Auli’i Cravalho will discussing her PEAK performance levels next month…

The Pasifika Entertainment Advancement Komiti (PEAK) has announced their PEAK Conversations panel, sponsored by Amazon MGM Studios, with the 23-year-old part-Puerto Rican actress/singer among the panelists.

Taking place in Los Angeles on May 1, the first celebration of Pasifika women in Hollywood will feature and highlight the achievements of the Moana and Mean Girls, RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Sasha Colby, and Great Scott Productions founder Naomi Scott with moderation by Moana 2 and Thai Cave Rescue screenwriter Dana Ledoux Miller.

The talanoa (or discussion) will focus on issues specific to Pasifika women and their journeys in the entertainment industry.

“May is AAPI Heritage Month yet you’ll find Pasifika (or Pacific Islander) people are rarely prioritized and often erased in celebrations despite us being named in them. Most AAPI organizations have no Pasifika staff or even board members so it’s why PEAK exists. We’re the only Pasifika-led organization doing this work who will advocate for us the way we do. We’re all about uplifting our most marginalized voices so for this event, it made perfect sense to highlight our women who are the backbone of our communities, yet they experience the most disparity when it comes to opportunities and pay,” said Kristian Fanene Schmidt, Co-Founder and Executive Director of PEAK.

The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) reports that on average, for every dollar white non-Hispanic men make, Fijian women earn $0.73, Chamorro women earn $0.66, Samoan women earn $0.63, Native Hawaiian women earn $0.62, and Tongan women earn $0.59.

“I’ve been working a really long time to try to get into positions where I can help other Pasifika writers and creators tell stories and get into rooms. It feels like I finally have that opportunity and have more influence in what gets out there. So I hope to use this moment to show people what we’re capable of and how we can really do anything,” says Ledoux Miller, who is also a Co-Founder of PEAK.

PEAK’s mission is to redefine and expand Pasifika entertainment so that our creatives can thrive, evolve, and drive innovative storytelling that honors the richness and diversity across Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.