To start the month of May, the Foundation hosts the APA Heritage Awards and Reception to promote the visibility of Asian American & Pacific Islander achievements in the City and County of San Francisco.
Celebration Theme – Moving Forward Together
Wah Mei School - 50th Anniversary
Wah Mei is the first and longest-standing bilingual early education organization in San Francisco for young children. Incorporated 50 years ago, Wah Mei’s mission is to make sure that children, regardless of their first language, can learn in an environment where they can excel. For over five decades, the school has promoted the value of languages, dual-language learning, inclusivity and diversity to enrich young children’s learning experience.
To date, Wai Mei provides services to over 500 families with programs in early childhood care and education, before and after school/weekend classes, and community engagement. The school remains committed to be a champion for bilingual education and care on behalf of families that do not have equal access to programs.
Dedicated to being an effective community voice, Wah Mei is proud to be an anchor in the San Francisco’s Sunset neighborhood and surrounding communities for bilingual education.
More information at: www.wahmei.org
“Wah Mei will continue its commitment to inclusivity, diversity and equity for the next 50 years to ensure our youth, and broader community are supported so both may flourish. We’re excited about our work to further strengthen and improve the quality of life for all who live and work here,”
Ben Wong, Executive Director of Wah Mei
Kinmon Gakuen/ Golden Gate Institute - 100th Anniversary
Incorporated as the Golden Gate Institute in 1924 by Japanese Americans in Japantown, Kinmon Gakuen is a Japanese language school founded in 1911. The enrollment peaked in the 1920s &1930s with approximately 500 students. Before World War II, it served as a central institution not only in San Francisco but also within the wider Japanese American community in North America. It was and remains a gathering place for children to learn about their heritage and parents to engage in the community. The school hosts a wide range of activities and events for the students and the community.
The school’s significance extends beyond the local community; it has been recognized by Japan as well. Notable visitors include scholars, Japanese diplomats, and luminaries including members of the Imperial Family such as Nitobe Inazo, Deputy Secretary General of the League of Nations, His Imperial Prince Takamatsu and Princess Takamatsu, and the Emperor and Empress Heisei of Japan, who visited when they were the Crown Prince and Princess.
More information at: www.kinmongakuen.org
“Kinmon Gakuen is a treasure of the Nikkei Community. It not only “landmarks” of our Nikkei heritage but is an anchor that will allow us to pass down our history, legacy, and language to the next generation.”
Shinichi Seino, Board President
Rose Chung - Community Inspiration
Rose Chung, a native of San Francisco Chinatown and the youngest among five daughters, became Miss Chinatown USA in 1981. This experience has sparked a change in her life’s path, propelling her into community service. Over the years, Rose has dedicated her time to the community, including serving as Board Chair of APA Family Support Services, a board member of Portsmouth Plaza Parking Corporation and a distinguished officer within her family associations.
From 2000 to 2009, Rose served as a legislative aide to Supervisor Aaron Peskin. In this role, she served as a community liaison to forge meaningful relationships with citywide leaders, spearhead constituent engagement and promote cultural programs. In 2005, Rose joined as a founding member of the APA Heritage Celebration Committee, expanding her passion to promoting appreciation of Asian Pacific American cultures.
Committed to inspiring young Asian American women to lead, Rose is the founder of the Asian America Foundation and the visionary producer of the Miss Asian Global Pageant and Imagine Talks. Recognizing the need to nurture the next generation of leaders, Rose expanded the pageant program to encompass academic mentorship and professional coaching, with a focus on empowering Asian women to reach their highest potential and becoming a stronger voice for the community.
Through the years, Rose continues to champion the transformative power of compassionate collaboration, bringing about meaningful change in the Asian Pacific American community and beyond.
“I am immensely proud of APA Heritage Month in San Francisco. It has evolved into a catalyst for community collaborations and for sharing the richness of our cultural diversity in our city. It has become my favorite festivity, second only to the Lunar New Year festival.”
Rose Chung – Community Inspiration
Honorable Willie L. Brown, Jr. - Community Legend
Two-term Mayor of San Francisco, legendary Speaker of the California State Assembly, and widely regarded as the most influential African American politician of the late twentieth century, Willie L. Brown, Jr., has been at the center of California politics, government, and civic life for an astonishing four decades. His career spans the American Presidency from Lyndon Johnson to George W. Bush, and he’s worked with every California Governor from Pat Brown to Gavin Newsom. From civil rights to education reform, tax policy, economic development, health care, international trade, domestic partnerships, and affirmative action, he’s left his imprint on every aspect of politics and public policy in the Golden State.
As Mayor of California’s most cosmopolitan city, he refurbished and rebuilt the nation’s busiest transit system, pioneered the use of bond measures to build affordable housing, created a model juvenile justice system, and paved the way for a second campus of the University of California, San Francisco, to serve as the anchor of a new development that will position the City as a center for the burgeoning field of biotechnology.
