Lea Salonga named TIME100 Impact Awards' role model for children of color
Another win for the Philippines' Miss Saigon!
Lea Salonga has been named as one of the recipients of 2022’s TIME100 IMPACT AWARDS.
Last September 25, TIME announced the awardees of the prestigious award in Singapore. According to its website, the TIME100 Impact Awards recognize "visionaries who have shown exemplary leadership to create an impact and uplift their respective industries."
The award-giving body described Salonga as a "Disney and Broadway icon" and "a role model for kids of color." TIME also noted how the award-winning theater actress journeyed to success on the international stage and recalled broking racial barriers in a room "full of white spaces and roles." Salonga said she triumphed over all that, with help from her sense of humor or what the Filipinos call "cariño brutal."
In addition, TIME said the globally acclaimed Filipina was able to leave classic beauty standards behind and started embracing her darker sides with her exemplary portrayal of Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd.
Salonga joins other honorees, including actor and producer Alia Bhatt, computational geneticist Dr. Pardis Sabeti, and former James Webb Space Telescope Program director Gregory L. Robinson.
TIME is slated to celebrate the feat of its Impact Awards recipients at its evening celebration at the Inaugural TIME100 Leadership Forum on October 2 at the National Gallery Singapore.