ROCKING THE BOAT: THE STORY OF

LILY LEE CHEN

Award winning journalist, Lisa Ling, is the host and executive producer of This is Life with Lisa Ling on CNN. Previously, she reported and hosted for Channel One News, The View, National Geographic Explorer, and The Oprah Winfrey Show.  Her current HBO docuseries Take Out with Lisa Ling follows her journey meeting Asian restauranteurs across the U.S. and spotlights their contributions to U.S. history.

Lily Lee Chen is the former mayor of Monterey Park, California, the first-ever Chinese American woman to be elected mayor in United States history. She also served 27 years in the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services and received several Presidential appointments. The Los Angeles Times identified Chen as one of the “8 Los Angeles Women You Should Know.”

Julia Chang Bloch is the first Chinese American US Ambassador. She was appointed ambassador to Nepal by President George H. W. Bush from 1989 to 1993.  She co-founded the Organization of Chinese American Women (OCAW).  She founded the US-China Education Trust and currently serves as the president.

Judy Chu became the first Chinese American woman elected to U.S. Congress in 2009. She serves the 27th district including Pasadena and West San Gabriel Valley. She serves on the House Ways and Means Committee.  She was elected Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus in 2011. She recently introduced a bill protecting women, the Women's Health Protection Act. 

Dr. Russell Jeung, professor of Asian American studies at San Francisco State University, was named one of TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world for 2021. He co-founded Stop AAPI Hate Asian, a national coalition against anti-Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) racism and hate in the U.S. The coalition has been recognized by national media outlets such as the New York Times, PBS News Hour, Oprah Daily, and more.

Los Angeles based documentary filmmaker, Nox Yang, uses storytelling to connect audiences with communities, raise awareness and promote cross culture understanding in her films. With a focus on gender, race, and cross-cultural identity, her past subjects have included Chinese international students, formerly incarcerated women of color, sex trafficking survivors, and many more.