The Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) recently hosted a compelling panel discussion centered around its new exhibition, “Magazine Fever: X Generation Asian American Publications.” This event featured several founders of Asian American magazines from the 1980s and 1990s, who gathered to share their experiences in launching these publications and to discuss how they helped bring Asian perspectives into mainstream conversations about pop culture, social issues, and lifestyle.

While Asian communities have been integral to American history for centuries, the U.S. Census only began to officially categorize individuals as “Asian” in more recent decades. The year 1960 marked a significant change, as it was the first time that respondents could identify their racial group, with about 980,000 individuals selecting “Asian.”

In 1977, a directive from the Office of Management and Budget mandated that government agencies collect demographic data on “Asian or Pacific Islander” populations. This designation allowed for increased recognition of Asians as a distinct racial group and fostered a sense of unity within the Asian community, highlighting the need for Asians to articulate their voices. During the 1980s and 1990s, magazine publishing became a vital medium for mass communication, inspiring many Asian Americans to create publications that represented their unique perspectives to a broader audience.

Among those publications is “Hyphen,” which has focused on social issues since its founding. Editor and co-founder Melissa Hung shared that “Hyphen” operates as a volunteer-driven initiative, allowing it to function with a limited budget while maintaining its relevance over the years. “Hyphen has served as a launching pad for many Asian media creators, often tackling stories that are more attuned to Asian American concerns than what’s typically found in mainstream media,” she remarked. “I’ve observed that our narratives often get picked up by major outlets like The New York Times after we publish them.” However, she noted the ongoing challenge of limited representation for Asian media professionals within those mainstream platforms.

Lakán Angelo Ragaza, the former editor-in-chief of the Asian American fashion magazine A.Magazine, highlighted that the 1990s was a transformative era when Asian designers began to emerge in the mainstream fashion world, coinciding with the magazine’s inception. He stressed the important role that contemporary Asian designers hold in today’s fashion landscape.

MOCA’s director, Liu Ruqian, praised the commitment of Asian media professionals, many of whom run their magazines as non-profit endeavors. Their proactive engagement has profoundly influenced the identity formation of Asian Americans today.

In alignment with the exhibition, MOCA is also showcasing the founding stories of various Asian magazines alongside their original publications. The exhibition is open now and runs until March 2025 at 215 Centre St, Manhattan. Guided tours are available on Mondays and Tuesdays, with visiting hours from Wednesday to Sunday between 11 AM to 6 PM, and 11 AM to 4 PM on Sundays.