Through the years, Mayor Brown’s vision and policies have positively impacted and benefited the Asian American and Pacific Islander community in San Francisco and beyond.
Today, he heads the Willie L. Brown, Jr., Institute on Politics and Public Service, where this acknowledged master of the art of politics shares his knowledge and skills with a new generation of California leaders.
“For years I have participated in a wonderful and inspiring celebration of Asian Americans and Pacific Islander. APA pays great respect every May to people who have been a part of their efforts to produce equal opportunity for all kinds of people. It’s an occasion for celebration but also for joy. The cultural awareness that comes from the most beautiful costumes and the most pleasing and entertaining of cultural performances on the stage makes for “you must not miss the opportunity” to be there to observe and being part of. One of the best of all the cultural celebrations that takes place in our city. Congratulations to the sponsors and congratulations to the architect of the event.”
Honorable Willie L. Brown, Jr. – Community Legend
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Watch 20th Anniversary Video
Celebration Theme – Strengthening the Fabric of our Community
Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation - 40th Anniversary
Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation (AIISF)
Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation (AIISF) is a nonprofit organization that partners with CA State Parks to preserve the former U.S. Immigration Station at Angel Island and promote its history. Angel Island is a living landmark that symbolizes diverse experiences of detention, racism, exclusion, hope, and determination.
AIISF protects the historic site, elevates its stories, promotes learning, and celebrates the new beginnings and immigrant contributions that define the strength of the U.S. AIISF’s goal is to inspire a more equitable and inclusive future by demonstrating how immigrants make nations better.
Over the past 40 years, AIISF has raised over $40 million in public and private funds to support the preservation and renovation of this National Historic Landmark as well as to conduct programs that connect the site’s history to current day experiences and events.
“We are extremely thankful to everyone who has helped to support the preservation and maintenance of Angel Island’s buildings over the past 40 years. Over the coming months, we are excited to unveil new programs and strategies focused on raising up the voices and stories of immigrants then and now.”
Edward Tepporn, Executive Director
Website: https://www.aiisf.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AIISForg
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AIISForg
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiisforg/
Asian Pacific Fund - 30th Anniversary
Asian Pacific Fund
Founded in 1993, the Asian Pacific Fund is the only community foundation dedicated to improving the lives of underserved and marginalized Asians and Pacific Islanders (APIs) in the Bay Area. Its mission is to strengthen the API community by increasing philanthropy and supporting the organizations that serve the most vulnerable community members.
The Asian Pacific Fund’s vast network of affiliates, including safety net service providers and advocates who drive policy changes to improve well-being for all, has deep roots in the region and is critical to promoting inclusion and belonging.
Through its affiliates, the Asian Pacific Fund is able to drive change by raising awareness about pressing community needs and more importantly, connect philanthropy to API-serving nonprofits by mobilizing funding and resources to increase collective impact.
“For 30 years, the Asian Pacific Fund has played the critical role of driving resources to our community’s most pressing issues. We’re proud to celebrate this milestone and look forward to many more years of building strength, leading with courage, and creating belonging for our Bay Area API community.”
Carolyn Wang Kong, President & Executive Director
Website: https://asianpacificfund.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AsianPacificFund93
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AsianPacificFnd
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asianpacificfund/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asianpacificfund/
Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California - 50th Anniversary
The Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (the Center)
The Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (the Center) is Northern California’s largest Japanese American community-owned facility. Incorporated as a nonprofit in 1973, it has served the community for 50 years.
The Center’s goals include providing cultural and educational programs to preserve and promote the Japanese American cultural and historical heritage, enhancing the understanding and appreciation among people in the United States and Japan, and managing and maintaining a multi-service community center that provides administrative and program space for others in the community.
Today, the Center offers an array of programs for a diverse audience of all ages, which includes traditional and contemporary Japanese cultural arts, activities for children and youth, exhibits and forums, senior wellness programs, performing arts, and social and recreational activities.
“The 50th anniversary of the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California is a tribute to the generations of our Japanese American community. It honors the fulfillment of a long-held community vision to own a facility to celebrate our cultural heritage and the legacy of our Japantown community.”
Paul Osaki, Executive Director
Website: https://www.jcccnc.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LikeJCCCNC
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jcccnc_sf/
Watch on SFGovTV
Celebration Theme – Forging Community Bonds
Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center - 25th Anniversary
The Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center’s (APICC) mission is to support and present multidisciplinary art reflective of the unique experiences of Asian Pacific Islanders living in the United States.
APICC was founded by representatives of five nonprofit arts groups: Asian American Dance Performances, First Voice, Asian Improv aRts, the Asian American Theater Company, and Kearny Street Workshop. Since 1998, APICC has promoted the artistic and organizational growth of San Francisco’s API arts community by organizing the annual United States of Asian America Festival (USAAF) and commissioning contemporary art from the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.
