Photo Flash: Tzi Ma Receives 2019 MOCA Legacy Award

The Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) celebrated its 39th anniversary with more than 480 members of the community at the 2019 Legacy Awards Gala at the Mandarin Oriental in New York City on November 13.

The 2019 Generational Legacy Award was presented to the Tsai Family from Long Island, New York, whose family members Erh-Ping Tsai, Cynthia Chuang, and Sue Tsai are acclaimed for their excellence in the arts. 2019 Legacy Awards were presented to The Honorable Mae Yih, Oregon State Senator, pioneering public servant and the first Chinese American to ever be elected to a U.S. state legislature; and Michelle Koo Hayashi and Jess Ting, M.D. for championing the transgender community through their documentary film Born to Be, which tells the story of Dr. Ting's pioneering gender confirmation surgical practice and the courageous transition of his patients; and to Tzi Ma, pioneering actor whose stage / TV / film performances have delighted audiences worldwide, challenged Hollywood stereotypes and broken down barriers for Asian American/Pacific Islanders. Ma can currently be seen in Netflix's "Wu Assassins," The Farewell and the upcoming Mulan.

Cindy Cheung, stage / TV / film actress and her award-winning novelist husband, Ed Lin co-emceed the evening. Highlights included performances by The P.S. 124 Yung Wing School Theatre Club of 4th and 5th grade students and excerpts from Jason Ma's Gold Mountain: The Musical, sung by Ali Ewoldt and Jonny Lee, Jr., accompanied by Kristen Lee Rosenfeld on the keys.

Jason Ma's Gold Mountain, a new original musical, is a love story set against the backdrop of a pivotal event in America's history: the construction of the first transcontinental railroad. It is a heartfelt, universal tale that celebrates the striving immigrant spirit, the redemptive power of love, and the ultimate nobility of self-sacrifice among a team of Chinese railroad workers. www.goldmountainthemusical.com.

The benefit gala raised over $1.1 million in gifts and pledges.

MOCA tells the untold stories of a dynamic community whose members are now at the fore-front of all sectors of America's economic and cultural life. The Gala recognizes the outstanding contributions and accomplishments of individuals and families whose unconditional service as pioneers, role models, and leaders have paved the way for generations.www.mocanyc.org