Daniel Dae Kim with Ruby Ibarra. Photo by ST HanleeBMirador
By Erin Chew, AsAmNews Staff Writer
Kollaboration will be virtually celebrating its 20 year anniversary of inspiring and promoting the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) creative community in media and entertainment today at 3:00pm (PST).
The show will feature special guest performances by rapper Ruby Ibarra, singer-songwriter Megan Lee, musician and YouTuber David Choi, singer-songwriter CLARA, co-owner of Kinjaz and former Jabbawockeez member Ben Chung, and renowned violinist Jason Yang.
The celebration will be available on Kollaboration’s Facebook and YouTube live. Jane Kim, Kollaboration’s new Executive Director echoed the the magnitude of this anniversary and spoke about the artists that are performing:
“Given the power and impact of the arts, Kollaboration’s 20th Anniversary Celebration is an opportunity for us to share and celebrate the accomplishments of our artists, volunteers, staff, and supporters. We are honored to have our guest performers, all Kollaboration alumni, who have trusted us with providing culturally relevant platforms over the past two decades.” Kim said.
“Celebrating our 20-year milestone is especially important right now, when the AAPI community’s commitment to advance diversity and inclusion is stronger than ever and we invite everyone to join us for this historic moment.”
Kollaboration was founded in 2000 by Korean American stand-up comedian Paul “PK”, who initially wanted to provide opportunities for other Korean American artists to showcase their talent and abilities by creating shows etc. It was a competition show for Korean American contemporary artistic pursuits, such as music, hip hop, and dancing, which kickstarted the movement and the success lead to Kollaboration creating more shows in different US cities- eventually representing the various AAPI communities.
Kollaboration has hosted over 170 live events spotlighting over 1,200 AAPI performers in their STAR Showcases and over 1,500 industry professionals and influencers through their annual EMPOWER conferences. Some of the organization’s alumni, performers, and supporters include actor Randall
Park, actor Steven Yeun, comedian Ali Wong, actress and rapper Awkwafina, comedian Jo Koy, music band Run River North, hip hop group Far East Movement, K-Pop artist Eric Nam, and rapper Dumbfoundead.
With the conversations and public campaigns on better representation for AAPI’s in Hollywood and on stage/live over the past few years, Kollaboration’s work has and is extremely important in creating an influential platform to ensure that this issue is not forgotten and foreshadowed by these major American institutions. Kollaboration’s board member and former Executive Director, actress and podcast host Minji Chang commented on Kollaboration being an agent for change and on the current state of visibility and representation in Hollywood and stage/live:
“Celebrating Kollaboration’s 20th anniversary in 2020 is an incredibly special milestone for us as an organization and grassroots movement. In the past two decades we’ve witnessed and influenced a tremendous shift in the celebration of diversity and inclusion of marginalized communities, including Asian Americans.” Chang expresses.
“These voices historically left in the margin are so valuable to share and understand for all of society. The future looks bright for more authentic representation AAPI narratives and we look forward to celebrating them for years to come.”
There is still time for lodge your RSVP for Kollaboration’s 20th Anniversary Celebration today by clicking here.
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