Each year, USAAF presents programs that reflect the artistic accomplishments and diversity of San Francisco’s API communities. USAAF heightens the visibility of API artists from different ethnic and cultural groups working in theater, music, dance, film, literature, visual arts, and more!
In celebration of the festival’s 25th anniversary, this year’s USAAF features over 25 programs occurring May-June under the theme, “Generations of Power,” harnessing the legacies of API power built across generations, rooted in cultivating solidarity among our intersecting BIPOC communities.
“The Board and Staff of APICC are proud of the 25 years of our amazing programming as it is a direct reflection of the strength of our Asian American artists. We thank all of our supporters and funders who have stood by us as we’ve passionately served the community.”
Vinay Patel, Executive Director
Website: https://www.apiculturalcenter.org/
Facebook: /APICulturalCenter
Instagram: @apicc_sf
Twitter: @apicc_sf
Kearny Street Workshop - 50th Anniversary
Founded in 1972, during the height of the Asian American cultural movement, Kearny Street Workshop (KSW) is the oldest Asian Pacific American multidisciplinary arts organization in the country. KSW’s programming has been expansive over the years, from holding one of the first art exhibitions on Angel Island, founding the Asian American Jazz Festival, and starting a publishing house that printed one of the first Filipino American literary anthologies. Through it all, their focus has always been on the way art, activism, and community intersect.
Today, KSW programs include: APAture, an annual multidisciplinary arts festival organized by and for emerging APA artists in the Bay Area, and We Won’t Move, a podcast series about APA artists whose stories shape the movements and dreams of San Francisco. KSW also offers classes and workshops, salons, and student presentations, as well as professionally curated and produced exhibitions, performances, readings, and screenings. KSW makes artists out of community members and community members out of artists and for the past 50 years, nurtured the creative spirit and offered an important platform for new voices to be heard.
“TO IMAGINE IS TO EXIST: 50 Years of KSW” marks five decades of making community out of artists and artists out of community. Through art, we imagine who we are, know where we come from and build the healthier, stronger, inclusive world we all wish to live in.”
Mihee Kim, Managing Director
Website: https://www.kearnystreet.org/ksw50
Facebook: /kearnystreet
Instagram: @kearnystreetworkshop
Robert Handa - Broadcast Journalist
NBC Bay Area News Reporter, Asian Pacific America Host
An award-winning reporter for NBC Bay Area News, Robert Handa is the celebrated host of the show Asian Pacific America, a weekly talk show that solely focuses on newsmakers and issues pertinent to the AAPI communities. Over the years, Handa’s assignments have also included interviews with notable newsmakers throughout the years from actors/actresses to sport athletes to elected officials and many more. Handa has been recognized with top local and national awards for his outstanding achievements in investigative reporting, documentaries, and substantial coverage of community issues.
“Work supporting the AAPI community is ‘never done’. We can take pride in overcoming past obstacles. Yet, successes generate resistance and, often, on racist terms. Don’t be disheartened. Let’s focus on doing ‘whatever we can.’ Participate in big and small ways. We are all the foundation that makes the community unbreakable.”
Robert Handa
Website: https://www.nbcbayarea.com/community/asian-pacific-america/
Rudi Soriano - Choreographer
Founder & Choreographer, LIKHA-Pilipino Folk Ensemble
A performer, choreographer, teacher, and leader in the Filipino community, Rudi Soriano is the founder of LIKHA-Pilipino Folk Ensemble, an organization that preserves and celebrates Philippine culture through music and dance. With the research of lowland and highland dances of different indigenous people of the Philippines and background in ballet and modern dance, Soriano has an immense expertise in traditional Pilipino movement. Soriano has been recognized and awarded for outstanding choreography of original pieces. He was a former soloist with the renowned Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company in Manila.
“Dance has always been the center of who I am. It taught me confidence to face the challenges in life and has inspired me to help other people learn and love their culture and heritage.”
Rudi Soriano
Website: www.likha.org
Martin Yan - Master Chef
Master Chef, TV Personality, Author, President, Yan Can Cook, Inc.
A master chef, a highly respected culinary educator and a prolific author, legendary chef Martin Yan has educated and entertained millions around the world with his show “Yan Can Cook”. For over four decades, chef Martin Yan is a pioneer on television promoting Chinese food culture. With 3,500 shows and counting, the “Yan Can Cook” series is one of the longest running cooking programs from Singapore to San Francisco. In addition, Chef Yan is a frequent judge and panel member in numerous national and international culinary competitions, including the Iron Chef on the Food Network.
Earlier this year, chef Martin Yan received the James Beard Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award, one of the highest honors for culinary professionals.
“Fifty years ago, Asians in America were called ‘Orientals’. Chinese food was fried rice and chop suey. I hope I have made a difference, at least in the latter. America is an experiment constantly in motion to perfect itself. That makes us unique and the envy of the world.”
