See Us Unite for Change -- Hosted by Ken Jeong, first-of-its-kind global event to celebrate and pay tribute to the Asian American experience
Produced by a coalition of philanthropic and Asian American Pacific Islander Organizations, with the Ford and MacArthur Foundations, Jesse Collins Entertainment and MTV Entertainment Studios
Special to air Friday, May 21st at 8PM EDT across MTV Entertainment's suite of brands including MTV, Comedy Central, Paramount Network and Smithsonian Channel as well as BET and Nickelodeon and stream exclusively on Facebook Watch
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New York - April 29, 2021 - In celebration of
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a coalition of partners including the Ford and MacArthur Foundations have partnered with MTV Entertainment Studios to produce
See Us Unite for Change, a first-of-its-kind special hosted by Ken Jeong and featuring notable AAPI celebrities and allies. The event will air on Friday, May 21st at 8PM EDT and will be simulcast nationally and worldwide across the platforms of the MTV Entertainment portfolio (MTV, Comedy Central, Paramount Network, Smithsonian Channel, Pop TV, VH1, CMT, TV Land and Logo) as well as BET and Nickelodeon and stream exclusively on Facebook Watch.
Through music and comedy performances, short film packages and speakers, the special aims to inspire and educate viewers about the impact that the AAPI community has had in America, as well as how to move forward and further support on-the-ground efforts to build solidarity against hate. The Executive Producers of this historic event are Sheila Lirio Marcelo, Founder of Care.com, and Jesse Collins, Kimmie Kim and Carol Donovan of Jesse Collins Entertainment.
"This event comes at an important time for our AAPI community, as we unite with our allies to celebrate the breadth and diversity of the Asian American experience," said Sheila Lirio Marcelo,
See Us Unite for Change Executive Producer and Founder of
Care.com. "There is more work to be done in raising awareness of the contributions of our AAPI community and we're honored to have the support of our partners as we work to build solidarity in service of a more equal and just society in America."
"We are outraged and deeply saddened by the escalation of hate crimes against AAPI communities and stand with them in the fight against xenophobia and bigotry," said Chris McCarthy, President, MTV Entertainment Group. "Hate against one of us is hate against all of us and by working together on a global scale, we can help end this senseless violence."
"I am honored to be a part of an event that will highlight the rich history of the Asian community," said Jesse Collins, Executive Producer and Founder & CEO, Jesse Collins Entertainment. "Asian Pacific Americans have played an important role in shaping our country and bringing visibility to this broad community is something I am truly honored to do."
"We are in solidarity with the Asian and Pacific Islander community in the face of bigotry, racism and violence," said Mina Leferve, Head of Programming and Development, Facebook Watch. "We see what the community is enduring, and we're honored to help raise awareness and to help spotlight the rich and beautiful history of Asian and Pacific Islanders in America."
See Us Unite for Change is part of a broader advocacy campaign, See Us Unite, that is designed to accelerate impact and expand support for the AAPI community through the amplification of voices and education about the Asian American experience.
About See Us Unite
See Us Unite is a cultural campaign designed to accelerate impact and expand support for the AAPI community through solidarity and education. Our ambition is to amplify voices as we unite to change people's perception about what it means to be an American. We will do this by bringing allies and partners together to use our resources and networks to support the on-the-ground work of community organizers raising awareness, building understanding and broadening educational efforts about the Asian American experience. See Us Unite was created by a coalition of nonprofits including the Ford Foundation and MacArthur Foundation in service of solidarity with the AAPI Community. In partnership with the Asian Pacific Fund, See Us Unite will direct support to Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAAJ), Stop AAPI Hate, National Asian Pacific Women's Forum (NAPAWF), The Asian American Education Project (AAEdu), Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP), and the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), and other AAPI organizations.
About MTV Entertainment Studios
MTV Entertainment Studios leverages the iconic brands of the MTV Entertainment portfolio (MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, Paramount TV, Smithsonian Channel, CMT, Pop TV, TVLand and Logo) to produce content for its thriving linear, streaming, digital, social, live events and audio platforms.
