AAPI History / Our History: Celebrating Rich Heritage

Read more about AAPI History / Our History: Celebrating Rich Heritage

AAPI History / Our History: Celebrating Rich Heritage

Culture Culture, Monks news 9 min read

Every year, May revolves around celebrating the unique history and incredible impact of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Throughout the month, we’ll shine a bright spotlight on our AAPI people and focus on amplifying awareness around the achievements and challenges of the AAPI community as well as their contributions to US history and society.

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month takes place in May because of two key dates: May 7 and 10. The former marks the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants in the United States, whereas the latter—also known as Golden Spike Day—recognizes the completion of the US transcontinental railroad, connecting East to West. Nearly twenty thousand Chinese immigrants supported the construction of this incredible project, working under brutal conditions in the Sierra Nevada for very little pay. It’s critical that they are given recognition for their courage, hard work and dedication, today and into the future.

The AAPI umbrella term represents cultures from the entire Asian continent and the Pacific Islands of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. AAPI Heritage Month is an annual celebration that recognizes the historical and cultural contributions that individuals and groups of this descent have made to the United States—and there are many. From science, literature, art and sports to government, politics, activism and law, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have significantly contributed to and enriched various facets of American life. Over time, AAPI people, stories, and traditions have become more visible, with Michelle Yeoh taking home an Oscar for Best Actress, Bong Joon Ho winning Academy Awards for both Best Picture and Best Director for his film Parasite, Marvel launching its first-ever Asian superhero, and Kamala Harris becoming the first AAPI (and female) Vice President of the United States.

As our people spotlights show, representation matters—especially since AAPI people have such a long history in the United States. Records show that Asians first migrated to what is now known as the United States over 15,000 years ago, crossing the Bering Land Bridge that connected Asia with North America. This defeats the painful stereotype that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are perpetual foreigners, which entails the idea that they are inherently foreign, other and not truly American.

At Media.Monks, we empower our employees to build, innovate and work together as one team where everyone can feel like they belong and have a voice. Our focus is on fostering a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment by treating people the way they want to be treated, encouraging colleagues to raise their voices, and working together to complement our differences and learn from one another. This ultimately helps create space for employees to share their unique identities and affinities and celebrate both contrasting and common life experiences.

In recognition of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month—and the fact that AAPI people are the fastest growing racial group in the United States—members of our AAPI community have come together to reflect on and celebrate their unique histories and heritage.

Nikki Azuma, Office Support Assistant

San Francisco, California

I’ve been with Media.Monks for:

1 year.

What does AAPI Heritage Month mean to you? Why is it important?

AAPI Heritage Month is a chance for me to celebrate not only my heritage, but other people’s Asian heritage as well. For the longest time, being Asian wasn’t cool—and as I reflect about those early years, I realize that the lack of representation in American media was a huge factor in feelings of self-loathing. It wasn’t until anime really started making a mainstay that I started to appreciate and connect with my Japanese heritage. I think it’s really important to be proud of your heritage, to be able to share aspects of it with others in a safe environment, and to show respect to people who are from different cultures and upbringings. Often in discussing these things, we realize we have more similarities than differences!

What advice would you give to aspiring AAPI professionals?

My mom wanted me to graduate college, become a nurse and settle down with a nice Asian boy. Only one of those things happened. The choices I have made throughout my career have allowed me to discover what I really love and excel at: administrative work. Follow your heart, don’t feel like you’re trapped in a box of expectations, and have faith that the decisions you make will eventually work out.

The theme for AAPI Heritage Month in 2023 is “Advancing Leaders Through Opportunity.” What does that mean for you?

It all starts with an opportunity, doesn’t it? I was given the opportunity to join this company, and now I feel like I’m thriving. My manager is amazing and gives me ample opportunities to make the office a better place than it was yesterday. Opportunities only take you so far though; it takes recognition and support from those who work both with and “above” you to be successful and make an impact. Every day, I am thankful that I was given this opportunity—but I also recognize that I was afforded some privileges that are not available to all people. The essentiality of recognizing privilege and using that to help uplift others allows me to feel more like “we advanced” versus “I advanced.”

