APRIL WEBINAR
THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2022, 7PM-8PM CDT

About the Webinar

Please join GKF for A Conversation with Michelle Li, Anchor, KSDK 5 On Your Side, and Founder of the Very Asian Foundation. Michelle, an award-winning journalist with two decades of broadcast experience shares about her life, career, and events that led up to her founding the Very Asian Foundation. Michelle received a racist voicemail from a viewer following a short news segment about what Americans eat on New Year's Day. Michelle had adlibbed " I ate dumpling soup. That's what a lot of Korean people do” The viewer was offended and commented that Michelle was being "very Asian" and "annoying" and that Michelle "can keep her Korean to herself."  By gracefully sharing the viewer's hurtful voicemail and her reaction to it on social media, Michelle inspired people from across the globe to be proud of who they are. #VeryAsian went viral as a collective positive moment of pride. The positive momentum continued as Michelle was featured on the Ellen DeGeneres show which led her to start the Very Asian Foundation https://very-asian.com/, committed to amplifying diverse AAPI voices through education, storytelling, and community connection.  Michelle will tell us about her vision and plans for the foundation.

About the Speaker: Michelle Li

Michelle Li is a multi-skilled journalist and anchor at 5 On Your Side in St. Louis, Missouri. She came to the station from 5 On Your Side’s sister station, KING 5 in Seattle, where she worked as a morning anchor and consumer reporter.

Raised in the Kansas City area, Michelle is no stranger to St. Louis. She’s married to a St. Louis native and is a huge fan of toasted ravioli and the Cardinals.

 “I am so excited and humbled to come home to Missouri and work for a dream station,” said Michelle. “KSDK is a legacy newsroom filled with legendary journalists, and the people of St. Louis are truly some of the best people on Earth. Local journalism matters more than ever, and I will do my best to make an impact in and outside of the newsroom."

Michelle has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Kansas and two decades of broadcast experience. Before working in Seattle, she worked as the main evening anchor at stations in Madison, Wisconsin; Wilmington, North Carolina; and Springfield, Missouri.

As a Korean adoptee, Michelle is passionate about using her spare time to volunteer and advocate for adoptees and their families. In 2010, Congress awarded her with an Angels in Adoption Award for her work with adoptees and children in foster care. Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri nominated her for the award. She also mentors young journalists as a member of the Asian American Journalists Association and has been a long-standing member of the Junior League.

Michelle’s work has earned multiple awards, including several regional Emmys and four national Murrows, including feature writing. She has been awarded regional Murrows for writing, social media, and innovation. Her work on a groundbreaking series covering race and diversity earned a prestigious Peabody award in 2020.

Michelle has lived on both coasts, the Midwest, and the south, so she's covered nearly every natural disaster -- tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, landslides, ice storms, and blizzards. Her most enjoyable assignment was covering two Final Four championships with the Wisconsin Badgers.

Michelle is married and enjoys being a homebody with her husband and toddler. As a family, they enjoy cooking, exploring the outdoors, Happy Dance Fridays, and just hanging out.

About the Moderator: Emmy Crawford

Emmy Crawford is an educator turned real estate advisor who has a passion for learning about different cultures and giving back to the community. Emmy grew up in Vietnam and has traveled, studied, and lived in different countries in Asia, Australia and America. Before joining Coldwell Banker Gundaker, Emmy had spent 16 years in education instructing students in ESL and hospitality classes at Kien Giang Community College, Ormond College, Missouri S&T, St. Louis Community College and Washington University in St. Louis. Emmy was a recipient of the Australian Award and earned an MA in education. Her love for Korean culture and music rooted in the early days when she had several opportunities to assist a couple of Korean companies during her six years serving as a professor at Kien Giang Community College in Vietnam and her two years serving as the President of the International Student Club at the University of Melbourne in Australia. She has hosted a number of charity events and community events in Asia, Australia and America over the last 18 years. Outside of work, she enjoys time with her two kids, cooking for families and friends, traveling, hiking, and photography.