The Tamesis
More than 650 guests dressed in traditional black tie attire Saturday night attended the fifth annual Golden Gala; a celebration honoring influential Asian and Pacific Islander leaders in entertainment, fashion, sports and culture. Hosted by the nonprofit Gold House, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Mindy Kaling, Charles Melton and Simu Liu, among others, gathered at the sprawling Music Center courtyard in downtown Los Angeles to celebrate.
That night, Chopra Jonas was honored with the prestigious Global Vanguard Award for her 25-year career of building bridges between Bollywood and Hollywood. The actress made an appearance with her mother Dr. Madhu Chopra as one of her bonus points. “It’s my dream to be celebrated by my own community, which is why I asked my mom to be my date tonight. I want to thank her for giving up so much so that I could pursue my dreams,” Chopra Jonas told Fashion. “Many of our families have done this for all of us; made us who we are today. We all understand that feeling [of support]so sharing this experience of love and acceptance here with my mother is even more special. “
Chopra Jonas wore an embroidered gown by designer Amit Aggarwal, made from an archive Chikankari saree. The API community has grown significantly since she began her career. “When I first started, there were very few people and everyone was a little overwhelmed. We needed to break out of the box we were in. We were a check mark for diversity or we were put into a stereotyped section and we had to work our way out of that,” she said. “But because of the tenacity and talent of so many in the Asian diaspora, we now direct shows as leads and producers. It’s so cool to be in a place where we all work together to champion diversity.”
EJAE, singer and new Oscar winner Korean popular demon hunter, Wearing a flowing Korean dress by Leje, she made her Gold Gala debut. “I’m really looking forward to saying hello to everyone and continuing to support our community. This event is an important time because representation matters,” she said. “You still don’t see a lot of Asian women in the music industry, especially in songwriting rooms and behind the scenes. It can be lonely sometimes. I want to see more people like me. It’s important to show people that we can do this too.”
Wearing a lavender Ken Ohashi suit by Brooks Brothers, Bowen Yang kicked off the al fresco dinner with hilarious quips and poignant messages about Asian culture, setting the tone for the evening and reinforcing its theme: promoting shared abundance in an increasingly divided world. “The challenges I had to overcome actually ended up being universal. I always fell into the trap of thinking it was specific to me, but then when I talked to my friends and other Asians, we realized that different industries have different adaptations to the same challenges,” Yang told Fashion. “We’ve all been relegated to supporting roles, and that’s something I feel like I’m starting to unravel a little bit. Nights like the Golden Gala are so important in reshaping that mentality. I love that this has become an annual event where we have a space to gather, celebrate each other, and talk openly. We’ve now made our own table—both literally and figuratively.”