How will you celebrate AAPI Heritage Month this year?

I will celebrate AAPI Heritage Month the same way I celebrate heritage every month: by developing a unique ethnic menu for our office’s lunch program, thereby supporting people of that heritage and promoting their brick-and-mortar restaurant (if applicable) by sharing information about it with our team. I often think about how I would like my heritage to be represented, and make sure to apply that same respect in representing another culture. So this month, we’ll be supporting all Asian-owned businesses!

Who inspires you from the AAPI community and why?

While not Asian American, I really love and respect Michelle Yeoh. I remember being in 6th grade, watching Wing Chun and realizing that being an Asian woman could mean kicking @$$. Watching her acceptance speech for winning an Oscar really deepened my love and respect for her, because she earned, deserved and most importantly OWNED that win.

Describe (if you have one) a moment in your family's story that can serve as an inspirational historical moment.

I’m also half Chinese with strong females on the maternal side. My great-grandmother was a living legend. She lived through two world wars, watched us go from rotary phones to cell phones, and immigrated here as a paper daughter. She lived to be 109 years old, traversing the steep inclines of Chinatown until she was 95 and being in complete control of her faculties until she was 102. Her history of survival, struggles, and finally successes reminds me every day that I am also strong and that I can also overcome challenges.

Jeffrey Leong, VP Biz Ops

San Francisco, California

I’ve been with Media.Monks for:

7 years.

What does AAPI Heritage Month mean to you? Why is it important?

AAPI Heritage Month represents an opportunity to learn about and celebrate the diverse cultures, histories and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. It's important to me to celebrate as many cultures as we can and show respect to all backgrounds.

What advice would you give to aspiring AAPI professionals?

Identify what goals you want to achieve and then create a roadmap to reach those goals. Separately, if it is important to you, embrace your cultural identity—your heritage is an integral part of who you are, and it can be a source of strength and inspiration in your professional journey.

The theme for AAPI Heritage Month in 2023 is “Advancing Leaders Through Opportunity.” What does that mean for you?

It's important that we give opportunities at Media.Monks to folks of all different backgrounds. We seek to be a merit-based organization and this theme embodies that ethos.

How will you celebrate AAPI Heritage Month this year?

Food! My favorite way to celebrate my own culture and those of others is by experiencing cuisine with other people.

Who inspires you from the AAPI community and why?

My parents and family for their work ethic, perseverance and unity.

Describe (if you have one) a moment in your family's story that can serve as an inspirational historical moment.

My grandmother was the first Chinese-American Woman to own her own real estate brokerage in San Francisco. My family and I are very proud of that and of all the hard work and determination that went into that achievement.

Vivian Huang, Senior Strategist

San Francisco, California

I’ve been with Media.Monks for:

4 years.

What does AAPI Heritage Month mean to you? Why is it important?

AAPI Heritage Month is an opportunity to reflect on our roots and honor our heritage. It's a time for us to come together and share our experiences as Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to celebrate our diverse histories and identities. It's an important time of the year because Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders contributed a lot throughout American history, but our accomplishments and contributions are often glossed over. As Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, it's our job to be vocal and proud about who we are and what we bring to society.

What advice would you give to aspiring AAPI professionals?

Do not be afraid to go into a field that is “untraditional.” Culturally, we are often told that a career such as being a doctor or an engineer is the only path forward. While those fields are certainly respectable, they’re not the only option. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders can be artists and entertainers and so much more—we have just as much right and talent as anyone else to exist in every industry. By breaking the mold, we can pave the way for future generations to explore things that they're passionate about and chase their dreams.

The theme for AAPI Heritage Month in 2023 is “Advancing Leaders Through Opportunity.” What does that mean for you?

