Chinese American Museum Announces 2026 Historymakers Award Honorees

30th annual gala to honor “Vanguards, Voices and Visionaries” on Sept. 26

LAPost/Los Angeles (Sept. 10, 2026) — By Richard Ren/LAPost

The Chinese American Museum announced its 2026 Historymakers Award honorees Thursday during a press conference ahead of the museum’s 30th annual Historymakers Gala, which will be held Sept. 26 at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Suites in downtown Los Angeles.

This year’s gala carries the theme “Vanguards, Voices and Visionaries,” continuing the museum’s tradition of recognizing individuals whose work has helped shape Chinese American communities and the broader Southern California region. More than 600 guests are expected to attend the event.

Among those attending the press conference were California Assemblymember Mike Fong, San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District Director Mike Ng, Chinese American Museum Board Chair Dr. Gay Yuen, Museum Director Michael Truong, honorary gala co-chair Dr. Leo Chu, co-chairs Anna Wong and Dr. Fred Uy, and several of this year’s honorees.

Dr. Gay Yuen said the Historymakers program is intended to bring attention to people whose contributions to the community may not always receive public recognition.

The museum also presents a President’s Award each year, selected by the sitting president to recognize a current board member who has gone above and beyond in supporting the museum and the broader community.

This year’s President’s Award will go to Pam Chen, vice president and youth director of the museum and a vice president at ABC7. Chen, a 2023 Historymakers honoree, is widely recognized as one of the first Asian Americans to lead a major Los Angeles television network’s news operation.

Yuen said Chen has also helped bring greater mainstream media attention to the museum’s programs and events, including through ABC7’s coverage of community activities.

Preserving Chinese American history as American history

 

Museum Director Michael Truong said the museum’s mission extends beyond preserving Chinese American history.

“The history of Chinese Americans is also the history of Los Angeles and the history of America,” he said, emphasizing the museum’s commitment to preserving stories of immigration, identity, culture and community.

Truong also highlighted the museum’s recent expansion, its first major expansion since 2003. The additional space, he said, will provide new opportunities to exhibit and share stories from different generations and communities.

The museum’s exhibitions have explored Chinese American immigration and cultural history as well as contemporary artistic and cultural expression. Truong said the 30th anniversary is therefore not simply a milestone for the institution, but also a celebration of the community, sponsors, board members and supporters who have helped sustain it.

Assemblymember Mike Fong praised the museum for documenting Chinese American contributions to Southern California.

“Chinese American history is American history,” Fong said, noting that preserving Asian American stories remains particularly important during challenging times.

Fong also congratulated this year’s honorees and thanked the museum’s board and staff for continuing its work of preserving and sharing community history.

Mike Ng said one of the strengths of the Historymakers program is its ability to elevate stories that might otherwise remain in the background.

He recalled how immigrant families, including his own, often built their lives through years of hard work, and said the museum plays an important role by bringing those experiences and contributions into public view.

Six honorees recognized across medicine, education, media and culture

This year’s honorees represent a broad range of fields, including medicine, education, journalism, business, culture and community service.

Dr. Sheng Chang and Min Mey Chang will receive the Dr. Guo-Fang Liu Lifetime Achievement Award.

Dr. Sheng Chang is a longtime physician in the San Gabriel Valley who established a medical practice in Monterey Park. He also became involved in local politics and made history in 1994 when he was elected the first Asian American city councilmember in Arcadia.

His wife, Min Mey Chang, has played a significant role in education and cultural preservation in the San Gabriel Valley. She founded the Arcadia Chinese School to provide Chinese-language and cultural education for younger generations.

Accepting the honor, Dr. Chang said the award belonged equally to his wife, whom he credited with making major contributions to their family and community. He said the couple had worked together for decades in medicine, education and community service and hoped to continue that work.

Stephen Lee will receive the Community Legacy and Impact Award.

Lee previously served as vice president of the board of directors of Los Angeles Chung Wah Confucian School, which operates under the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association. Founded in 1952, the nonprofit school promotes Chinese language and culture.

Lee has also supported numerous community organizations and nonprofits dedicated to cultural preservation and community history, including the Chinese American Museum.

Speaking at the press conference, Lee said that although he has lived in the United States for about 60 years, Chinese remains the language in which he feels most comfortable expressing himself. He said he was proud and grateful to have the opportunity to support the museum.

Ted Chen will receive the Voice of the Community Award.

A veteran television journalist, Chen has spent decades covering major issues affecting Southern California. He began his reporting career in Fresno and Reno before joining KGTV in San Diego and later NBC4 in Los Angeles in 1995.

His work has received numerous honors, including recognition from the San Diego Press Club and GLAAD, as well as a Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism award for reporting on Asian American political influence, Chinese-language schools and Chinese American World War II veterans.

Chen retired from NBC4 earlier this year and has since begun a new chapter as a Christian pastor.

Ng highlighted Chen’s work during the press conference, recalling how his reporting has brought attention to stories involving people who might otherwise have gone unheard.

Jing Gao, founder of the food brand Fly by Jing, will receive the Cultural Impact Award.

Born in Chengdu, China, and raised in Europe before studying in Canada, Gao returned to Sichuan in her 20s and spent years exploring Chinese food culture. After moving to the United States, she transformed Fly by Jing into a direct-to-consumer brand.

Her Sichuan-inspired products, particularly chili crisp, have helped introduce regional Chinese flavors to a broader American audience while contributing to a growing market for Asian-inspired condiments.

Phoebe Chen Huang will receive the Judge Delbert Wong Visionary Award.

A businesswoman, entrepreneur and community leader, Huang served as president of the Regional Council of Chinese Associations of Southern California from 2019 to 2023. She currently serves as chair of the California Entrepreneurs Association and president of the Chongqing-Sichuan General Chamber of Commerce in the United States.

Her career has included businesses in fuel retail, convenience stores, real estate development and marketing. She was also appointed a global ambassador for Berklee College of Music in 2016 and received the China Institute’s Outstanding Asian American Women Leadership Award in 2023.

Leo Chu: The museum can help tell a larger American story

Honorary gala co-chair Dr. Leo Chu said his involvement with the museum became deeper only in recent years, but that learning more about Chinese American history strengthened his commitment to the institution.

Chu spoke about the experiences of early Chinese immigrants, including their contributions to railroad construction, mining and other parts of the American economy. He also noted that Chinese migration extended beyond the United States into Mexico and other parts of North America.

He said the museum has an opportunity to tell these stories as part of the larger history of America — not simply as the history of one ethnic community.

For Chu, preserving these stories also means documenting the cultural exchange and blending that occurred as Chinese immigrants built new lives in different parts of North America.

Anna Wong urges community to support the museum

Anna Wong, niece of legendary Chinese American Hollywood actress Anna May Wong, also encouraged the community to attend the Sept. 26 gala.

Wong, the daughter of Anna May Wong’s brother Richard Wong, said the 30th anniversary celebration is an important milestone and one of the museum’s major annual fundraising events.

The evening will also feature a mahjong gathering after the gala, with both Hong Kong-style and Taiwanese-style games planned for guests who wish to continue socializing after dinner.

Organizers said the 30th Historymakers Gala will serve both as a celebration of this year’s honorees and as a tribute to the generations of community members, supporters, sponsors and volunteers who have helped the Chinese American Museum preserve and share Chinese American history for three decades.

Through this year’s theme — “Vanguards, Voices and Visionaries” — the museum hopes to continue bringing Chinese American stories, achievements and perspectives to a broader American audience.