About Jesse Collins Entertainment
Jesse Collins Entertainment (JCE) is a full-service television and film production company and has played an integral role in producing many of television's most memorable moments in music entertainment. JCE has a multi-year overall agreement with ViacomCBS Cable Networks. On the theatrical film side, the company also has a first look on JCE's film development projects which could include Viacom's film entities such as Paramount Players. The award-winning and critically acclaimed television that JCE has produced includes miniseries - The New Edition Story and The Bobby Brown Story; scripted series - American Soul and Real Husbands of Hollywood; children's series - Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices; award shows - BET Awards, Black Girls Rock!, BET Honors, UNCF's An Evening of Stars, BET Hip Hop Awards, ABFF Honors and Soul Train Awards; specials - John Lewis: Celebrating A Hero, Love & Happiness: An Obama Celebration, Change Together: From The March On Washington To Today, Stand Up for Heroes, Dear Mama, Amanda Seales I Be Knowin', Def Comedy Jam 25 and Leslie Jones: Time Machine; as well as competition/game shows - Sunday Best, Hip Hop Squares, Nashville Squares and Rhythm & Flow. Jesse Collins, founder and CEO of the company, is the executive producer of all programming. He is also a co-executive producer for the iconic Grammy Awards. Most recently, he was executive producer of The 2021 Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show and produced The 2021 Academy Awards. Go to jessecollinsent.com for more information on the company.
About Facebook Watch:
Facebook Watch is a place to discover and enjoy video on Facebook. Home to a wide range of video - from Facebook Watch Originals like the award-winning Red Table Talk to gaming, sports, music, news and live content - Facebook Watch is a global destination where content, community and conversation come together. This is a personalized viewing experience, where you can discover new content based on what your friends are watching, and catch up on the shows you follow. Facebook Watch is available for free on mobile apps across Apple and Android, on desktop, laptop, all Portal devices and on TV apps [...].
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Official The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) via
PR Newswire:
The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) and Coalition of Partners Launch See Us Unite Cultural Campaign to Drive Awareness and Understanding of the AAPI Experience
Campaign to Feature Leading Asian American Public Figures Including Daniel Dae Kim, Naomi Osaka, Lisa Ling, Jeremy Lin, Fareed Zakaria and Michelle Kwan Among Many Others
MTV Entertainment brands, as well as BET and Nickelodeon to Air and Facebook Watch to Exclusively Stream "See Us Unite for Change" Special Hosted by Ken Jeong with Performances by Jhene Aiko, Saweetie, Sting and More on Friday, May 21st at 8PM EDT/PDT
NEW YORK, May 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) and a coalition of partners including the Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, The Henry Luce Foundation and the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation, launched the See Us Unite cultural campaign, a multi-platform effort designed to accelerate impact and expand support for the AAPI community. This campaign will launch nationwide on social and outdoor media featuring leading Asian American public figures, such as Daniel Dae Kim, Naomi Osaka, Lisa Ling, Jeremy Lin, Fareed Zakaria, Michelle Kwan and many others.
As part of the campaign, on May 21, 2021, MTV Entertainment will broadcast "See Us Unite for Change - The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) in service of the AAPI Community" at 8:00pm EDT/PDT across its portfolio of brands (MTV, Comedy Central, Paramount Network, Smithsonian Channel, Pop TV, VH1, CMT, TV Land and Logo) as well as BET and Nickelodeon, and stream exclusively on Facebook Watch. Hosted by Ken Jeong, the event will feature performances by artists including Jhene Aiko, Saweetie, Sting and more as well as appearances by Daniel Dae Kim and Lisa Ling, among many others. The event will also explore the history and contributions of Asian Americans and will feature testimonials from leading Asian American public figures, as well as individuals working to enact change on the ground, including Amanda Ngoc Nguyen, Ai-Jen Poo, Prof. Karthick Ramakrishnan and John C. Yang. The show's sponsorship is led by TAAF, along with Bank of America, Etsy, Verizon and ViacomCBS.
"Over the past year, we've witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of discrimination, violence and hate towards the AAPI community," said Sheila Lirio Marcelo, Executive Producer of the See Us Unite campaign, Board member of TAAF, and founder of Care.com. "But anti-Asian hate has had a long history in this country, and to truly shift perceptions on a larger scale, we must come together to take a stand against discrimination, slander and violence in all of its forms, utilizing every platform and tool that we have access to. Ultimately, our culture is our greatest asset in our effort to change hearts and minds."
Powerful grassroots-led efforts have emerged in response to the rise in anti-Asian violence and discrimination. To accelerate impact on the ground, the See Us Unite campaign is partnering with the Asian Pacific Fund to drive funding towards organizations including Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Stop AAPI Hate, National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF), The Asian American Education Project (AAEdu), Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP), the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), and other AAPI organizations. Funds raised from the campaign will be directed towards education and awareness-raising efforts, as well as initiatives that build understanding and solidarity among diverse communities. Wieden+Kennedy provided in-kind support for the launch of the campaign.
"The rise in violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders is the latest in America's long legacy of racial injustice. Racism is pervasive and it thrives on ignorance. To end it, we have to first acknowledge it," said Ford Foundation President Darren Walker. "See Us Unite confronts that history and puts a spotlight on experiences that need to be seen and heard, because visibility matters."
