LETTER FROM THE FOUNDER:

Mixed Asian Media started out as Hapa Mag, an idea born in 2017 out of the lack of representation I was seeing across TV, film, and theatre. I wanted to see and hear about people who had similar cultural/ethnic backgrounds as myself. In 2021, we decided the title “Mixed Asian” would allow us to reach a broader audience. We acknowledge that language evolves and labels and terms are not always perfect. We’re proud of all the expressions shared through Hapa Mag, and with this change, we aim to honor our mission that has always been focused on inclusion, building community, and respect.

In 2020 we were recognized by the Nielsen Consumer Report on Asian Americans, this propelled us to keep pushing forward and proved to us that our message was needed and necessary. MAM is a space for mixed Asian Pacific Islanders to find their community and see themselves in mainstream media. We still have a long way to go, but with this platform our stories and perspectives are being told, and we are paving the path for future generations of mixed APIs.

A woman with long dark hair, a woman with long purple hair, a man with short dark hair making a finger heart, and a woman with shoulder length black hair all smiling in white tops.
Six mixed Asian women and one mixed Asian man smile and pose together.

Through all of our online pieces, to the annual Mixed Asian Media Festival, I hope you’ll find the community I, and so many of us, did not have growing up. I hope this space will help you feel seen. Thank you to the amazing team behind Mixed Asian Media. You’re my family and my community.

Cheers!

Alex Chester-Iwata