It wasn’t even 7 a.m. and there was already a crowd of well-dressed, well-spoken women congregating in the hall at the New York Marriott Marquis. Journalists were speaking with honorees, guests were happily connecting with one another, and the organizers were scanning the halls and addressing any last-minute hiccups. The air felt exciting and awake – photographers ushered guests together for photos while women exchanged hugs, complimented each other’s outfits, and caught up over quick hellos before the ballroom doors opened. We were all in attendance for the New York Women’s Foundation 2026 Celebrating Women® Breakfast.
The breakfast, one of the Foundation’s signature gatherings, has long served as both a fundraiser and a call to action for gender, racial, and economic justice in New York City since the early 90s.
This year’s event honored a powerhouse group of leaders including Valerie Jarrett, Jeannie Park, Leah Greenberg, and the National Philanthropic Collaborative of Young Women’s Initiatives. There were thousands in attendance, but despite the scale of the annual event, the atmosphere felt surprisingly intimate.
For Asian Americans, Park’s recognition carried particular pride, especially during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. A longtime advocate for immigrant communities and racial equity, Park currently serves as board chair of the Korean American Community Foundation, where she focuses on advancing economic stability for vulnerable immigrant communities.
She has also helped build philanthropic power through her work as founding board co-chair of the Donors of Color Network and has been a vocal advocate for diversity in higher education. Prior to her nonprofit leadership, she worked as an executive editor at People and InStyle magazines and was the founding president of the Asian American Journalists Association’s New York chapter.
“[Board Member of the New York Women’s Foundation] Lola C. West has been trying to get me not to say that I don’t deserve this award,” Park quipped in her acceptance speech. “Because the question of who deserves what and who merits what underlies so much of what I’d been thinking about and working on in recent years. Getting what you deserve sounds like it’s just about fairness. And yet, this idea has so often been turned against the very people who are subject to systemic unfairness.”
See also: How rising Asian American women in politics engage community
She then recalled a time when she served on a board that was almost entirely male, even though the people they served were mostly women. When Park claimed that she was not going to vote for another board member until there was a better gender balance, a man told her they should just vote for whoever was most qualified – a comment that prompted a trickle of laughter across the large room.
“So there is that idea. Most qualified, most deserving,” Park continued. “It sounds fair but in fact doesn’t acknowledge the glaring inequity right in front of us or what most qualifying even means.”
Her words reflect her work, which has consistently challenged the ideas of “deserving” and “qualification” – metrics that can be used to uphold existing inequalities rather than confront them. Park’s presence onstage also cemented the increasingly visible and important role that Asian American women continue to play in shaping conversations around justice and philanthropy. That spirit of solidarity could be felt throughout the programming. “This is the most diverse room you’ll ever see. We are all driven by passion,” shared long-time member Rhonda Joy McLean.
At a time when conversations around equity and representation often feel increasingly fraught, gatherings like this breakfast are important for celebrating and uplifting one another in the meaningful work being done. It served as a reminder that while the work is hard, it does not mean we have to do it all alone.
See also: Driving change in Asian American representation through marketing, advertising and media
