Gold Gala Was a Celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander Excellence

Hello Kitty, Maui First Responders, and Lucy Liu were among those honored.

May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month and one of the biggest celebrations took place over the weekend. Gold House, a non-profit founded by Bing Chen that promotes the interests of the AAPI community, held their third annual Gold Gala in honor of their A100 List — a definitive guide to the celebrities, activists, and cultural leaders making change. It was a weekend to remember as over 600 guests donned their black tie best and were treated to a three-course dinner by Michelin-starred restaurant Semma based in New York City, and drinks from Pernod Ricard. 

Awards were handed across industries from actors to singers to CEOs to Olympians to content creators and more. Lucy Liu, who won the Gold Legend Award from Regina King, shared an emotional and sweet speech about Liu’s career in Hollywood. Another highlight was a sneak peek of the highly anticipated Wicked as Jon M. Chu and actress Michelle Yeoh presented a Gold Ally award to Cynthia Erivo. Other shows getting nods include The Sympathizer, Beef, and Avatar, The Last Airbender. Cultural moments were also highlighted, including an ode to Hello Kitty’s 50th anniversary to recognizing the efforts of the Maui first responders to honoring Olympic greats like Kristi Yamaguchi, Chloe Kim, and Nathan Chen.  

When it came to fashion, various guests paid homage to their roots, with modern day interpretations of cultural dress being the theme of the night. But that doesn’t mean it was all tradition — Erivo wore Balmain, activist Geena Rocero was clad in Rick Owens, and actress Jess Hong wore a slinky gown by Grace Ling. The jewelry was no slouch either as Cartier made a showing by dressing actor Steven Yeun, activist Amanda Nguyen, Meena Harris and others.

See all of the highlights from the night below.