“Advancing Leaders Through Opportunity” means improving access to executives and influencers for AAPI professionals. It's about breaking structural barriers as well as the misconception that AAPI professionals are hard workers, but not good leaders. It's also about creating a safe space and a platform for AAPI professionals to be more vocal and visible. This starts with organizations understanding the diversity of the AAPI workforce and what barriers or challenges we face, addressing mental health needs or concerns, and truly analyzing whether leadership within an organization is systematically alienating AAPI professionals.

How will you celebrate AAPI Heritage Month this year?

I love podcasts and I've started to listen to a new one—AsianBossGirl (ABG)—which is a podcast by three Asian women about the modern day Asian-American female experience. In addition to that, I will definitely try to support more local Asian-owned businesses and look to connect with fellow AAPI professionals as much as possible.

Who inspires you from the AAPI community and why?

Bernice Chao and Jessalin Lam. They're the co-founders of Asians in Advertising, which is a community created for AAPI professionals to foster connections and opportunities, thereby helping Asians elevate to higher positions within the advertising industry. In an industry that's traditionally been a “boys only club,” it's really great to see two Asian women, who are both in positions of leadership within their respective organizations, help bring an underrepresented community together.

Sterling Stovall, Art Director

San Francisco, California

I’ve been with Media.Monks for:

3 years.

What does AAPI Heritage Month mean to you? Why is it important?

I think AAPI Heritage Month is a special time when we can come together to celebrate everything the Asian community has done and how it continues to influence our culture today. It means a lot to me that we are continually seeing more and more Asian representation in our everyday lives, whether that’s in mainstream media or just in the workforce. It’s important because growing up, I didn’t really see as much representation happening, so it’s nice to see that progress is being made.

What advice would you give to aspiring AAPI professionals?

My advice would be to lean into your culture, take risks with what you can do, and be unabashedly yourself. The world and the workplace are a lot better when we have people bringing their unique personalities and perspectives to the table. Also, don’t base your status of success on where someone else is in their journey—we all walk our own timelines and that’s okay.

The theme for AAPI Heritage Month in 2023 is “Advancing Leaders Through Opportunity.” What does that mean for you?

To me, this theme means that we’re trying to do better by giving qualified and deserving candidates the opportunity to succeed and represent our country—because right now, it still seems that diversity is a problem in our government representation. I can only hope that as we move forward into the future, we not only have more Asian representation, but our government is an actual representation of what our country looks like.

How will you celebrate AAPI Heritage Month this year?

I will celebrate by spending time with my family, watching a bunch of Asian-influenced movies, and eating delicious Asian cuisine.

Who inspires you from the AAPI community and why?

Growing up, I was always inspired by Jackie Chan. My mom introduced me to him when I was very young and I just loved how he infused his martial art movies with comedy. The fact that he was tough and silly at the same time was something that I really looked up to. It’s amazing to see his dedication to the art and all the work he puts into his stunts, no matter how much it takes to get the perfect shot.

More recently, the cast and crew of Everything Everywhere All at Once inspired me, because they took an insane concept and executed it to perfection with barely any budget. I love all the recognition and awards it’s getting and how it has blasted to the forefront of the entertainment industry.

Describe (if you have one) a moment in your family's story that can serve as an inspirational historical moment.

My mom is an inspiration to me because she immigrated to the US from Vietnam when she was only 14. While she didn’t know the language, she was trying to spearhead a better life in the States. She worked hard to develop a life out here and raise her kids. She taught me the value of kindness and hard work and I’ll always love her for that. She makes me proud to be a Vietnamese American.

In recognition of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month members of our AAPI community have come together to reflect on and celebrate their unique histories and heritage. Diversity diversity and inclusion cultural diversity diverse workplace Monks news Culture

Paying it Forward: Insights from Our First DE&I Week

Read more about Paying it Forward: Insights from Our First DE&I Week

Paying it Forward: Insights from Our First DE&I Week

6 min read

Diversity, equity and inclusion are important to any organization—and as we unify our teams across disciplines, backgrounds and skillsets, it’s become an important connector between our people, all around the world.

