A+E Networks Joins AAPI Community with Cross-Platform PSA Supporting StopAAPIHate.org [VIDEO]

With the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes since the pandemic began, A+E Networks is standing in solidarity with the AAPI Community with a PSA addressing the rise of violence in support of StopAAPIHate.org. Currently running on air across the portfolio’s channels – A&E, The HISTORY Channel, Lifetime and LMN – the PSA is also being shared on each network’s social media platforms and is viewable here.

As part of A+E Networks’ efforts to amplify the voices of those making changes in their communities for the greater good, three Voices Magnified short-form pieces have been commissioned, focusing on individuals in the AAPI community. Voices Magnified gives a national spotlight to timely and important conversations on equality and social reform which are occurring across America today. These short-form pieces will begin airing in April and run into May in alignment with Asian Pacific Heritage Month to recognize the contributions and influence of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to the history, culture, and achievements in the United States.

The subjects for the Voices Magnified content include:

Mitchell Maki/Going for Broke

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin Roosevelt signed an Executive Order relocating over 100,000 Japanese Americans to concentration camps, imprisoning them behind barbed wire. Despite this, some 1,100 American-born Japanese men volunteered to fight for the U.S. The 442nd Regiment Combat Team – the most decorated military unit in American history consisting of mainly second-generation Japanese Americans. Mitchell Maki and the Go For Broke National Education Center educates the public on the valor of Japanese American veterans of World War II and their contributions to U.S. history.

Anh Vu Sawyer

In 1975, when she was an 18-year-old college student in Vietnam, Anh and her family were part of the historic airlift from the American Embassy rooftop, a few hours after the fall of Saigon. Now, Anh is the Executive Director of the Southeast Asian Coalition of Central Massachusetts. Her mission at SEACMA is to provide assistance to Southeast Asian refugees, immigrants and low-income families so that they can thrive and contribute, while also helping to preserve their cultural heritage in their new home of Massachusetts. She has a lifetime of stories of honoring and preserving not only her family’s Vietnamese heritage but many others and from many racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Tessa Xuan

Tessa is the Chair of OPAWL (Ohio Progressive Asian Women’s Leadership). Concerned with the rise in hate incidents targeting Asian Americans across Ohio, Tessa led a movement to demand action from their elected officials. They sent the letter to the governor and public officials throughout the state of Ohio asking that they speak out against hate. Their advocacy and message worked. Since sharing the letter legislators introduced two new bills in the Ohio State House focused on combating anti-Asian racism and establishing an Ohio AAPI Affairs Commission. Tessa also believes that crucial to combating anti-Asian resentment and violence is centering joy. So, Tessa and OPAWL launched the #IWillEatWithYou campaign to encourage community care while showing solidarity with everyone impacted by anti-Asian racism during the pandemic.

Additional short form focused on the Asian American community will run on air or online, centering on individual people who are finding solutions to social justice issues, working to bring communities together, confronting difficult challenges and inspiring change. Some examples include:

Families That Fed America: The Nguyen Family

Chef Andrea Nguyen tells the story of her Vietnamese-American family that fled the Vietnam War and came to America, with only her mother’s little orange notebook filled with recipes – a family treasure that would become emblematic of their past, their journey to America, and their life as Americans.

The Spirit That Built America: Wong Tsu

Without Wong Tsu, Boeing would not be the success it is today. At the age of 12, he was picked to be in the Chinese naval academy and at 16 he was sent to England to study naval engineering. From there he graduated from MIT in 1916 with a degree in aeronautical engineering. That same year Boeing hired him as their first trained aeronautical engineer. Tsu played an integral role in designing Boeing’s first successful product, the Boeing Model C. This plane brought immediate financial success to Boeing and executives claim “the company might not have survived the early years to become the dominant world aircraft manufacturer” without Tsu’s efforts.

History Shorts: Chinese New Year in San Francisco

New Year’s celebrations in China are thousands of years old, but across the Pacific, the holiday took on a life of its own in the Bay Area.

Biography: M. Night Shyamalan

This big-time filmmaker has made his mark with movies about and filmed in his beloved Philadelphia – the city his family settled in because of its connection to the founding of American revolutionary history.

Biography: Awkwafina

The star actress, rapper and comedian found her way thanks to her grandmother and the New York City restaurant her family ran for decades.

Biography: Ken Jeong

Back in the 1990s, Ken Jeong was a physician who dabbled in comedy. After years of open mic nights, he won a stand-up competition. Even though comedy became his life, his medical training still comes in handy helping cast and crew on film sets.

Biography You Need To Know: Fazlur Rahman Khan

The Bangladeshi American civil engineer known for his innovations in high-rise building construction. He is regarded as the “father of tubular designs” for high-rise buildings, including what was the tallest building for 20+ years — the Sears Tower in Chicago.

Biography You Need To Know: Maya Lin

This American architect and sculptor is best known for her design of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Furthermore, The HISTORY Channel will share educational resources across its social and digital platforms about the history and contributions of Asian Americans and the roots of Anti-Asian racism.

Lifetime’s social platforms during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month will be dedicated to highlighting Asian American women who have made a significant impact to our culture for their Fierce Female Fridays featurette . The women Lifetime will shine a spotlight on include war veteran and senator Tammy Duckworth (5/7), Chinese suffrage activist Dr. Mabel Lee (5/14), journalist Lisa Ling (5/21), and designer Monique Lhuillier (5/26).

Other Asian American women Lifetime has featured for Fierce Female Fridays include the first female Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris, sexual assault activist Amanda Nguyen, comedian and actress Awkwafina, the first Asian American congresswoman Patsy Mink and actress Sandra Oh.

Voices Magnified is part of a long-standing commitment by A+E Networks to social justice initiatives and empowering diverse storytellers, from the “Shining a Light” campaign focusing on race in America in the aftermath of the massacre in Charleston, South Carolina, to “Divided States,” an in-depth documentary focusing on ending hate in America, and more.

Together, these company-wide efforts aim to address the rise in anti-Asian violence, provide resources to support organizations confronting these issues, and raise awareness about the history of AAPI communities to educate the public and mobilize change.