Acknowledging AAPI Heritage Month, Citizen Wong, Recapping Power Our Planet, and How to Get Involved
This week's update acknowledges AAPI heritage month by looking at the remarkable life of 18th-century activist Wong Chin Foo, plus a recap of this week's launch of the Power Our Planet campaign.
Dear Friends and Supporters,
I'm writing this from a rainy and gloomy Melbourne, where I'm attending the Rotary International Convention and will be speaking later this week.
Firstly, I want to express my gratitude to everyone who sent me kind messages following the announcement of my book deal last week. I'll be sharing regular updates here about my writing journey and offering little tidbits, so make sure to stay subscribed and feel free to share this with others.
Secondly, it would be remiss of me not to acknowledge that May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in the US, even as the month draws to a close. If you're interested in delving into history, I highly recommend exploring the story of Wong Chin Foo, a pioneer of civil rights in the 1800s. Last year, I came across his remarkable tale during the Off-Broadway world premiere of “Citizen Wong.” Wong Chin Foo, born in Jimo, Shandong Province, China, was not only an activist, journalist, and lecturer but also one of the most prolific Chinese writers in the American press of the 19th century. He was among the first Chinese immigrants to be naturalized in 1873 and dedicated himself to advocating for equal rights for Chinese Americans during the challenging times of the Chinese Exclusion Act. Wong's tremendous efforts and sacrifices in defense of Chinese Americans’ honor have led him to be considered the Chinese equivalent of "Dr. Martin Luther King" among Chinese Americans today. You can learn more about his remarkable life here. Do check it out!
Thirdly, I was recently interviewed by Vanguard News in Nigeria on the margins of Global Citizen Now about the expectations of the Power Our Planet campaign and current happenings in the global climate action sphere. Check it out!
Finally, as you may have seen, earlier this week Global Citizen officially launched the Power Our Planet campaign! This week’s newsletter will mostly focus on that, and how you can get involved, so read on!
If you missed the deadline for inclusion in the last press release, make sure to submit your NGO name here by May 31st.
Launch of Power Our Planet and NGO sign on
#PowerOurPlanet launched earlier this week, and has so far seen more than 1100 media hits, on everywhere from Variety, Pitchfork and AP News, to news outlets in France, Brazil, Ghana, Nigeria and more.
As you may have seen, international artists and leaders including Billie Eilish, Lenny Kravitz, Jon Batiste, and PM Mia Mottley - and many others - have announced their part in the campaign, and, if you haven’t already, please consider joining them!
If you represent an organization that would like to be included as a supporter in the next upcoming press release on June 7, please make sure to click “Join the campaign” here by May 31.
In addition, Global Citizen would love to include your NGO logo on a banner in Paris, so please make sure to send the team your VECTOR logo by May 31. Acceptable file types are .AI, .EPS, .SVG, or Illustrator .PDF.
Please note that file types that we can not use for this purpose: .JPG, .PNG, .TIFF, .HEIC, .GIF. This is important, and not an optional or flexible requirement.
This logo will also be present on the Global Citizen website, and on stage on June 22.
If you are unable to sign on to the campaign by May 31 or provide your logo by that date, you can still send us your logo by June 9, and have it featured on stage at the event.
Supporting the campaign also comes with event tickets, promotion of your organization at the event, spotlighting your work on the Global Citizen social platforms as part of the campaign, and more.
About the Power Our Planet Campaign
The world’s most vulnerable countries and people contribute the least to climate change and yet are impacted the most by it.
To address this vast inequality caused by climate change, the pandemic, and other global challenges, Global Citizen launched the Power Our Planet campaign last month to give poor and vulnerable countries access to financing solutions so they can more rapidly invest in a shift to clean energy and withstand natural disasters.
On June 22nd, along with 20k global citizens, the aim is bring together the world to take action on the climate crisis. Within just the first few hours of the #PowerOurPlanet campaign, global citizens took 137,029 actions!
Together at Champ de Mars at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, we will have an incredible line-up of artist activists including Billie Eilish, Lenny Kravitz, H.E.R., and Jon Batiste among others.
The campaign has received wide press coverage on our event and campaign announcement. Here are a few highlights: Billboard, AP News, Variety, ABC News, Le Figaro, Radio France Internationale, LBC-UK, and Vanguard Nigeria. You can read the full press-release on the Global Citizen website.
Thank you to Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski for supporting our launch and having GC Co-Founder and CEO Hugh Evans on MSNBC’s Morning Joe to discuss Power Our Planet. Watch HERE.
Power Our Planet: Topline Media Coverage
In the first 24 hours after the Power Our Planet: Live in Paris launch announcement, we saw over 1,100 online stories, plus broadcast and print media, across 35 countries, generating an estimated +2.4B media impressions. Top markets include the US, France, UK and Australia.
A few key launch stories and interviews:
France
US
UK
Australia
Today Show (Ch 9) – TV interview
The Drum (ABC) – TV interview
Global Citizen Festival, from 40,000 Feet
As of this month, Global Citizen was thrilled to announce that a 2-hour segment of the 2022 Global Citizen Festival is available on the Delta Air Lines In-Flight Entertainment system. As proud partners of Delta Air Lines, GC is honored to provide music-lovers and impact-lovers the chance to experience this unforgettable event, with access to fantastic performances by artists like Usher, Mariah Carey, Rosalía, and The Jonas Brothers, as well as inspiring speeches and announcements from global leaders, including Delta Air Lines leaders and activists on their efforts to end extreme poverty, defend the planet, and demand equity.
In case you missed it, the 2022 Global Citizen Festival will be available for viewing on Delta flights through September 2023. Global Citizen hopes it will enrich your flight experience and inspire you to support the movement!
Global Citizen is Hiring - Come Work With Them!
Are you or someone you know passionate about our mission, and want to join what will most certainly be another impactful year of action? If so, come work with them! They are hiring for a Government Relations and Advocacy Manager (Germany).
If this sounds like you, please throw your name in the hat! Or if you know someone who might be a good fit, do share across your networks.
My Weekend Reading List
That’s all for this week! Hope to see some of you in Paris next month, and watch the space for more exciting updates!
As always, if you’re enjoying the weekly newsletter format, and want even more, you can subscribe to my Substack here where I publish reviews, lists and articles on a regular basis.
All best,
Mick