"We stand in solidarity with the Asian American and Pacific Islander community and are committed to the ongoing work to address the challenges of racism, misogyny, and xenophobia in our country," said John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation President John Palfrey. "See Us Unite is a powerful campaign to combat anti-Asian racism and violence and celebrate the breadth of the AAPI culture and experience."
"We are honored to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Asian American and Pacific Islander community to celebrate their incredible contributions and stand up against the rise of bigotry and xenophobia," said Chris McCarthy, President, MTV Entertainment Group.
Please visit
SeeUsUnite.org for more information about the #SeeUsUnite campaign.
About See Us Unite
See Us Unite is a cultural campaign designed to accelerate impact and expand support for the AAPI community through solidarity and education. Our ambition is to amplify voices as we unite to change people's perception about what it means to be an American. We will do this by bringing allies and partners together to use our resources and networks to support the on-the-ground work of community organizers raising awareness, building understanding and broadening educational efforts about the Asian American experience. See Us Unite was created by a coalition of nonprofits led by The Asian American Foundation (TAAF), in collaboration with the Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, The Henry Luce Foundation and the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation in service of solidarity with the AAPI Community. In partnership with the Asian Pacific Fund, See Us Unite will direct support to Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAAJ), Stop AAPI Hate, National Asian Pacific Women's Forum (NAPAWF), The Asian American Education Project (AAEdu), Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP), the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), and other AAPI organizations.
About The Asian American Foundation
The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) is a convener, incubator, and funder committed to accelerating opportunity and prosperity for AAPI communities. TAAF supports advocates and organizations committed to AAPI causes so that together we can more effectively take action against hate and violence, and build the infrastructure needed to improve AAPI advocacy, power, and representation across American society. We were founded to solve for the longstanding lack of investment and resources provided to AAPI communities and we strive to be a catalyzing force for creating a permanent and irrevocable sense of belonging for the 23 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders living in the United States. Upon our founding, TAAF's Board raised $125 million to support AAPI organizations and causes over the next five years — the largest philanthropic commitment in history made by Asian Americans fully focused on supporting AAPI communities. For additional information about TAAF, please visit
www.taaf.org.
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Update (5/20) - Official The Asian American Foundation press release, via
PR Newswire:
Black Eyed Peas, Steven Yeun, Olivia Munn, Henry Golding, Sesame Street's Elmo, Chloe Flower, Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park, SEVENTEEN and More Join Jhene Aiko, Saweetie and Sting, featuring Far East Movement, for "See Us Unite for Change" Global Special Hosted by Ken Jeong
First-of-its-Kind Special to Help Drive Awareness and Understanding of the AAPI Experience as Part of the "See Us Unite" Cultural Campaign
MTV Entertainment brands, as well as BET and Nickelodeon, and Facebook Watch to Exclusively Stream the Special on Friday, May 21, at 8PM EDT/PDT; Will Air on MTV Globally Beginning May 21
NEW YORK, May 17, 2021 -- The Black Eyed Peas, Steven Yeun, Olivia Munn, Henry Golding, Chloe Flower, Sesame Street's Elmo and Alan, SEVENTEEN and Mike Shinoda, featuring iann dior and UPSAHL, are set to appear on the "See Us Unite for Change" global special. They will join host Ken Jeong and previously announced guests including Jhene Aiko, Saweetie, Sting featuring Far East Movement, Daniel Dae Kim, and Lisa Ling on Friday, May 21, 2021, at 8:00pm EDT/PDT. Additional presenters include Chloe Bennet, Cheryl Burke, Tim Chantarangsu, James Hong, Alan Kim, Michelle Kwan and Jeremy Lin.
The "See Us Unite for Change" special is part of the See Us Unite cultural campaign, a multi-platform effort led by The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) and its coalition of partners including the Ford Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Henry Luce Foundation and the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation to accelerate impact and expand support for the AAPI community. The See Us Unite campaign brings together business leaders and grassroots activists, students, entertainers and nonprofit executives to drive awareness of diverse Asian-American cultures and accelerate impact to those communities. In addition to the broadcast special, the campaign includes social and outdoor media (link here) across the country.
"Despite these difficult times for our community, the formation of TAAF and their bold work on the See Us Unite campaign represent the best of what can emerge when we share a collective resolve for change," said Daniel Dae Kim, Co-Chair of the TAAF Advisory Council. "They're both great signs for our future."