Martin Yan
Website: yancancook.com
YouTube: YouTube.com/c/yancancook
Facebook: @chefmartinyan
Instagram: @chefmartinyan
Watch on SFGovTV
Virtual Celebration Theme – Celebrate Resilience, Uplift Voices.
San Francisco - Manila Sister City Committee - 60th Anniversary
San Francisco – Manila Sister City Committee
Founded in 1961, the San Francisco-Manila Sister City Committee’s mission is to serve as a cultural and economic link between the two cities, presenting the best of San Francisco to the Philippines, and in turn showcasing the best of the Philippines to San Francisco. The San Francisco-Manila Sister City Committee (SFMSC) works in collaboration with the office of Mayor, the Philippine Consulate and also the Filipino-American community, including educators, artists, and businesses. The Committee also organizes delegations to visit the Philippines to deepen the ties and understanding between peoples of the two cities.
“It is the mission of the San Francisco-Manila Sister City Committee to develop and implement programs to foster connections and partnerships between the two cities. We believe the world will be a better place if we can bring people and cultures together through mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation. To that end, we will continue to achieve our goals through educational initiatives as well as cultural and business exchange programs.”
Carmen Colet
Chair, San Francisco-Manila Sister City Committee
San Francisco - Seoul Sister City Committee - 45th Anniversary
San Francisco-Seoul Sister City Committee
In 1976, San Francisco and Seoul became Sister Cities, and the committee was officially established in 1983. The San Francisco-Seoul Sister City Committee works to strengthen cultural and commercial ties between the cities through enduring friendships, civic engagements, and a shared vision. Over the years, the Committee has organized a number of delegations to Seoul, starting with then-Mayor and now Senator Diane Feinstein’s visit in 1984.
In 2014, the Mayors of the two cities signed a Memorandum of Understanding to launch an exchange program for city staff. In 2019, the San Francisco Art Commission Gallery and the Seoul Museum of Art signed a Memorandum of Understanding to encourage exchange of exhibits that would highlight each city’s unique culture and commonalities. The Committee has also developed a student exchange program to foster cross-cultural relationships among the two cities’ youth generation.
“Reflecting on the last 45 years and looking towards the future, the Seoul Sister City Committee seeks to continue fostering our cross-cultural connections to further develop relationships that stimulate an open exchange of ideas while being rooted in our heritage with a focus in arts, innovation, and collaboration. “
Hagen Choi
Chair, San Francisco-Seoul Sister City Committee
National Japanese American Historical Society - 40th Anniversary
The National Japanese American Historical Society (NJAHS)
The National Japanese American Historical Society, Inc. (“NJAHS”) was established forty years ago in 1981, as “Go For Broke, Inc.,” to tell the story of the famed Japanese Americans who fought in World War II in Europe and in the Pacific. In 1983, the organization changed its name, broadening its purpose to collect, preserve, interpret, and share the Japanese American experience for national and global audiences. Today, through exhibitions, programs, and productions, NJAHS strives to be a catalyst for change through cross-cultural awareness – by learning from the past and influencing the future.
In 1997, NJAHS relocated to Japantown to better serve the neighborhood community. With planning and revitalization efforts underway, it opened a storefront gallery, store, and archives along the Post Street commercial corridor. In 2013, it opened the Military Intelligence Service (MIS) Historic Learning Center, a $5 million 13,000 sqft. adaptive reuse interpretative center in the Presidio of San Francisco.
“Founded forty years ago upon the principles from which Japanese Americans of WWII fought, sacrificed, and struggled, we love to share with visitors -two special places for everyone to discover ethnic history in a new way. Our exhibits, walking tours, collections, and shops at our Post Street Peace Gallery in Japantown and the MIS Historic Learning Center at Crissy Field, Presidio of SF, both cornerstones of learning on the Japanese American experience.”
Rosalyn Tonai
Executive Director, National Japanese American Historical Society, Inc.
Congratulations to two exemplary organizations for having achieved broad community impact in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Northern California - 70th Anniversary
Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Northern California
The mission of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Northern California (JCCNC) is to promote business, mutual understanding, and goodwill between Japan and the United States by providing support to Japanese corporations and their affiliates and partners in Northern California. JCCNC serves as a platform to cultivate long-lasting relationships among its members, and is dedicated to community engagement and philanthropy.
Founded in 1950 and incorporated as a 501(c)(6) non-profit organization in 1951, JCCNC has served as a pioneering organization promoting US-Japan relations through business and cross-cultural exchange for 70 years. Before the US-Japan Peace Treaty was signed in 1951, local Japanese Americans helped corporations from Japan establish themselves, making JCCNC the only chamber of commerce in the United States to have been founded by Japanese Americans.
Today, JCCNC’s members are the largest contributor of foreign direct investment in Northern California, bringing jobs, employment, innovation, and opportunities to the community. JCCNC’s members are also committed to supporting and giving back to the community so that JCCNC can continue to grow together with the community.
