our mission
To research, preserve, and amplify the legacy of Asian Americans in the Dallas area
The Dallas Asian American Historical Society (DAAHS) was founded in April 2022 by co‑founders Stephanie Drenka and Denise Johnson, driven by a shared vision to research, preserve, and amplify the often-overlooked stories of Asian Americans in the Dallas region. In response to rising anti‑Asian violence, the founders recognized a vital need for a dedicated space where community memory could be documented, honored, and collectively held.
Since then, DAAHS has cultivated exhibitions and oral history projects that center Asian American narratives. In February 2025, DAAHS inaugurated its first permanent brick‑and‑mortar location in the historic South Side on Lamar building’s Artist Quarters. The space has now been re-branded as the Museum of Asian Texans (MAT), a statewide cultural anchor for education, solidarity, and public engagement.
who we are
Meet the Team
co-founder & executive director
Stephanie Drenka
Stephanie Drenka (she/her) is a Korean American adoptee writer/photographer. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication from DePaul University, with minors in Asian American Studies and Women’s Studies. She currently works for the Texas Civil Rights Project.
Stephanie previously served as Communications Director for Dallas Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation and is the Founding Editor of VISIBLE Magazine.
Stephanie’s photography and writing have been featured in Washington Post, HuffPost, Newsweek, and more. She was a 2019-2021 Public Voices Fellow and is now a facilitator with The OpEd Project.
co-founder & Program Director
Denise Johnson
Denise Johnson (she/her) was born and raised in the Philippines and immigrated to Texas at 17. She is a Jill of all trades— studied Secondary Education for Mathematics at UNT, spent several years in marketing, and enjoys being creative behind the camera.
She is currently a digital media designer for a performing arts marketing company, creating websites, commercials, ads, and handles social media for venues and tours.
Denise also serves on a DEI committee for a local non-profit organization, The Firehouse Theatre.
director of community engagement
Amy Tran-Calhoun
Amy Tran-Calhoun (she/her/hers) is a proud daughter of the Southeast Asian diaspora. Aware that there is no social justice without racial justice, Amy has devoted her career to developing antiracist leaders.
To date, she has been an advocate for and facilitator of racial equity education and practice in every non-profit organization that she has been employed with. Some of Amy’s recent roles include: Chief of Staff at Diversity Talks, racial equity coach with Dallas TRHT, trainer with the Center for Racial Justice in Education, and independent consultant.
Amy is most excited and joyful when she’s eating delicious food and spending quality time with her toddler, husband, and loved ones.
events director
Ada Chai
Ada Chai (she/her/hers) is a third culture kid passionate about creating spaces that uplift and celebrate Asian American voices and stories. She draws from her roots and her time working in Myanmar, where she supported educators, social entrepreneurs, and grassroots activists.
She has worked across education, nonprofit, and social impact spaces as an educator, community organizer, event coordinator, and partnership-builder.
Ada brings her love of event planning and management, intentional design, and joyful community-building to her role at the Dallas Asian American Historical Society. In her free time, you’ll find her out on a hike, volunteering, or curled up with a good book.
research project Manager
Emilie Hong
Emilie Hong (she/her) is a Dallas native with interests in coalition-building across Southern ways of knowing and resistance across class and diaspora. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology modified with African and African American Studies from Dartmouth College.
She has interned with nonprofit organizations like the New Orleans Workers’ Center for Racial Justice, the Museum of Social Justice, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and was DAAHS’ first intern in 2022. She enjoys freelance photography as a form of modern archive-building.
Creative director, artist-in-residence
Christina Hahn
Christina Hahn (she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist, independent curator, and creative consultant based in Dallas, Texas. She is the Creative Director of the Dallas Asian American Historical Society & Founder of the Dallas Asian American Art Collective.
artist-in-residence
Leili Arai Tavallaei
Leili Arai Tavallaei (she/her) is a Dallas based, interdisciplinary artist and independent curator of Persian-Japanese-American descent. She received a BFA in Animation with a Minor in Printmaking from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and attended Osaka Gakuin University (OGU) in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, Japan.
Tavallaei’s fine arts practice draws on globally sprawling, generational memories to create a living archive. Her practice blends print, video, mixed media, and found object collage to document the active loss and transformation of memory. Ultimately, Tavallaei aims to preserve her family history and translate it into a lexicon which exemplifies blended culture and a new normal.
Tavallaei has been recognized nationally in galleries and film festivals across the United States. At present she is an Artist in Residence at the Dallas Asian American Historical Society. She is a 2023-24 Cohort 4 alumni of Cedars Union in Dallas, TX and is a 2022 Islam & Print Fellow in Baltimore, MD. Notably her work has been shown at Erin Cluley Gallery, 400h Gallery, Black Rock Arts Center, Arts Fort Worth, TCC South Carillon Gallery, Lawndale Art Center, Silber Gallery, Black Artist Research Space, Current Space, and is in collections with NoMu NoMu and Islam & Print. Her video work has been screened at NASA Goddard, at the historic Parkway Theater Baltimore, at Downtown LA Independent Theater, and at The Cedars Union Boedeker.
racial equity statement
As historians, we know U.S. history is filled with examples of systemic racism and oppression that dehumanize people.
Discrimination against people of Asian descent began as early as the 1800s, with the arrival of the first Chinese immigrants, and continues today.