Ahead of America’s 250th anniversary, The Asian American Foundation (TAAF), a nonprofit dedicated to supporting Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities, and digital production company Wong Fu Productions have launched The United States of Asian+America, a new YouTube series spotlighting AAPI visionaries and pioneers whose contributions have helped define America as we know it today.
From chart-topping music to groundbreaking technology to life-saving medical treatments, AAPIs have played a pivotal role in shaping modern American life, yet many of their stories remain overlooked. Even 250 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, public awareness of AAPI history remains strikingly low.
A widely cited 2024 TAAF survey found that more than half of Americans couldn’t name a single famous Asian American. According to the organization’s 2026 STAATUS Index, 53% of American adults couldn’t identify a single major moment in AAPI history, while just 7% believe AAPI communities have “a great deal” of influence on U.S. culture.
The series aims to change that by highlighting the AAPI pioneers behind some of America’s biggest innovations and cultural milestones—from Yahoo! co-founder Jerry Yang and USB inventor Ajay Bhatt to NBA champion Jeremy Lin and television chef Martin Yan.
Through intimate one-on-one conversations, viewers hear the featured trailblazers reflect on the moments that shaped their journeys. The series premiered on June 24th with a conversation between YouTube co-founder Steve Chen and Wong Fu Productions co-founder Philip Wang.
Future episodes will be released throughout the year across TAAF’s and Wong Fu Productions’ YouTube, TikTok and Instagram channels and will feature interviews with Bhatt, Yang, Lin, Yan, Asian American hip-hop pioneer MC Jin, music executive and first Asian woman in hip-hop Sophia Chang, HIV/AIDs research pioneer Dr. David Ho, former president of Philippine Nurses Association of America Madelyn Yu, and many more.
Each guest is interviewed by a fellow AAPI whose work reflects or extends their legacy. Interviewers include Jaeki Cho, co-founder of the social media series Righteous Eats; Lois Cho, founder of Cho Wines; actress Piper Curda (Hoppers, May December); award-winning filmmaker and writer Shruti Ganguly; and chef and content creator Jon Kung.
TAAF CEO Norman Chen said in a press release that the series is intended to remind audiences that AAPI history is inseparable from American history:
“From the Indian American engineer who helped connect the world through USB, to the Filipino nurses who cared for America during the COVID-19 pandemic, to the Chinese American chef who transformed how Americans experience Chinese food, AAPIs have had an outsized impact on the U.S. As America approaches its 250th anniversary, The United States of Asian+America brings these stories to the forefront—told by the people who shaped them. AAPI history is American history.” — Norman Chen, CEO of TAAF
The United States of Asian+America builds on TAAF’s award-winning “Asian+American” PSA campaign, which launched last year to explore the richness and complexity of Asian American identity. In a broader effort to reclaim AAPI history, the organization is also introducing the TAAF Asian+American Storytelling Initiative, a nationwide program encouraging creatives to tell overlooked stories from AAPI history.
Beginning later this summer, storytellers can visit asianplusamerican.org to submit pitches centered on an influential AAPI figure, movement or moment in U.S. history. A committee of acclaimed creators and filmmakers will evaluate the submissions, with selected finalists receiving awards of up to $10,000, along with mentorship to develop their concepts into short-form videos.
The United States of Asian+America is now streaming on YouTube. Members of the AAPI community are invited to share their own stories with TAAF by using #AsianPlusAmerican and tagging @TAAForg.