“As we reflect on the 70-year history of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Northern California (JCCNC), we cannot help but appreciate the fact that it took a community – the Japanese American community – to build JCCNC. With a deep sense of respect, JCCNC will continue to be a vital and vibrant member of the community, further strengthening trusting relationships so that we can all thrive.”
Tasha A. Yorozu
Board President, Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Northern California (JCCNC)
(Managing Attorney, Yorozu Law Group)
World Journal- 45th Anniversary
World Journal
World Journal, the largest and most influential Chinese-language newspaper in the United States, was launched in 1976 to serve the Chinese American community and is published in most major cities including New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
In San Francisco, where the long history of Chinese immigration represents the core value of diversity in the city, World Journal has established a cross-media platform for different generations of immigrant audiences.
Over the past 45 years, World Journal has provided extensive coverage of global, national, and local news to the Chinese immigrant community, playing a crucial role in eliminating the language barriers to enhance the immigrants’ engagement to mainstream society.
“Over the past 45 years, World Journal SF has been the bridge connecting the Chinese immigrant community and the broader Bay Area society.
We strive to uphold the freedom of the press, to tell the most important stories, and to build a more diverse, inclusive, and comprehensive multi-media platform in the future.”
David Yang
Publisher
Watch on SFGovTV
Virtual Celebration
Center for Asian American Media - 40th Anniversary
Center for Asian American Media (CAAM)
The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to presenting stories that convey the richness and diversity of Asian American experiences to the broadest audience possible. We do this by funding, producing, distributing, and exhibiting works in film, television, and digital media. For 40 years, CAAM has exposed audiences to new voices and communities, advancing our collective understanding of the American experience through programs specifically designed to engage the Asian American community and larger public.
“During these uncertain days, CAAM is reflecting on our forty-year legacy of uplifting Asian American stories and building a community around sharing our narratives. When times are tough, it’s more important than ever to look back at our challenges and remember how we have drawn strength and compassion from each other. We invite you to reflect back on our milestones, learn more about the storytellers who are at the front lines of shaping today’s Asian America, and draw inspiration for the future.”
Stephen Gong
Executive Director, Center for Asian American Media (CAAM)
Community Youth Center of San Francisco - 50th Anniversary
Community Youth Center of San Francisco (CYC)
Founded in 1970, CYC was born out of a need to address the problems of juvenile delinquency and gang violence in Chinatown at that time by providing young men with alternatives and access to legitimate means to help them achieve their aspirations and independence. Over the years, CYC gained a reputation as the premier organization for Asian youth services with programs that respond to the ever-changing and evolving complex challenges specifically faced by Asian youth. These programs address issues of family conflict over acculturation, difficulties in school, economic hardship, and other barriers.
While CYC continued to serve Asian youth and the Chinatown community, their vision expanded beyond those perimeters over the years. Today, CYC operates out of three offices in the Tenderloin, Bayview, and Richmond districts with presence at 45 different sites across San Francisco that include elementary, middle and high schools. CYC annually impacts a diverse population of over 8,000 youth; many of whom are primarily low income and at-risk Asian Pacific American, Latino, and African American. CYC’s services now include academic and college counseling, job placement and employment training, substance abuse and violence prevention education, crisis intervention and mediation, leadership development, and technology and computer training.
CYC has faced many challenges and struggles to build a strong foundation and expand services to meet the needs of our youth, families and community. On our 50th anniversary, we remain steadfast in our commitment to supporting our young people to not only become responsible self-sufficient individuals, but to also strive and commit to become leaders, visionaries and advocates for the next generation.
Sara Wan
Executive Director, Community Youth Center of San Francisco (CYC)
Japanese Community Youth Council - 50th Anniversary
JCYC 50th Logo
The Japanese Community Youth Council (JCYC) was incorporated in May of 1970 as a coalition of Japantown-based youth groups that came together to create a voice for young people in the community. The mission of the organization has been to cultivate and enrich the lives of children and youth from diverse, multicultural communities throughout San Francisco and beyond.
While the organization continues to serve the Japantown community, JCYC has evolved into a citywide children and youth development organization, serving over 7,000 young people annually from all socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds and neighborhoods throughout San Francisco and San Mateo County. JCYC programs support children and youth from the time they start preschool until they enter college. The organization strives to offer young people a comprehensive array of services to ensure that children and youth have the resources and support necessary to grow into healthy, productive adults.
Additionally, the focus of JCYC’s current programs also includes college access and workforce development. Over the past several years, JCYC is a lead agency in implementing San Francisco’s newest youth workforce program Opportunities For All.
I am incredibly grateful to be a part of JCYC as we celebrate 50 years of serving the children and youth of San Francisco. Our five decades of service are a testament to the power and potential of young people to make an incredible impact now and into the future.