“As a business, we aim to represent the communities we live in and encourage a diverse approach in everything we do,” says Sir Martin Sorrell, Founder and Executive Chairman of S4Capital. This ambition has translated into a number of bold initiatives throughout the organization, including our recently launched Fellowship, which aims to address the imbalance in employment for underrepresented groups in the creative and tech industry.

But the work is never done: cultivating a more diverse and inclusive workforce remains a goal we strive toward to more accurately reflect the communities in which we work. While organization-wide initiatives play a large role in reaching that ambition, individuals and local teams also feel empowered to start initiatives of their own. “Our people care deeply about diversity and inclusion,” says Imma Trillo, Senior Vice President of Global HR/Talent at S4Capital, “and we’re seeing more and more initiatives being developed at the local level in many of our offices.” That’s why our Wellbeing team in London decided to launch DE&I week, a weeklong virtual event focused on diversity, equity and inclusion inspired by similar wellness-focused events, including Mental Health Week.

A Bottom-Up Approach

What began as a local initiative—a small group of colleagues meeting to determine what was important to talk about in the current climate of our pandemic and increasingly polarized world—grew into a company-wide initiative in which people around the globe engaged with difficult workplace subjects: What are microaggressions? What biases are we inadvertently imposing on others? How do we address people of different cultures, backgrounds, and gender identities respectfully? When should you call out someone, and how?

“What I really like is that it came from the bottom up,” says Martin Verdult, Managing Director of the London office. “People said, ‘This is something we want to talk about and take action on.’” And while these topics are anything but trivial, Verdult likens them to serendipitous conversations that have been hard to replicate without a physical office. “I really value that in this time of COVID that we take an hour of day to think about something that isn’t about the budget or deliverable—something people normally talk about over coffee,” he says. “We created this to drive topics we don’t always talk about.”

Monk Thoughts We’re seeing more and more initiatives being developed at the local level in many of our offices.

Imma Trillo

Senior Vice President of Global HR/Talent, S4Capital

This drives home an important lesson for leaders: employees want to have these conversations, and you shouldn’t shy away from not having it all figured out. “It’s okay not to have everything solved internally,” says Liam Osbourne, Client Partner, Fashion & Luxury and DE&I lead in London. “Lean into external experts who can help.” Below, we offer a few of the insights experts have shared with our team throughout the week’s programming.

Creating a More Inclusive Workplace

To move toward a more diverse and inclusive workplace, employers must attract more diverse candidates—and if they’re not, it’s very likely their recruiting process is flawed, says Jane Hatton, founder and CEO of UK-based Evenbreak, a job board that connects disabled candidates with inclusive employers. “Talent doesn’t discriminate,” Jane says, “Recruiting with an eye toward diversity means removing the inadvertent biases and barriers in your process so that you’re reaching out and inviting all talent to come through.”

This point hit home for Osbourne. “One of my personal passions was changing the recruitment process,” Liam says. “How do we assess capabilities when we look at a CV based on past opportunities, not future potential? We need to find different ways of vetting candidates and support them in ways tailored to their needs.” One way to do that is to stop relying on CVs as a means of shortlisting candidates. Instead, Hatton suggests isolating three or four key strengths a job requires and highlighting them in the job ad. Ask them to answer a handful of questions or execute work-related tasks to showcase their skills and use that information to shortlist candidates. Removing personal information from the first step in the process—gender, age, schooling, and even past experience—levels the playing field for all applicants.

Get Comfortable with Uncomfortable Conversations

But hiring with an eye toward inclusiveness is just the first step in creating a more diverse and inclusive workplace. Nichole McGill-Higgins, Founder and CEO of management consultancy Changez Life posits that everyone in an organization is responsible for driving the diversity and inclusion agenda. And that means finding ways of not only changing the way we treat each other but openly talking with each other about race and racism—something that can be difficult between people from different cultures.

Monk Thoughts We need to find different ways of vetting candidates and support them in ways tailored to their needs.

