What’s Your Legacy? | Celebrating API Month
In celebration of API Month, we're amplifying the voices of the API community while remarking on the history that influences the legacy to come. Throughout the month, we're highlighting individuals from the community and asking them to share their stories and the legacy they aim to leave behind.
TAYLOR OKATA | CREATIVE DIRECTOR & STYLIST | HE/HIM
What issues do you focus on tackling within the community?
I stand for creating a safe space where indigenous and local creatives get the representation and protection we deserve in the industry. Growing up in Hawai’i, I always felt this was missing. I want to contribute more to not only the API community, but also the LGBTQIA+ community (within API).
What does being a leader mean to you, and how do you hope to shape/impact that idea of leadership within the community?
To me, being a leader is about representing my culture and using my platform to uplift others. Whether I can make a difference through visual story-telling, calling out negative stereotypes and xenophobia – I always aim to represent me and my culture at best.
What do you want your legacy to be?
I mentioned creating a safe space for indigenous and local creatives in Hawai’i — I want my legacy to create opportunities, platforms and resources for others who have been overlooked, especially within the API/LGBTQIA+ community. I want others from Hawai’i to see what I’m doing and know they can do it too.
How do you make your voice heard?
It takes a lot of nerve, but I start by living my authentic-self as a queer person from Hawai’i that came from very humble beginnings. It is necessary to be present for your own life in order to create change. I just keep doing me and don’t compromise who I am.
OWIN PIERSON | SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER & ADVOCATE
How do you celebrate API Heritage Month?
I’ve really embraced and loved my Asian American identity and heritage recently. Before the pandemic, I traveled to Japan with my whole family and then alone to Taiwan with the LA Times for Pride. Through these journeys, I really learned to love myself and found the confidence to speak up more in all facets of what that looked like to me. Now it’s in the little moments. Celebrating with my friends and family by eating so many amazing Asian cuisines. Traveling to various Asian countries - I went to Thailand recently. These experiences really changed my perspective and broadened my understanding of how vast the term “Asian-American” really is and what API month really represents.
How do you make your voice heard?
I make my voice heard by sharing my unique and personal story. What I’ve learned over the years of being on social media is that no two stories are the same. Currently, so many pages and influencers feel similar and look the same feed-wise; but, if you look closely for the ones sharing their stories, I think that’s where the magic happens. The more personal you are, the more you start standing out. Sometimes it takes stepping back and looking at it from a different angle, and other times you just have to take a big bold leap of faith and do something that no one else is doing.
LIV LO GOLDING | HEALTH & LIFESTYLE ENTREPRENEUR
How do you celebrate API Heritage Month Month?
In Asian culture we celebrate everything with food. I’ve booked some of my favorite restaurants like Kato, Cobi, & Hatch to eat and catch up with friends. Reading books like Eva Chen’s ‘I am Golden’ with my baby, Lyla. I will also be attending Gold Gala with my husband, Henry, to be with the community during this special month.
What issues do you focus on tackling within the community?
I try and help my fellow AAPI by speaking about mental health and supporting them by guiding breath work & yoga classes for the AAPI community to relieve some mental, physical and emotional stress.
How do you make your voice heard?
If you so decide to speak out, making sure you walk the talk of what you believe in. First educating yourself and listening to others to learn more about the things you care about. This may sound easy, but putting your values out there mean that, in garnering support, you are also held accountable for your actions so it’s important to really have your own learned position.
What do you want your legacy to be?
Love, kindness, light.
In celebration of API Month, we're amplifying the voices of the API community while remarking on the history that influences the legacy to come. Throughout the month, we're highlighting individuals from the community and asking them to share their stories and the legacy they aim to leave behind.
TAYLOR OKATA | CREATIVE DIRECTOR & STYLIST | HE/HIM
What issues do you focus on tackling within the community?
I stand for creating a safe space where indigenous and local creatives get the representation and protection we deserve in the industry. Growing up in Hawai’i, I always felt this was missing. I want to contribute more to not only the API community, but also the LGBTQIA+ community (within API).
What does being a leader mean to you, and how do you hope to shape/impact that idea of leadership within the community?
To me, being a leader is about representing my culture and using my platform to uplift others. Whether I can make a difference through visual story-telling, calling out negative stereotypes and xenophobia – I always aim to represent me and my culture at best.
What do you want your legacy to be?
I mentioned creating a safe space for indigenous and local creatives in Hawai’i — I want my legacy to create opportunities, platforms and resources for others who have been overlooked, especially within the API/LGBTQIA+ community. I want others from Hawai’i to see what I’m doing and know they can do it too.
How do you make your voice heard?
It takes a lot of nerve, but I start by living my authentic-self as a queer person from Hawai’i that came from very humble beginnings. It is necessary to be present for your own life in order to create change. I just keep doing me and don’t compromise who I am.
OWIN PIERSON | SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER & ADVOCATE
How do you celebrate API Heritage Month?
I’ve really embraced and loved my Asian American identity and heritage recently. Before the pandemic, I traveled to Japan with my whole family and then alone to Taiwan with the LA Times for Pride. Through these journeys, I really learned to love myself and found the confidence to speak up more in all facets of what that looked like to me. Now it’s in the little moments. Celebrating with my friends and family by eating so many amazing Asian cuisines. Traveling to various Asian countries - I went to Thailand recently. These experiences really changed my perspective and broadened my understanding of how vast the term “Asian-American” really is and what API month really represents.
How do you make your voice heard?
I make my voice heard by sharing my unique and personal story. What I’ve learned over the years of being on social media is that no two stories are the same. Currently, so many pages and influencers feel similar and look the same feed-wise; but, if you look closely for the ones sharing their stories, I think that’s where the magic happens. The more personal you are, the more you start standing out. Sometimes it takes stepping back and looking at it from a different angle, and other times you just have to take a big bold leap of faith and do something that no one else is doing.
LIV LO GOLDING | HEALTH & LIFESTYLE ENTREPRENEUR
How do you celebrate API Heritage Month Month?
In Asian culture we celebrate everything with food. I’ve booked some of my favorite restaurants like Kato, Cobi, & Hatch to eat and catch up with friends. Reading books like Eva Chen’s ‘I am Golden’ with my baby, Lyla. I will also be attending Gold Gala with my husband, Henry, to be with the community during this special month.
What issues do you focus on tackling within the community?
I try and help my fellow AAPI by speaking about mental health and supporting them by guiding breath work & yoga classes for the AAPI community to relieve some mental, physical and emotional stress.
How do you make your voice heard?
If you so decide to speak out, making sure you walk the talk of what you believe in. First educating yourself and listening to others to learn more about the things you care about. This may sound easy, but putting your values out there mean that, in garnering support, you are also held accountable for your actions so it’s important to really have your own learned position.
What do you want your legacy to be?
Love, kindness, light.