Jon Osaki
Executive Director, Japanese Community Youth Council (JCYC)
SF – Ho Chi Minh City Sister City Committee - 25th Anniversary
San Francisco – Ho Chi Minh City Sister City Committee
San Francisco is proud to be the American city with the longest and deepest ties of friendship with Vietnam. This special connection contributes to the vitality of not only our city and Vietnam, but also to the strong ties between the two countries. The award winning Sister City Committee relationship promotes cultural, healthcare, bio- technology, environmental, transportation, educational, and other programs. The official ties between San Francisco and Ho Chi Minh City began in 1995 and pre-dates the diplomatic relationship between the United States and Vietnam by three months.
Since 1995, the City of San Francisco and the Sister City Committee have continued to build strong ties with Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam. We were the first city in the USA to host a Consulate General of Vietnam, which opened in 1997, and we are honored to be the home of Vietnam Airlines North American headquarters. In fact, the first scheduled air service between our countries left our SF International Airport in 2004. Our Sister City Committee has organized numerous trade and friendship missions since 1995 which have built strong ties and carried out innumerable projects of cooperation.
The Committee hosts monthly Meetups, inbound and outbound trade delegations, cultural and environmental missions and invite everyone to join us. We continue to place strong emphasis and importance on our friendship with Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam and look forward to new avenues of cooperation and partnership.
We are now in our 25th year and we look forward to the future with the hope of continuing to build a stronger relationship with the people of Ho Chi Minh City, and the other citizens of Vietnam. We can teach and learn, with the aim of improving the quality of life of all peace loving people.
George Saxton
Executive Director, SF – Ho Chi Minh City Sister City Committee
Watch Virtual Celebration
May 1, 2019 · Herbst Theatre, San Francisco
Edwin Mah Lee Public Service Award was launched in 2018 to honor the memory of Mayor Lee and his legacy of public service. The goal of this award is to inspire Asian Pacific Americans to pursue a career in public service with the same dedication and core values exemplified by Mayor Lee.
Sandy Ouye Mori
Sandy Ouye Mori
Sandy Ouye Mori has served the people of San Francisco for nearly five decades and her contributions to the API community have had impact both locally and nationally.
Sandy has held the position of Executive Secretary to the San Francisco Health Commission for fourteen years. Her tenure in public service also included her appointment, by the late Mayor George Moscone, to the Commission on the Status of Women in 1976. In 1979, Sandy became the President of the Commission, the first Asian American woman to chair a City Commission.
A founding member of the Dignity Fund Coalition, Sandy’s passion has been in improving the care and services for seniors. In 1971, she co-founded Kimochi, Inc., a non-profit community-based organization dedicated to providing much needed services to primarily Japanese American and Japanese-speaking seniors in the Western Addition/Richard/Sunset districts of San Francisco. Presently, Sandy serves on the Mayor’s Long Term Care Coordinating Council. She is also the President of the Japantown Task Force whose mission is to preserve San Francisco’s Japantown, one of the three remaining Japantowns in the country.
Sandy Mori and Mayor Lee both shared a background in activism and civil right, with steadfast dedication to protecting those without a voice. They both followed the path of working within City government to create positive changes that benefit the diverse communities of San Francisco.
The Asian American Studies at SF State - 50th Anniversary
Asian American Studies at SF State
The Asian American Studies (AAS) department at San Francisco State University celebrates its 50th Anniversary as the oldest and largest such department in the country. Its inception was the result of the 5-months Black Student Union/Third World Liberation Front (TWLF) student strike after which the nation’s first College of Ethnic Studies was founded at San Francisco State. The Asian American Political Alliance, Intercollegiate Chinese for Social Action, and Pilipino American Collegiate Endeavor—were members of the TWLF and these organizations worked together to develop the Asian American Studies Department.
Through the years, AAS has grown to host 45 undergraduate and 8 graduate courses, with an average of 2,500 students per semester. AAS majors graduate at a rate of 94%, some of the highest at SF State and its students contribute thousands of hours to community service. The program has dedicated courses focusing on diverse ethnic groups including Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Cambodian, Vietnamese, South Asians and Asians of Mixed Heritage. Members of the AAS faculty continue to distinguish themselves in research and publications, garnering awards at the Association of Asian American Studies conference annually over the past five years.
With its strong legacy of student activism, community involvement, and solidarity with other people of color, the Asian American Studies at San Francisco State remains steadfast in its commitment to promoting justice and equity.
Chinese Railroad Workers for the Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad - 150th Anniversary
Chinese Railroad Workers for the Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad – 150th Anniversary
May 10, 2019 marks the 150th anniversary of Leland Stanford’ s driving the famous “golden spike” to connect the Central Pacific and Union Pacific lines at Promontory Summit, Utah, signifying the completion of the railroad connecting the east and west of country.
The Transcontinental Railroad was viewed as the epitome of 19th century engineering and has been credited for opening up California to trade and commerce. The railroad project started in about 1865, with large number of Chinese workers from communities in California. Soon after, shiploads of Chinese workers were recruited from China by Central Pacific Railroad to join the workforce. Historians estimate that at any one time, as many as 10,000 to 15,000 Chinese were working on the construction.