Claudia Cameron

Head of Social

It’s important to understand that no matter how well-intentioned we are as individuals, it’s human nature to have biases. And when left unchecked, biases in the workplace can manifest as microaggressions—statements or actions that are indirect, subtle or unintentional instances of discrimination against members of a marginalized group. Awareness of our own biases, defensiveness, and potential microaggressions is essential to being able to openly communicate with each other, especially about race.

Understanding Social Impacts

Just as with everything else, COVID and other disruptors of the past year—the US election, Brexit, increased awareness of racism and activist movements that have come out of it—have accelerated the need for more diversity and inclusion. “This is a journey we need to continue all the time,” says Verdult. “These events have accelerated the need and increased the urgency for those changes.”

In times of crisis, true colors show. As an organization, your response to a crisis has to come from a place of authenticity not in response to social pressure. When the murder of George Floyd put increased pressure on companies to speak up and change the way they were handling diversity, many companies made missteps because they weren’t coming from a place of authenticity. But when a brand goes beyond purpose and truly embraces its role—transforming the business from the inside out—it can make a true impact.

Combating Bias in Advertising

Marketers should understand well the influence that creativity has on our audience. For this reason, it’s critical that we’re each equipped to identify and combat our own personal biases. “Having bias is not necessarily a bad thing, it’s just human behavior,” says McGill-Higgins. “It’s just that we need to become more conscious about it,” and take the steps to combat them.

Monk Thoughts Speak to people from various communities to learn about them, or involve them in your work from the beginning.

Rich Miles

CEO, The Diversity and Standard Collective

Rich Miles, CEO of The Diversity and Standard Collective, agrees and suggests that when approaching client work, creatives focus on intentionally injecting diversity into the work. “If you’re creating an idea that doesn’t have any descriptors you may be inadvertently inviting bias in, because—given human nature—bias will always be applied,” Miles says. Instead, he recommends that at the very early stages of an idea you incorporate diverse descriptors for characters or settings so that diversity is baked into a project from the start. “We’re all very worried about getting it wrong,” he says, “So if you’re stuck, speak to people from various communities to learn about them, or involve them in your work from the beginning.”

So whether you’re looking to communicate more openly and effectively with co-workers or create more diverse and inclusive work, starting the conversation and creating a roadmap is key. When it comes to the workplace, several potential conversation starters for talking about race can center around whether individuals have experienced discrimination, whether the organization is doing enough to build an inclusive culture, and what can be done to further Black and POC inclusion in the workplace. Through this process, teams can catch harmful biases before perpetuating them through the creative and products they put out into the world.

That’s what the Wellbeing team in London did, and to great success. Feedback has already rolled in suggesting topics for the next DE&I Week, reaffirming that the work is never done—and that people are eager to carry the conversation.

A special thanks to the Wellbeing team in London for organizing the event and unearthing the above insights: Nafeesa Yousuf, Charlotte Igharo, Maxine Penney, Maithili Jalihal, Brendan O’Conner, Matthew Brett, Liam Osbourne and Nimo Awil.

We share insights and impressions from our first DE&I week, touching on topics like biases and building a more inclusive workplace. Paying it Forward: Insights from Our First DE&I Week An inaugural step in the continual process of building a more equitable workplace.
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Checking in With WoMMen in Tech

Read more about Checking in With WoMMen in Tech

Checking in With WoMMen in Tech

4 min read

It’s easy for teams to become set in their ways over time, falling into patterns of thinking that become hard to break from. This not only inhibits innovation; it can also limit viewpoints around approaches to leadership, collaboration, work/life balance and other aspects of work that affect team members’ day-to-day activities and cohesion.

To avoid these missteps, organizations should strive to create a culture of diverse viewpoints—and ensure team members feel comfortable and supported in sharing those perspectives. In our own efforts to create such a culture internally, WoMMen in Tech, an ongoing podcast series from MediaMonks, serves as a catalyst to kick off these conversations and give viewers access to ideas and approaches they might not encounter otherwise. You can watch teaser videos for each episode on YouTube, and catch full episodes in audio form on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

While the series is called WoMMen in Tech, the idea isn’t just to profile women in the industry. Beryl Chung, who was part of the inaugural team spearheading the initiative and is a Senior Creative at MediaMonks, notes that one of the biggest challenges the series aims to tackle is to connect with women who feel isolated in the workplace.

