Advancing equality for immigrants and refugees—with a special focus on the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community—is a lifelong goal for Ange Hwang. As executive director of Asian Media Access, she strives to create an anti-racist community through social change. Asian Media Access specifically works to dismantle institutional racism by empowering AAPI communities to utilize media and information technology for communicating ideas and preventing potential community problems. Using various forms of media as a conduit, Hwang works to engage AAPI individuals in active public dialogues with the mainstream community. 

“I founded Asian Media Access in order to advance a movement to end violence and racism through information exchange and critical dialogue,” says Hwang. “We certainly want to spread positive messages directly through our media work, but there’s also a strong focus on developing a comprehensive framework and better organizing efforts to end racism.” 

To that end, Hwang writes, produces and directs East Meets West, a monthly television series that examines cross-cultural issues. The program teaches production techniques and builds leadership skills for AAPI youth—helping them use media as a tool for challenging racism and fighting the traditional isolation of AAPI communities.   

“One of the most powerful rewards of anti-racism work is seeing our youth stand up for themselves and being proud of their bi-cultural or multi-cultural heritage. Ultimately, the greatest reward would be seeing Asian Media Access cease to exist because our work with immigrant rights and racial justice is no longer needed,” adds Hwang.