While Chinese workers were the key to the completion of the railroad, yet their contribution was never acknowledged for over a century. Chinese workers were not invited to the Golden Spike Ceremony in 1869, and nor did they receive any public recognition or acknowledgement during the Centennial Celebration in 1969. And finally in 2014, the U.S. Department of Labor inducted the Chinese Railroad Workers into the Hall of Honor.
In 2012, Stanford University Professor Gordon H. Chang launched the Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project to focus on documenting the history of Chinese Railroad Workers. The project coordinates research in the United States and Asia in order to create an online digital archive available to all. Included as part of the project is an Oral Interviews Gallery that offers the public access to the video interviews with families of the workers’ descendants. As a result of this monumental research project, there is now a digital library of historical resources and a compilation of materials to be used in classrooms. Professor Chang has authored and co-edited a number of books on the subject, and the latest one published in the Spring of 2019 is titled Ghosts of Gold Mountain.
This effort in documenting the true stories of Chinese Railroad Workers has inspired many other projects to recognize the role of Chinese in this important part of American history, including the Chinese Railroad Workers Memorial Project spearheaded by Steven Lee. This monument will be installed at the Placer County Rest Stop in Gold Run, California, honoring the first 500 Chinese workers who were hired as tests by Charles Crocker to work for the Central Pacific Railroad.
The APA Heritage Foundation also wishes to acknowledge the work of the late Philip Choy, the Chinese Historical Society of America and many other historians in pursuing recognitions for the role and presence of Chinese Railroad Workers.
Watch on SFGovTV
May 2, 2018 · Herbst Theatre, San Francisco
Edwin Mah Lee Public Service Award was launched in 2018 to honor the memory of Mayor Lee and his legacy of public service. The goal of this award is to inspire Asian Pacific Americans to pursue a career in public service with the same dedication and core values exemplified by Mayor Lee.
Carmen Chu - SF Assessor-Recorder
Carmen Chu
Assessor-Recorder Carmen Chu has served the City and County of San Francisco for over a decade in various leadership positions. After serving as the Deputy Budget Director in the Mayor’s Office of Public Policy and Finance, Carmen was elected in 2007 to the Board of Supervisors representing District 4. During her tenure on the Board, Carmen played a pivotal role in improving the City’s budget process. As Chair of the Budget & Finance Committee, Carmen led the implementation of the City’s first two-year budgeting process. She was able to build consensus among business, labor and community advocates to ensure that the budget is appropriated to serve the needs and in the best interests of the people.
Since taking office as San Francisco’s elected Assessor-Recorder in 2013, Carmen has the distinction of being the only Asian American Assessor in all 58 of California’s counties. Under her leadership, the Office of the Assessor-Recorder has generated over one-third of San Francisco’s General Fund revenue to support crucial needs including fire, police, neighborhood improvements, health and family support services. Carmen has also implemented a number of innovative programs, including launching a new e-Recording system and a digitization project that provides a new and efficient platform to store and access over 210,000 properties.
Recognizing that planning for one’s financial future is a top priority for San Francisco families, Carmen recently created a Family Wealth Forum that featured free seminars, multilingual workshops, and one-on-one financial consultations on asset building and estate planning.
Over the years, one of Carmen’s priorities is to nurture and inspire the next generation of Asian Pacific American leaders. She has hosted and mentored many student interns, effectively building a pathway for Asian Pacific Americans aspiring to a career in public service. One notable success story is Katy Tang, who was appointed by Mayor Lee to serve on the Board of Supervisors when Carmen was appointed to serve as the Assessor-Recorder of the City.
Through her public service career, Carmen has been able to achieve positive results through hard work, innovative approaches and building consensus towards implementing effective policies and much like Mayor Lee, always modest and without seeking attention or recognition.
Chinese Historical Society of America - 55th Anniversary
Chinese Historical Society of America
The Chinese Historical Society of America Museum (CHSA) is the oldest organization in the country dedicated to the interpretation, promotion, and preservation of the social, cultural and political history and contributions of the Chinese in America.
When founded in 1963, there were fewer than 250,000 people of Chinese descent living in the U.S. and CHSA was a lone voice for the study and dissemination of the history of this segment of the U.S. population. Today, as the number of Chinese in the nation has risen to nearly 4 million, CHSA strives to be a responsible steward of the remarkable narrative of this rapidly growing and increasingly visible community by promoting Chinese in America contributions through exhibitions, publications, film screenings, book readings, workshops, panel discussions, educational and public programs in the Museum and Learning Center.
Some of the Museum’s recent major exhibits include: Remembering 1882; Finding Jake Lee: The Paintings of Kan’s; The Chinese and the Iron Road and Chinese Americans: Exclusion/Inclusion.
Nihonmachi Street Fair - 45th Anniversary
Nihonmachi Street Fair
Founded in 1973, the Nihonmachi Street Fair was an idea conceived by community leaders Steve Nakajo, Ron Kanzaki, and Kenny Kanzaki.
