits on the advisory panel for the Brooke Astor Fund for New York City Education.  

If you could give your younger-self advice, what would it be? 
Discover ways you can create meaningful change, especially in your school community. In 2004, Vanessa was instrumental in the founding of CACF’s Asian American Student Advocacy Project (ASAP), which trains AAPI young people to be effective advocates. Adults often tell us they wish they had a similar place as teens where they could learn about their identities and how they can make an impact. Your voice matters, no matter how old you are. 

Do you have any event/movie/music suggestions for our readers to check out in celebration of AAPI Heritage Month? 
Helen Zia’s 2000 book “Asian American Dreams” continues to impact our approach to advocacy and community. In fact, when our ASAP program was founded in 2004, we gifted them to everyone in our inaugural cohort for them to discuss and learn from. This July, we’ll be gathering with many of our inaugural ASAPers to celebrate ASAP’s 20th anniversary and we’re looking forward to hearing more about how the lessons from back then continue to impact their journeys. 

How has your heritage shaped the person you are today? 
We are both the children of immigrant parents who set out to build community in New York City. Anita grew up going to the Flushing Ganesha temple to attend traditional dance classes and Vanessa spent her weekends at the Chinese school run by her mother. We’ve seen firsthand how — after leaving their own families behind – Asian American New Yorkers work to build strong ties with each other as they make new lives for themselves. 

What can New York policymakers do to support the AAPI-community in the short-term? In the long-term? 
We urge policymakers to look beyond the myth of the model minority and instead invest in addressing the growing language access, health care, and educational needs we hear about from our AAPI community-based organizations every day. In the long-term, this also means focusing on collecting clear, disaggregated data on our diverse populations and ensuring our existing data disaggregation law is effectively implemented.

Bernadine “Bernie” Han is group vice president, news standards and practices for Spectrum Networks, a series of 24/7 news and sports networks owned and operated by Charter Communications. Ms. Han is responsible for ensuring that Spectrum Networks maintains the highest and most rigorous standards of fairness and integrity, and is a model for ethical, fact-based news reporting and storytelling. Ms. Han also is responsible for reviewing and evolving Spectrum Networks’s news standards policies.

If you could give your younger-self advice, what would it be?
If I knew then what I know how, I would advise my younger self not to rush things. I would tell myself to slow down and take some time to appreciate the little things. I would have made a more conscious decision to enjoy my family and friends. I would not have been in such a rush to check off everything on my to-do list knowing that everything would be accomplished in due time.

Do you have any event/movie/music suggestions for our readers to check out in celebration of AAPI Heritage Month?
We are blessed to live in a city that offers so many opportunities to explore and celebrate a variety of Asian cultures. I am a big champion of the public library system. Your local branch undoubtedly will offer programs and recommended readings to celebrate AAPI Heritage Month. A couple of my favorites are “Mona in the Promised Land” by Gish Jen, and the recent best-seller “Crying in H Mart” by Michelle Zauner.

How has your heritage shaped the person you are today?
As a child of immigrants, I was raised in a very traditional Chinese family with three generations all living under one roof. Among other customs, we were taught to respect our elders. The stories my grandparents told were considered treasures and memorized. In hindsight, I believe my great appreciation for history, respect for those with experience, and desire to continue to learn from the past are rooted in this notion of filial piety.

What can New York policymakers do to support the AAPI-community in the short-term? In the long-term?
We need more focus on educating the public on the diversity of Asian cultures as well as to continue to fight against the “model minority myth.” The Asian diaspora represents roughly 50 ethnic groups speaking upwards of 100 languages. The AAPI “community” is not a monolith. It’s made up of many different communities with significant disparities in income, education, access to health care, etc…

Lawrence Han is a partner in Rivkin Radler, where he defends against claims of malpractice, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, mismanagement, etc. He has substantial experience in title insurance litigation and represents manufacturers and distributors in product liability and mass tort litigation. He is president of the Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York and is a member of the Asian American Bar Association of New York and the International Association of Korean Lawyers.

If you could give your younger-self advice, what would it be?
To remain resilient when faced with adversity and to have patience; success takes perseverance and time to achieve. Embrace mistakes as learning opportunities, and do not be afraid to fall down. Invest in people, build relationships, and mentor others by sharing your life experiences. Most importantly, trust your instincts and remember that every choice you make shapes the person you become.

How has your heritage shaped the person you are today?
As a Korean American, the emphasis on family, education, and hard work inherent in Korean culture, combined with American ideals such as empathy, independence, and justice, has allowed me to foster a unique perspective that values both tradition and progress.

What can New York policymakers do to support the AAPI-community in the short-term? In the long-term?
In the short term, policymakers should enhance existing hate crime prevention and response. Since the start of the pandemic and despite ongoing advocacy and legislation, attacks against the AAPI-community have continued. In the long term, policymakers should commit to investing in the AAPI community for housing, healthcare, and job training programs. While often touted as the “model minority,” AAPI immigrants have one of the highest poverty rates of all immigrant groups in New York.

Council Member Shahana Hanif is a Brooklyn-lifer and represents Little Bangladesh, Kensington, where she was born and raised, Park Slope, Gowanus, and more. She is NYC Council’s first Muslim woman and the first Bangladeshi elected! Council Member Hanif is known for championing NYC’s Universal Mandatory Composting legislation, which passed in her first term. She was formerly chair of the Immigration Committee and now co-chairs the Progressive Caucus and Task Force to Combat Hate.

If you could give your younger-self advice, what would it be?
Your body is a good body, it heals every time and is resilient. It’s true! By age 33, you’ll have endured three full hip replacement surgeries and one left shoulder replacement while surviving Lupus. You’ll have walked thousands of steps, strong and confident, with conviction. You will always be supported, even when it feels lonely. Eat joyfully. Move joyfully.

Do you have any event/movie/music suggestions for our readers to check out in celebration of AAPI Heritage Month?
“Bend It Like Beckham,” “Mississippi Masala” and “Monsoon Wedding”

How has your heritage shaped the person you are today?
I am the daughter of Bangladeshi immigrants and grew up learning about Bangladesh’s language movement. Bangla, spoken by the people in then East Pakistan, was outlawed from governmental operations which led to mass discontent and protest. Students led the bloody charge for Bangla to be instated as one of the country’s national languages, and they won. My heritage is intertwined with a history of organizing for freedom. I proudly speak, read, and write Bangla fluently.

What can New York policymakers do to support the AAPI-community in the short-term? In the long-term?
Every issue is an AAPI issue! Support workers’ rights and improve workplace conditions. Let’s pass my legislation Intro 204, which would expand paid sick and safe leave to include gig workers, particularly the 140K app-based workers across the ride-share and food delivery sectors. This legislation directly impacts our immigrant and essential workers, including but not limited to AAPI New Yorkers, who continued to work through COVID without any guaranteed protections or paid time off.