Sandra Oh Narrates Celebration of Asian American Identity

Two cultures are stronger than one

“Too Asian. Not Asian enough. Too American. Not American enough.”

Sandra Oh thoughtfully mulls the Asian American experience in the PSA below, which focuses on the ups and downs of navigating between two cultures.

She poignantly concludes that each side empowers the other: “Why bend and break to fit in a box that was never big enough to hold us?”

Sean Wang directed through Park Pictures. Titled “Beyond, Together,” the film anchors a broader multimedia “Asian+American” campaign from The Asian American Foundation. Wieden+Kennedy N.Y. led creative development.

“The ‘plus’ is about turning a negative into a positive,” says W+K ACD Kevin Kaminishi. “It’s about disrupting judgement, perception, and ill-conceived notions of identity. “It strikes down barriers and broadens our understanding of who Asian Americans are and who we can be.”

“We are a massive community,” he says, “and it’s time that we celebrate in a way that carries the strengths of our heritage while embracing the freedom to redefine it.”

Here in 2025, such campaigns make a sad commentary on our increasingly intolerant society. Such encroaching prejudice demands constant vigilance—and stressing duality might be the key.

Empowering and inspiring diverse folks to see the best in themselves is half of the equation. Here, the American side of the equation gets equal billing. Hopefully, such efforts will ultimately drive visibility and foster greater understanding across the public at large.

Everyone’s different. And the same. That’s the beauty part.

“My own Asian American identity and sense of belonging are things I’ve attempted to define for myself through my work,” says Wang. “I’ve connected with so many others who share the unique challenges of navigating multiple cultural identities.”