MTV Entertainment will broadcast "See Us Unite for Change - The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) in service of the AAPI Community" across its portfolio of brands (MTV, Comedy Central, Paramount Network, Smithsonian Channel, Pop TV, VH1, CMT, TV Land and Logo), BET and Nickelodeon, and on MTV globally beginning May 21.The special event will stream exclusively on Facebook Watch. In addition to performances and appearances from special guests, the event will explore the history and contributions of Asian Americans, featuring testimonials from leading Asian American public figures as well as individuals working to enact change on the ground, including Amanda Ngoc Nguyen, Ai-Jen Poo, Prof. Karthick Ramakrishnan. and John C. Yang.
Executive Producers of this historic broadcast event are Sheila Lirio Marcelo, Founder of Care.com and TAAF Board Member, and Jesse Collins, Kimmie Kim and Carol Donovan of Jesse Collins Entertainment. The show's sponsorship is led by TAAF, along with Bank of America, Etsy, Frito-Lay, P&G, Verizon, and ViacomCBS.
Please visit SeeUsUnite.org for more information about the #SeeUsUnite campaign.
About See Us Unite
See Us Unite is a cultural campaign designed to accelerate impact and expand support for the AAPI community through solidarity and education. Our ambition is to amplify voices as we unite to change people's perception about what it means to be an American. We will do this by bringing allies and partners together to use our resources and networks to support the on-the-ground work of community organizers raising awareness, building understanding and broadening educational efforts about the Asian American experience. See Us Unite was created by a coalition of nonprofits led by The Asian American Foundation (TAAF), in collaboration with the Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, The Henry Luce Foundation and the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation in service of solidarity with the AAPI Community. In partnership with the Asian Pacific Fund, See Us Unite will direct support to Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAAJ), Stop AAPI Hate, National Asian Pacific Women's Forum (NAPAWF), The Asian American Education Project (AAEdu), Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP), the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), and other AAPI organizations.
About The Asian American Foundation
The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) is a convener, incubator, and funder committed to accelerating opportunity and prosperity for AAPI communities. TAAF supports advocates and organizations committed to AAPI causes so that together we can more effectively take action against hate and violence, and build the infrastructure needed to improve AAPI advocacy, power, and representation across American society. We were founded to solve for the longstanding lack of investment and resources provided to AAPI communities and we strive to be a catalyzing force for creating a permanent and irrevocable sense of belonging for the 23 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders living in the United States. Upon our founding, TAAF's Board raised $125 million to support AAPI organizations and causes over the next five years — the largest philanthropic commitment in history made by Asian Americans fully focused on supporting AAPI communities. For additional information about TAAF, please visit
www.taaf.org.
About MTV Entertainment Studios
MTV Entertainment Studios leverages the iconic brands of the MTV Entertainment portfolio (MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, Paramount TV, Smithsonian Channel, CMT, Pop TV, TVLand and Logo) to produce content for its thriving linear, streaming, digital, social, live events and audio platforms.
About Jesse Collins Entertainment
Jesse Collins Entertainment (JCE) is a full-service television and film production company and has played an integral role in producing many of television's most memorable moments in music entertainment. JCE has a multi-year overall agreement with ViacomCBS Cable Networks. On the theatrical film side, the company also has a first look on JCE's film development projects which could include Viacom's film entities such as Paramount Players. The award-winning and critically acclaimed television that JCE has produced includes miniseries—The New Edition Story and The Bobby Brown Story; scripted series—American Soul and Real Husbands of Hollywood; children's series—Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices; award shows—BET Awards, Black Girls Rock!, BET Honors, UNCF's An Evening of Stars, BET Hip Hop Awards, ABFF Honors and Soul Train Awards; specials—John Lewis: Celebrating A Hero, Love & Happiness: An Obama Celebration, Change Together: From The March On Washington To Today, Stand Up for Heroes, Dear Mama, Amanda Seales I Be Knowin', Def Comedy Jam 25 and Leslie Jones: Time Machine; as well as competition/game shows—Sunday Best, Hip Hop Squares, Nashville Squares and Rhythm & Flow. Jesse Collins, founder and CEO of the company, is the executive producer of all programming. He is also a co-executive producer for the iconic Grammy Awards. Most recently, he was executive producer of The 2021 Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show and produced The 2021 Academy Awards. Go to
jessecollinsent.com for more information on the company.
About Facebook Watch
Facebook Watch is a place to discover and enjoy video on Facebook. Home to a wide range of video – from Facebook Watch Originals like the award-winning Red Table Talk to gaming, sports, music, news and live content – Facebook Watch is a global destination where content, community and conversation come together. This is a personalized viewing experience, where you can discover new content based on what your friends are watching, and catch up on the shows you follow. Facebook Watch is available for free on mobile apps across Apple and Android, on desktop, laptop, all Portal devices and on TV apps listed
HERE.
SOURCE The Asian American Foundation
Related Links
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Originally published: Thursday, April 29, 2021 at 20:52 BST.
