The Miss Asian Global & Miss Asian America Pageant started as the Miss Asian of California Pageant in the San Francisco Bay Area. Founded in 1985 by Rose Chung at the Asian Arts Festival in Santa Clara, California, the Miss Asian Global Pageant is now the longest running Asian pageant in the United States.

Recognizing the increasing representation of delegates from across the United States, the Miss Asian America title was added in 1991. Two decades later, the Miss Asian Global title was introduced in 2012 to reflect the participation of international delegates.

Since its inception, the pageant has provided a platform for nearly a thousand Asian women.  Over the years, titleholders have gone on to lead careers in a variety of underrepresented fields, including former Washington state first lady Mona Lee Locke, actress Gwendoline Yeo, actress Fala Chen, news anchor Julie Luck, actress Amrapali Ambegaokar, actress Jennifer Field, entrepreneur Trisha Bantigue, journalist Emily Tang, author Samantha Mui, and executive coach Amy Chanthaphavong.

More than celebrating Asian culture, beauty, and intelligence, the Miss Asian Global Pageant provides a platform for delegates to champion critical issues affecting their communities.  From de-stigmatizing mental health, to combating anti-Asian racism, to encouraging young women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), pageant delegates are speaking up about issues facing modern Asian women. The pageant provides a unique platform for delegates to advocate for social change, while strengthening their professional skills and expanding their network.

A portion of the proceeds from the pageant event benefits nonprofit organizations supporting the Asian and Pacific Islander community including:

• APA Family Support Services, a nationally recognized child abuse/domestic violence prevention program
• Jade Ribbon Campaign, an awareness campaign about hepatitis B and liver cancer in Asian and Pacific Islander communities.
• SF HepB Free, provides free and low-cost hepatitis B testing and vaccinations for at-risk Asian and Pacific Islander (API) adults.

The Miss Asian Global Pageant is presented by the Asian America Foundation (AAF), a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization driven by three main objectives:

• Empower Asian women to be philanthropic and civic-minded leaders
• Build connections in education, business, science, technology and the arts within Asian communities
• Promote the visibility and development of Asian ethnic identity and culture

To further these objectives, AAF hosts two signature events: the annual Miss Asian Global Pageant (MAG) and Imagine Talks. In addition, AAF mentors Asian women and supports community events throughout the year. AAF has no paid staff and is energized entirely by over 200 volunteers and support of the community.

Imagine Talks was created in 2014 as an added platform to achieve the mission of the Asian America Foundation. Imagine Talks has grown to be one of the most respected Asian American leadership conferences. This annual event showcases prominent Asian Americans who work hard to further our representation in politics, entrepreneurship, mainstream media, and the celebration of our cultures. With its mission to advance women’s empowerment, social impact, and entrepreneurship and the goal to inspire people to break through personal boundaries and transcend cultural borders, Imagine Talks honors innovators, philanthropists, educators, entertainers, and thought leaders in the Asian American community.

The Asian America Foundation with its Miss Asian Global Pageant and Imagine Talks Conference strives to further develop programs to address the interests and needs of this new generation of Asian women leaders. Tech industry magazine featured Asian America Foundation’s work in Wired Magazine: Bikinis and TED Talks: Can This All-Asian Competition Truly Disrupt Beauty Pageants?