Diana Ding wins 2023 Santa Clara Citywide Community Award

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10/03/2023

By DDTVRobe

On September 27, Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor presented the 2023 State of City and the District and Citywide Community Awards, at the Mission City Center Performing Arts Center.

Diana Ding, the founder of Silicon Valley Community Media and Ding Ding TV, won the only Citywide Community Award. The award was given in recognition of her long-term service to the community, especially during the pandemic, and her outstanding contribution to stop Asian hate.

Mayor Lisa Gillmor introduced Diana and said: “Celebrating the lives of others through her creative storytelling techniques, Diana has elevated the Asian American community in both historic and meaningful ways. An incredible community leader, she has organized Civic Leadership Forums, and through her ongoing commitment to collaboration has brought communities together in solidarity against Asian hate, both on and off the screen. Named Woman of Influence 2023 by Silicon Valley Business Journal, Diana has used her platform to support our AAPI community and cast a positive spotlight on the amazing contributions of Asian Americans in Silicon Valley and beyond… Thank you Diana, for the amazing work you do, Santa Clara is better because of trailblazing citizens like you.”

Zhao Yan, the current Vice Mayor and former Mayor of Saratoga, said: “As the mayor of a city, I know very well what this award means. It is to recognize people in a city who have made great contributions to community services. I am very happy. We Chinese Americans have received such recognition. I am proud of Diana, she is a role model for our community.”

Diana Ding of Silicon Valley is an outstanding Chinese woman. She participates in a variety of programs and activities to not only provide practical information and activity centers for local residents of all ethnic groups, but also promotes cultural diversity and community integration, bringing together people of different ethnic groups. She also brings together various AAPI communities to share Asian American stories.

Ms. Diana Ding founded Ding Ding TV in 2009 and Silicon Valley Innovation Channel serves as the voice of Silicon Valley Asian Americans.

The “Silicon Valley Entrepreneurship Festival” hosted by Ding Ding TV was successfully held for four times before the pandemic. Diana Ding started the “Asian American Story Contest” that currently gathers more than 20 ethnic media partners and community organizations. She also founded the Civic Leadership Forum Silicon Valley, which is held four times each year.

She participated in the production of the documentary “The Builders of Silicon Dreams.” For the first time ever, a documentary explores the entrepreneurial journey of Chinese entrepreneurs and their contributions to the growth and success of Silicon Valley. The documentary is target to broadcast on public television channels across the United States. The director and the producer of the film is Tony Shyu (Xu Guoxing), a famous Chinese-American director in Hollywood. He directed “The Race Epidemic,” which explores the increase in hate crimes against Asian Americans caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. It explores issues including the racism and prejudice that Asian and Pacific Islanders continue to face in the United States, as well as extreme political rhetoric fueled by the pandemic. The documentary was broadcast on PBS (Public Television Network) over 300 channels and cover 200 million American audiences. “The Race Epidemic” won the Best Documentary Award at the 2022 Las Vegas Independent Film Festival.

Diana’s speech in full:
“Honored to receive the 2023 Citywide Community Award! Thank you Mayor Lisa Gillmor and Santa Clara council members for this recognition. As they say in Africa, “It takes a village to raise a child.” In my case, it took 10 villages to raise Ding Ding TV and support all the events and initiatives we’ve organized over the years. From Silicon Valley Entrepreneurs Festival to Celebrate Lunar New Years Together, from Civic Leadership Forum Silicon Valley to Asian Americans Stories Video Contest and more – these are all testaments to the power of diverse communities working together.

This award is a recognition of not just my efforts, but of the hard work of All Asian Americans, ethnic medias, and the dedication of the many organizations and individuals who have supported me along the way. Thank you to the California State Library, Silicon Valley Central Chamber, Cupertino Rotary, Ethnic Media Services, US-China Chamber of Commerce Silicon Valley, US Chinese Women Association, North-West Folks Association, Heart of Hope Asian American Hospice Care, Asian American United, San Francisco International Qipao Month, UCA and many more.

As my friend Ana Vargas-Smith said, “It’s a positive sign that community and small business still matters in Silicon Valley!” I couldn’t agree more. Thank you, Santa Clara, for being my home and for supporting me for decades. And a special shoutout to my dear friends and family who have been with me every step of the way.”

City of Santa Clara – City Hall News 2023