Identity LA Hosts an Evening With Awkwafina & Tokimonsta

On Saturday, May 11th, Pacific Bridge Arts Foundation hosted Identity LA, a night to celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Women. The evening saw the foundation honour triple threat actress, comedian and rapper Awkwafina (Nora Lum) social entrepreneur and activist Nadya Okamoto, and the non-profit Centre for the Pacific Asian Family for their outstanding contributions to the AAPI communities. Hosted by Michelle Khare and Christine ChenHeld and at the Ford Theatres in Los Angeles, the City of LA presented these trailblazing AAPI women with special plaques of distinction. The free and open-to-the-public event celebrated the city’s diverse AAPI community, specifically influential AAPI women during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. The night also saw performances from Chinese-American singer-songwriter MILCK and Japanese-American trilingual R&B star Sophia Black, with Grammy nominated dance artist Tokimonsta headlining the evening.

Pacific Bridge Arts Foundation is now in its 4th year of showcasing how the AAPI community shape the culture of Los Angeles. Past honorees include digital pioneer Jenn Im, activists Taz Ahmed & Zahra Noorbakhsh of #GoodMuslimBadMuslim, and the cast and crew of the film “GOOK.”

Of the event and her subsequent award, Awkwafina explains; “I performed at this very event a couple years ago and to be standing here today receiving [this award] is an honor. I look forward to the future generations that will be standing here, performing here, being honored here, because it’s all about that. I feel very blessed to be here, so thank you all.”

You can watch a highlight reel from the event here: