The Yappie is your must-read briefing on Asian American + Pacific Islander power, politics, and influence. Every week, we give you a comprehensive rundown of policy news and activism affecting AAPI communities, with updates from Capitol Hill and beyond. Subscribe now.
Our Mission
Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities are among the fastest growing populations in the United States and play a critical role in our nation’s future. Yet they continue to feel ignored by both ends of the political spectrum and excluded from important policy conversations.
We believe that AAPI communities are empowered when they are informed, and that as the political landscape continues to evolve, no elected official should take our votes for granted. Furthermore, issues impacting AAPIs are more important than ever—and we simply need better ways to share information, tools, and resources. That’s why The Yappie aims to:
- Provide a digestible summary of the policy news affecting AAPI communities
- Track the work of AAPI advocacy organizations and AAPI elected officials, as well as other efforts to civically engage AAPI communities
- Uplift original writing and reporting by AAPI journalists and publications
- Create and distribute resources for AAPI students and interns pursuing careers in policy/public service, journalism, and communications
- Demonstrate that AAPIs deserve a strong voice in the national conversation, and that issues like immigration, housing, labor, data privacy, and poverty are AAPI issues
- Bolster civic engagement among certain AAPI populations that are traditionally uninterested in policy and public service. Subscribe now.
Your Questions, Answered
“Yappie” stands for “young Asian professional.”
- Used as early as 1987 (from what we could find) and popularized in the 2018 Wong Fu miniseries “Yappie,” the term is generally used to describe a rising generation of youth who pursue "safe" jobs and financial stability.
- Some perceive yappies as oblivious to the issues facing greater AAPI populations, and the broader and older categorization of “yuppie” is associated with a host of socioeconomic stereotypes.
- However, the term "Yappie" also encapsulates the debates within the Asian American community around racial identity, socioeconomic expectations of immigrant families, the “model minority” myth, and political apathy — all topics that we are eager to explore.
We are committed to operating with integrity. Our purpose is to inform and serve the community, and we deeply value the trust of our readers.
Ethics: The Yappie maintains a strict firewall between our editorial and operations teams, as well as between donors and The Yappie's newsroom. Additional internal rules, as adopted on April 20, 2022, are in place to ensure that our storytelling, planning, and execution are never beholden to any person or entity, and that all team members promptly disclose possible conflicts.
Accuracy: Our coverage and analysis should be well-sourced and presented in clear, precise language. Reputable sources include, but are not limited to, interviews, legal documents, academic journals, and trusted news organizations.
Transparency: We serve in the community interest, and we will be honest about what we offer. We strive to be accountable to our readers, and we will openly acknowledge mistakes and work to correct them.
- Inaccurate information contained within stories must be corrected and/or clarified, and a note must be placed on the top of a story explaining the error.
- At times, a note may be placed on the top of a story to reflect new information or to clarify information. Changes for clarity, spelling or style do not require a correction note.
Attribution: We give credit where credit is due. All quotes and information are to be attributed properly and clearly.
- Quotes or information provided directly to, or obtained by, a Yappie team member must be noted as such by using the words “tells The Yappie.”
- Quotes or information taken from other outlets for context must be attributed to that outlet with the words “[outlet] reports” or “tells [outlet],” along with a link to the article. In newsletters, we will include the name of the outlet’s writer or reporter in the description.
Plagiarism: Plagiarizing–passing off another person’s work as your own–will not be tolerated under any circumstances and will result in immediate termination upon review.
Respect: We will be respectful and open-minded in communicating with sources, stakeholders, interested parties, and our readers.
The Yappie is an independent, nonprofit newsroom supported by individual donors, grant funding, and philanthropy. In furtherance of its tax-exempt purposes as a charitable organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and applicable laws, The Yappie publishes original reporting to educate the public about policy developments affecting Asian American and Pacific Islander (“AAPI”) communities through non-partisan reporting, analysis, and research.
- Donors and sponsors play no role in our journalism, and there is a strict firewall between funders and The Yappie’s newsroom. Our storytelling, planning, and execution may be impacted by specific grant requirements, but we are not beholden to any person or entity.
- Founded in 2018 and formally incorporated in 2022, The Yappie was fiscally sponsored by the Asian American Journalists Association until early 2023.
Most of our funding comes from individual donors and grants:
- Solutions Journalism Network: The Yappie joins SJN’s Advancing Democracy Project with Self Evident, AZI Media (October 20, 2021)
- American Public Media Group’s Glen Nelson Center: The Yappie to strengthen AAPI political coverage with Next Challenge grant (February 28, 2022)
- Google News Initiative and LION Publishers: The Yappie selected for 2022 Google News Initiative and LION Startups Lab program (September 15, 2022)
- Gold House, Asian American Futures, and GoFundMe.org: The Yappie is awarded $75,000 in national philanthropic grant competition (November 29, 2022)
- In July 2022, The Yappie also received a microgrant from the Project Voice Fund as part of their 2022 Civic Impact Initiative supported by the Asian American Women's Political Initiative (AAWPI).
Note: The Yappie is an IRS designated 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Your contribution is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. All donors are encouraged to consult their tax advisor for information.
- For tax questions and details on making a donation, please reach out to [email protected]. We encourage you to contact us prior to making a contribution of any amount.
We generally use the terms “Asian American and Pacific Islander” and “AAPI” unless specifically noted, and more nuanced language is applied to ensure proper representation.
- We may also use “AANHPI” (Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander) in certain contexts, especially when it relates to federal data, programs, and research.
