The Common Ground Conference and Bad Ass Asian Awards Dinner bring together diverse voices on divisive issues for thoughtful, stimulating but respectful conversations on the issues of the day. Our goal is to bridge the political divide to unite the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities for a common purpose:

WHEN: Saturday, October 3, 2026

CONFERENCE: 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

WHERE: Chinatown/North Beach Community College Annex Building 628 Washington Street, San Francisco, CA 94111

AWARDS RECEPTION & DINNER: 5 p.m.

WHERE: Far East Restaurant 631 Grant Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94108 (A short walk from the Community College Annex)

Sponsorships and donations via your Donor Advised Funds can be made here.

Those who prefer to mail a check can make the checkout to Asian American Media Inc and mail to :

440 North Barranca Avenue #8117

Covina, CA 91723

HONOREES:

HELEN ZIA, a Chinese American journalist and activist known for her leadership in Asian American and LGBTQ civil rights, especially her pivotal role in mobilizing the community after the 1982 murder of Vincent Chin. She is also an accomplished author and founder of the Vincent Chin Institute

EMIL DE GUZMAN, a Filipino American activist, educator, and author best known for his leadership in the International Hotel (I-Hotel) eviction resistance movement in San Francisco. He is also a co-founder of the Manilatown Heritage Foundation.

BARNALI GHOSH AND ANIRVAN CHATTERJEE co-founded he Radical South Asian Walking Tour in Berkeley in 2012. Ghosh also serves on the BART Board and Chatterjee rounds out this husband and wife team as a community historian and storyteller. They also recently launched a similar tour based out of San Francisco.

ANDREW CHAU, founder of the Boba Guys and Tea People USA. He has been featured as a top emerging business leader on CNN, NY Times, Wall Street Journal, Vogue, and NPR.

PANEL TOPICS (subject to change)

Inside the Rise of MAGA Support Among Asian Americans
Birthright Citizenship: The 14th Amendment on Trial (Just added)
The Inflation Toolkit: Smart Financial Moves for Today’s Economy (Just added)
How U.S.–China Relations Shape Asian American Lives
AI- job growth, job losses
Organizing for Change: Skills to Move Communities Forward (break out session)
Tango, the game (an interactive issues-based game developed at Harvard)

Thank you to our EARLY SPONSORS:

Champion Sponsor:

DEBORAH AND DAVID LIU

Guardian Sponsor:

JACK LEE

Non-profit sponsor

JANE CHIN - Friends of Roots

Friends Sponsor:

CHRISTOPHER CHOW

PATRICIA FONG

ARLENE KIMATA

GLADYS KWONG

ANNIE LAM

DAVID LOUIE

GERMAINE WONG

JUSTIN ZHU

ANONYMOUS

Common Ground Conference/Awards Dinner

October 3, 2026 in San Francisco