I’m late for this announcement, but an interview with The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) was recently aired, so in some ways, I am on time!
Back at the end of July, TAAF announced a new campaign:
“The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) is unveiling the “Asian+American” campaign, a national PSA initiative that will encourage Asian Americans to celebrate the complexity and beauty of their dual identities. Created in partnership with the award-winning global creative agency Wieden+Kennedy New York, the campaign uses striking visual storytelling and imagery that will blanket everything from billboards to social media—all to foster pride in being both Asian and American.
Asian Americans are the least likely of any racial or ethnic group to say they fully belong in the United States, and this sense of exclusion is especially acute among younger generations. According to TAAF’s 2025 STAATUS Index, just 20% of Asian Americans ages 16–24 (and 23% overall) feel fully accepted for their racial identity. Following decades of being cast as perpetual foreigners caught in a balancing act of being too Asian or not Asian enough, many have felt pressure to abandon their culture, names, or languages just to fit in, often internalizing shame and self-doubt in the process.
The campaign’s centerpiece, a 60-second short film called Beyond, Together, explores this pressure to choose between identities and offers an intimate look at Asian American individuals embracing their full selves without limits or compromises. Narrated by award-winning actor/producer Sandra Oh and directed by Academy Award–nominee Sean Wang (Dìdi, Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó), who participated in the inaugural Sundance Institute | TAAF Fellowship cohort in 2022, the PSA is paired with powerful portraits taken by photographer Jingyu Lin that will roll out across digital, social, and out-of-home platforms.
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From digital billboards in Times Square, NYC to Downtown LA, along with a cinematic short film and a dedicated social media initiative, this campaign will celebrate pride in being both Asian and American. Our hope is that this national campaign speaks to something universal––that no matter our background, all of our stories, while unique, are deeply connected. We are a nation of people with diverse and complex identities, and that is one of our true strengths. Keep reading to learn about the ways that you can be a part of this campaign. I encourage you to join us. We are Asian+American, and proud to be both.”
I also loved that director Sean Wang, who I have met on a few occasions, directed the commercial. I caught this news story on CBS Morning News interviewing TAAF co-founding board member, Sheila Lirio Marcelo (embedded below.)
When I saw the TAAF commercial emphasizing Asian + American, I really loved it. Much much more so than the hyphenated Asian-American! I always spell Asian American and Taiwanese American without the hyphen. But maybe now I will write Asian+American and Taiwanese+American …