Our Team
Our team is made up of passionate young professionals who have worked in government, political media, and at some of the nation’s leading AAPI advocacy organizations. All bring unique experiences and connections that allow us to provide unparalleled coverage on what’s at stake for our communities.
LEADERSHIP
- Andrew Huang is The Yappie's co-founder and chief executive officer. Originally from Livingston, New Jersey, he received his B.A. in molecular biology from Harvard College in 2022, and is currently pursuing an MPhil in international development at the University of Cambridge. Outside of The Yappie, he researches U.S.-China relations, particularly international trade and industrial policy, and has worked at the Council on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and Harvard Law School. In his spare time, Andrew enjoys spending time at the beach, watching Bob’s Burgers, and playing hours of Super Smash Bros. You can reach Andrew at [email protected].
- Andrew Peng is co-founder and president of The Yappie, and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association. A San Diego, California native who was raised on the East Coast, he graduated from Rutgers University-New Brunswick in May 2021 with a B.A. in strategic public communication and political science. He has worked at the intersection of government, nonprofits, media, and politics — most recently serving as Communications Director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI). In his free time, he enjoys photography and eating soup dumplings. You can reach Andrew at [email protected].
- Shawna Chen is The Yappie's editor-in-chief and a reporter for Axios. Her work has appeared in POLITICO, Palo Alto Weekly, and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Her investigative reports have uncovered racial disparities in tenure rejection, the complicated roots of youth mental health crises, and the unseen impact of Trump’s war with Chinese tech on small businesses. She is a proud member of the Asian American Journalists Association and an alum of Amherst College. In her free time, she enjoys consuming unhealthy amounts of boba, playing sudoku, and watching BoJack Horseman on repeat. You can reach Shawna at [email protected].
EDITORIAL
- Hojung Lee (born in Seoul, South Korea) is a newsletter writer at The Yappie. She graduated with a B.A in studio arts and public policy and leadership at the University of Virginia. Believing that art naturally creates a space to reflect on society, with vast potential to bring attention to systemic injustice and inspire a call to action, she uses vulnerability as her greatest tool to bring about change. Everything she creates is filtered through the lens of her Asian American identity. Themes of race and culture hold strong undercurrents throughout all her work, including publications in Sojourners, The Christian Century, and National Catholic Reporter. Her passion for AAPI activism is most evident in her debut essay collection: Tigerrabbit (New Degree Press, 2022). She shares many stories — dropping out of high school to become a K-pop star, dating someone from the royal family of a small European country, analyzing neo-Confucianism to figure out why she struggled to get along with her immigrant parents — that all tie together to advocate for minority rights. Lastly, ever nostalgic for the wetlands and the wading birds of her hometown, Orlando, Fla., she seeks out bodies of water whenever she moves somewhere new. You can reach Hojung at [email protected].
- William Tong is a newsletter writer at The Yappie. He graduated from Northwestern University in 2026, and his journalism has appeared in the Dallas Morning News, Chicago Tribune and Raleigh News & Observer. In his free time, William likes to cook and watch Chinese dramas. You can reach William at [email protected].
- John Camara is a recent graduate of Hobart and William Smith Colleges (HWS) with a BA in Economics and International Relations. Through his experiences, John has developed an interest in AAPI advocacy. In the summer of 2017, he interned with the Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership and in 2019, he served as an Empowering Pilipino Youth through Collaboration (EPYC) Ambassador. John has also interned for nonprofits and public officials. Moreover, he developed an honors thesis analyzing the impact of ethnic enclaves on the wage outcomes of different Asian ethnic groups in California. In his free time, John likes to watch movies, play tennis, and hike.
- Katrina Pham is studying journalism and Asian American studies at Northwestern University. She’s an editor for Northwestern’s student publication, The Daily Northwestern, and she’s covered topics relating to Evanston’s city government, the local Latine community, and other campus news. Katrina is interested in reporting through a race and culture lens, and since coming to Northwestern, she’s found a passion for video journalism as well. Katrina is also a member of the Asian American Journalists Association and AAJA’s Video affinity group. Most recently she lived in Livingston, New Jersey, but she’s lived in Chicago, Illinois and Bellevue, Washington. In her free time, she loves to drink bubble tea (honey lemon jasmine green tea, 30% sugar!) and watch video game streamers on Twitch.
- Dhanika Pineda is a Filipina journalist passionate about human centered cultural storytelling. She is a recent graduate of the University of California, Irvine, where she earned B.A.s in Literary Journalism and English. She's the Features Editor at Kapwa Magazine, a Filipino cultural publication, and previously served as Editor in Chief at her campus newspaper. She is a strong proponent of ethical journalism and founded an alternative student publication during her tenure as EIC to fight censorship. She's previously worked to debunk misinformation at NewsGuard, to accomplish local storytelling at Orange Coast Magazine, and to support national education initiatives at the Smithsonian Institution. She was a 2023 Asian American Journalists Association VOICES Fellow and a proud alum of the Emerson Collective Youth Collaborative. In her free time, she enjoys reading (banned books!) and baking.
- To contact members of our editorial team, please email [email protected].
Contact Us
We’re always looking for opportunities to collaborate, and we’d love to hear from you on how we can improve our content to better serve the community. If you have any tips, ideas, press releases, opportunities, or questions, feel free to send a note to [email protected].
If you're interested in joining our team, please click here to explore open opportunities or email [email protected].
For information on how to contact specific members of our team, click here.
