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AAPI Heritage Month

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, which offers us a chance to celebrate the immense contributions of AAPI communities and look to our future in a diverse, equal society. Lavin is proud to represent so many of the dynamic and brilliant voices exploring identity, culture, and leadership. They help us reflect on how far we’ve come in terms of diversity and equality, and engage with the work of social justice that still needs to be done.

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AAPI Heritage Month
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Anand Giridharadas

Internationally bestselling author of Winners Take All and The Persuaders | Former New York Times foreign correspondent | MSNBC political analyst

 It feels harder than ever to change others’ minds. But in our democracies, organizations, and families, changing minds is the only way to change things. Award-winning, internationally bestselling journalist and author Anand Giridharadas has long reported on change makers, and he shares with audiences the new art of persuasion for an age of extremes and ruptures.
Stephanie Mehta

CEO of Mansueto Ventures | Former Editor-in-Chief of Fast Company

The world is changing quickly, and if we want to succeed, we need to move even faster. STEPHANIE MEHTA will help us step on the gas. She was the Editor-in-Chief of Fast Company, the most influential business magazine of its generation, naming the most innovative, creative, forward-thinking companies on the planet. 
Hua Hsu

Bestselling author of Stay True | New Yorker staff writer | CBS Sunday Morning contributor

Our collective and individual identities are messy, amorphous, and impossible to define—but New Yorker staff writer and bestselling author Hua Hsu says that’s a good thing. 
Manjit Minhas

Founder of the 10th Largest Brewery in the World | Co-Star of CBC’s Dragons’ Den

Award-winning entrepreneur and Dragon’s Den judge MANJIT MINHAS knows what it takes to defy the odds and thrive in an industry dominated by men. At nineteen, Manjit co-founded Minhas Breweries, Distilleries and Wineries—becoming the youngest brewery owner in the world. 
Laura Huang

Harvard Business School Professor | Author of Edge

How do you get a competitive “edge” at work and in life? Star business professor Laura Huang says that we don’t need to change ourselves to get the upper hand: we can simply make the most of who we already are. 
Eddie Huang

Celebrity Chef | Bestselling Author of Fresh Off the Boat | Writer and Director of Boogie and Tuna Melt

We all have dreams of leaving our mark on the world, but bestselling author Eddie Huang says that’s only half the battle. Whether you’re a student, team leader, or someone in a creative field, Eddie says you need to treat your dreams with all the discipline of running a business. 
Wajahat Ali

TED Speaker | Author of Go Back to Where You Came From | Daily Beast Columnist

How do we build a compassionate and inclusive America in an age of distrust? Wajahat Ali knows from personal experience that when we come together to be the superheroes of our own stories, we can create honest social change.
Negin Farsad

Social Justice Comedian | Director of The Muslims Are Coming! | Author of How to Make White People Laugh

Negin Farsad is at the forefront of social justice comedy—a field that she insists totally exists (or should). A TED Senior Fellow and author of How to Make White People Laugh, Farsad is one of few Iranian-American Muslim female filmmakers to use humor—ridiculous humor—to bridge the racial, religious, social, and immigrant gap. The Wall Street Journal calls her work “smart, funny, and fascinating.”

Jeff Chang

Social Historian, Cultural Critic & Community Organizer | Author of We Gon’ Be Alright and Can’t Stop Won’t Stop

How do we support racial justice? For Jeff Chang, it’s about community: “when we see each other, we can feel each other, and then we can fight for each other.” He’s a dynamic speaker whose quest to confront anti-Asian violence and build racial solidarity is both “urgent and passionate” (The New Yorker).
Candy Chang

Urban Space Artist Behind the "Before I Die" Walls

World-renowned artist and urban designer Candy Chang engages communities to share everything from their greatest hopes to their deepest anxieties in public. The Atlantic calls her artwork Before I Die “one of the most creative community projects ever.” In her captivating and intimate talks, she demystifies the creative process, inspires personal reflection, and provokes new ideas for community and well-being.  
Mira Nair

Director of Queen of Katwe, Salaam Bombay!, The Namesake, and The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Raised in India, schooled at Harvard, and living in New York City, Mira Nair uses her natural grasp of identity conflict to make films that explore race, gender, inter-generational strife, cultural appropriation and displacement. A poignant speaker, she captures beautifully the tug of competing worlds felt by millions of immigrants around the world.