In a panel discussion with MediaMonks founder Wesley ter Haar, Beryl Chung, Senior Creative at MediaMonks, discussed how early in her career she had no role models whose experiences she could relate to besides her mom. “I’ve certainly noticed that the more senior I become, the more rooms I enter where I’m one of very few, either as a person of color or as a woman,” she said. As a space where women share their experiences, WoMMen in Tech serves as a resource and pool of knowledge for anyone who feels they’re in a similar position.

Opening a Dialogue

While WoMMen in Tech was originally conceived as an external content series, it’s more than just that. “Above all, we’re a team (of not just women) and a network across offices,” says Chung. “So, if someone comes to us with an idea for a project or an initiative within diversity and inclusion, we help make it happen and connect to the people who can help build it.”

Her point shows how creating such a space to exchange perspectives and ideas benefits everyone. “I think in my idea of an ideal world, the best way to have a company culture is not to have any dominant culture,” says Chung. “That’s what I would really love to see, is a place where there isn’t a mold of what that employee looks like that they have to fit in, and then they don’t feel like they have to fit this box. They can come in as their authentic self and feel valued and feel heard.” In bringing different perspectives to light and encouraging conversation, the WoMMen in Tech initiative brings us a step closer to that vision as our team grows.

Enriching Team Culture

A year after its founding, ter Haar frames WoMMen in Tech as an experiment to use digital to promote empathy—a challenge that’s taken an entirely new relevance when the majority of MediaMonks is working from home and communication has become largely centered on work across borders and timezones.

“What the internet has done is connect people, but it probably hasn’t upped the empathy,” says ter Haar. “So, you can see some of what happens when you connect people without context, what happens when you connect people without giving a clear understanding of what we expect in a culture: you get a lot of friction.”

The Shift, our internal communications platform designed to unite all of S4Capital through inspiring and engaging content that ranges from thought leadership to workplace wellness, aims to counteract those concerns. The platform’s launch coincides with the release of the latest episode of WoMMen in Tech, available for the team to watch on the platform, which features an interview with Executive Producer Nathalie Visser.

In her interview, viewers get a sense of the significant influence and the personal touch that Visser brings to the MediaMonks culture—for example, raising the idea of a company ski trip and working with fellow Executive Producer Brook Downton to establish the New York office. Now with the New York team working from home, Visser is still thinking of ways to keep the team culture alive, like monthly picnics where everyone can meet safely in-person to gossip and enjoy a meal together.

Today, her role has evolved to include integrating the various teams that make up S4Capital, helping ensure we can collaborate smoothly. “The one big portion is tooling—we’re all using different tools which sometimes makes it challenging to become more integrated,” she says. “So, we’re trying to align on that and make everyone’s life easier when it comes to working together.” Visser’s responsibilities will lay the foundation for healthy and happy collaboration throughout S4Capital both now and well into the future, bringing teams together in an increasingly shared offering—processes that benefit not only clients, but the employee experience as well.

Projects like WoMMen in Tech open up a space where everyone can feel comfortable in making themselves heard and drive change—and its grassroots origin, spurred by women who acted on the need to highlight women’s experiences, stands as a testament to how teams can build a better, stronger culture by having a dialogue. “How can we open more space to share more discussion? How can we make everyone feel included in our workspace in a way that’s constructive and not so defensive?” asks Chung. A good first step is to speak out—and to listen.

Get to Know WoMMen in Tech

Listen to the Podcast

The WoMMen in Tech series offers access to different approaches to leadership, work/life balance, collaboration and more. Checking in With WoMMen in Tech Confronting diverse perspectives and new ways of thinking.
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