- I do this for myself.
I do this to speak out for my community.
I do this to speak out for my family,
and especially future generations.
(upbeat music)
- - [Miki] According to the 2020 census,
in the U.S. the Asian American population
grew to 18.9 million, and are the fastest growing
racial and ethnic group in America.
(upbeat music)
Hi everyone, I'm Miki Ishikawa, from "Now This"
and I'm here today with four incredible women
in honor of American Girl's
newest Girl of the Year, Corinne Tan.
We are talking about celebrating heritage,
and what it means to forge your own path.
- Each one of you have, have incredible stories.
Alysa, you are the youngest U.S Women's National Champion.
You won your first title at 13, that's incredible.
Mina, you founded AAPIYouth Rising, earlier this year,
fighting against Asian hate.
Ellen, you are Creative Director Movement Coach,
Choreographer to some of the biggest stars.
And Joanne, you moved here from Korea,
not knowing any of the language,
and you you've become a business woman.
It sounds like all of you have really learned
to integrate your respective cultural backgrounds
with your American identity.
What was it like for you growing up?
- So I grew up in an all Chinese household.
My parents were always teaching me about the culture,
and implemented our culture in everyday life.
- So I actually come from a mixed-race identity.
I'm half Asian, and half White.
So my childhood is very much a mix of both of them.
- I grew up in South Korea, Incheon, South Korea,
born not far from Korean War.
So we grew up with nothing.
All we have is families.
- Me and my sister, I think, it was the more the generation
of finding our identity in that.
With my daughter, she asked how come my skin is this color,
'cause she is mixed as well.
- Mina, I wanna congratulate you on being nominated
for Times Kid of the Year.
Congratulations.
- Thank you so much.
It feels like all the work we've been doing
finally being paid off.
(soft mellow music)
- I wanna know, what does courage mean to you?
- I get a lot of courage from my ancestors.
I actually come from a long line of political activists.
- I don't care what like the opinions of other people.
I mainly focus on the people who are around me,
who love me and support me.
- Well, I feel like such a sisterhood here.
(all laughing)
- Never be afraid to take it small,
and just do little actions.
Don't feel like it's not enough.
You're never too young to speak out,
educate yourself, or make change.
- I would definitely tell them to do what they love.
A lot of people try to hold them back,
or people would discourage them.
But just keep going with what you love,
and things will change.
(upbeat music)
- Corinne is the first Chinese American Girl of the year.
And it was extremely important
for American Girl to make sure
that they represented her authentically as possible.
They closely worked with author, Wendy Wan-Long Shang
to make sure that her story felt true,
and honored her culture.
Is there any part of Corinne's story
that you personally maybe resonated with?
- I think it's good to have like these American Girl dolls
with these back stories,
because it makes other like younger kids feel seen.
Yeah, feel seen exactly.
- When she stood up to the racist bully,
it really resonated with me.
And me and my friends, and my AAAPI members,
we've been called all those names in the book.
We've been told to go back to where we came from.
- I actually resonate a lot with Corinne's story,
even down to her dog. (chuckling)
I was like, yes.
I had a dog who was everything to me,
and helped me through a lot in my life.
I actually admire her
because there are times where I couldn't speak up.
I didn't know how to.
- Also the little sister's story, is a figure skater.
She's scared to try like new jumps and stuff.
And I really relate to that
because jumping can be really scary sometimes.
Especially when you are learning something new.
- Well, you successfully landed that triple axle.
So that's incredible.
The big games in Beijing are coming up.
What does it mean to be a part of Team USA, Alysa?
- It really means a lot to me.
I have a lot of friends on Team USA,
and I know I have a lot of supporters.
- [Miki] We will be cheering you on from afar,
and can't wait to see you compete.
(upbeat music)
What does it mean to be an American Girl?
- Brave, bold, and fearless.
- Like you can do anything,
speak out about whatever you want,
and that you have a sense of belonging.
- Meeting new people, making new friends,
and just sharing your opinions.
- Try hard, and be yourself.
- Thank you all so much for being here,
and sharing your incredible stories and backgrounds.
And thank you guys so much for watching.
Now get out there and change the world.