2022 Events

May 7, 2022

Read more about the AAPI Heritage Festival and enjoy the photos
Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage month is a celebration of a diverse group of ethnic heritage within the Asian community who bring a wealth of enriched culture to our society.  This celebration will endeavor to build awareness and educate our community on the various cultures and contributions these different Asian ethnic groups have brought to enrich our American Story.

History you may not know:

  1. 20,000 Chinese men served in the military during WWII where 40% of the men served without American citizenship due to the “Chinese Exclusion Act”.  They were later honored in September 2021 with the Congressional Gold Medal for their acts of patriotism, loyalty, and courage for the US.
  2. 110,000 Japanese American and Japanese were relocated to prison camps during the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. In 1943, Japanese Americans were finally allowed to volunteer for the all-Japanese American 442nd Regiment that fought against the Japanese.  These men were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2010.

Theme: Contributions Asian American Pacific Islands Have Made to American History
A walk-through exhibit highlighting the contributions AAPI have made to American History was on display.

The Festival was a huge success with a full agenda of speakers, including State Senator Cindy Friedman and fireside chats with Shirley Leung from The Boston Globe.  We also had a full agenda of performers throughout the festival.  We had Tibetan dancers, Cambodian dancer, Japanese dancers, Lion dance, Kung Fu demonstration and many solo performers playing traditional ethnic instruments. Click here for the full agenda.

In addition, we had exhibitors from the various ethnic groups displaying items representing their history and culture that complemented the contributions that AAPI have made to American History.

This is AAPI Heritage month, be sure to enjoy all the activities in your area celebrating the diverse group of ethnic heritage within the AAPI community who bring a wealth of enriched culture to our society and American History.  It may surprise you the tremendous amount of people who have contributed to our society and American History.

I would like to leave you with this one thought “while everyone is unique in their own way, it is important to celebrate our differences and our commonalities. Every person has a vital contribution to make to society – all races, all ethnicities, all religions and all genders together form one human race.