TAAF Summit 2026: Moana's Hawaiian Dub and AANHPI Narrative Power

The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) held its 2026 Heritage Month Summit on May 14–15 at Manhattan's Javits Center, drawing over 1,400 attendees. The event featured a conversation with Native Hawaiian filmmakers Lāiana Kanoa-Wong and Ty Sanga, and actress Auliʻi Cravalho, who discussed the February 2025 Disney+ release of Moana 2 in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi. Cravalho, of Native Hawaiian descent, voiced Moana in her ancestral language, noting the pressure of knowing the film would be used as educational material for her cousins in Hawaiian immersion schools. Kanoa-Wong emphasized the historical significance of dubbing a Disney film in a language once banned in Hawaiian schools, now revived through community efforts. The summit's theme, “Together We Are the Asian+American Dream,” coincided with America's 250th anniversary and TAAF's fifth anniversary. Speakers included Daniel Dae Kim, Vera Wang, Jason Wu, Suni Lee, Min Jin Lee, Hayley Kiyoko, and Ke Huy Quan. Awards honored Neal Mohan, Jeremy Lin, Sheila Lirio Marcelo, and Ke Huy Quan. The summit concluded with a basketball game at Barclays Center. TAAF, launched in 2021, aims to ensure safety, belonging, and prosperity for AANHPI communities.