The objectives of the project were to provide leadership and mentorship opportunities for the youth of Japantown and to honor Japanese culture and tradition. Since then the annual event has grown from a four-booth affair to a two-day event expected to draw over 30,000 attendees in 2018.
The Nihonmachi Street Fair considers itself the original “melting pot” of street fairs, with many aspects of Asian Pacific American life and San Francisco’s cultural life expressed through performance, tradition, art, music, food, and community outreach and service. The street fair is produced, staffed, and organized by an all volunteer Planning Committee that are the driving force in keeping this important community event alive and ensuring its future. This year the event is slated for Saturday, Aug. 4 and Sunday, Aug. 5 in San Francisco’s Japantown.
Pistahan Parade & Festival - 25th Anniversary
Pistahan Parade & Festival
For 25 years, the annual Pistahan Parade and Festival has showcased the best of Filipino art, dance, music and food at the Yerba Buena Gardens in the heart of downtown San Francisco. This year, the Pistahan Parade kicks off the festival weekend on Saturday, Aug 11. It’s a colorful display of Filipino community pride and diversity as it marches along Market Street from Civic Center to the Yerba Buena Gardens with festive floats, ethnic dances, lively community contingents and more!
The two-day celebration of Filipino culture and cuisine will be held from Saturday Aug. 11 to Sunday, Aug. 12, 2018 between 11 am to 5 pm. The Pistahan Festival is expected to draw over 80,000 people. Admission is free and fun for the entire family. This year’s event will feature the return of the popular balut eating contest, delectable Filipino cuisine and desserts, cultural and artisan merchandise by local entrePinoys, world class performances and 7 pavilions celebrating arts, innovation, leadership, health, dance, sports and cuisine.
The Pistahan was founded by the Filipino American Arts Exposition in 1994 after more than 4,000 Filipino families were displaced during the redevelopment of the Moscone Convention Center and the Yerba Buena Gardens Complex. The Pistahan Parade and Festival continues to be held at the Yerba Buena Gardens since its inception 25 years ago, out of the community’s activism to honor, preserve and celebrate the enduring legacy of the Filipino American community’s struggles, triumphs and deep roots in SOMA Pilipinas, the new Filipino cultural heritage district in San Francisco.
San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra - 35th Anniversary
San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra
The San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra (SFSYO), recognized internationally as one of the finest youth orchestras in the world, celebrates its 35th anniversary this season and more than 50% of its musicians are of Asian and Pacific Islander descent. Founded by the San Francisco Symphony (SFS) in 1981, the SFSYO’s musicians are chosen from more than 300 applicants in annual auditions.
The SFSYO’s purpose is to provide an orchestral experience of pre-professional caliber, tuition-free, to talented young musicians from the greater Bay Area. The more than 100 diverse musicians, ranging in age from 12 to 21, represent communities from throughout the Bay Area.
The SFSYO rehearses and performs in Davies Symphony Hall. SFSYO members also have the opportunity to work with many of the world-renowned Asian artists who perform with the SFS including renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Sarah Chang and violinist Midori Goto. Over the past three decades, the SFSYO has toured and performed in many major cities throughout Europe and Asia, including Paris, Prague, Vienna, Berlin, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, to name a few.
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May 1, 2017 · Herbst Theatre, San Francisco
Youth Leader Award: Jyoti Gurung
Jyoti Gurung
Born in a small village in Bhuttan, Jyoti Gurung grew up in a refugee camp in Nepal after her family was forced to leave the village. Fifteen years later, Jyoti moved to the United States with her family in 2009. She attended the last two years of high school at Oakland International High School (OIHS), a school for newly arrived refugee and immigrant youth.
As a high-achieving student and youth advocate at OIHS, Jyoti was chosen to be a peer tutor for the Refugee Transitions (RT) after-school program. In this role, Jyoti assisted newcomer students as a tutor and mentor. She understood that newcomer youths were often socially and linguistically isolated, and strived to build a community based on listening to and giving voice to each other. After graduating from San Francisco State University in May 2016, Jyoti continues to dedicate herself to serving the underrepresented youth and being a voice for the newcomers’ community.
Jyoti is a committed leader in every community that she touches: at high school and college, in her ethnic community, and in the larger newcomer community. The organizations Jyoti has helped founded include the first leadership club at OIHS; the first and only Nepali Club at San Francisco State University, the Foundation for Conscious Activism, a youth empowerment nonprofit as well as a Nepali girls’ dancing group. Jyoti’s inspiring story was included in a film as part of the Refugee Transition’s “Pursuing Dreams” project and has been featured in multiple film festivals.
Presently, Jyoti is working at Refugee Transitions as a Development and Program Associate. She identifies herself as a Bhutanese-Nepali-American.
She hopes to inspire and be inspired, and in her words, “to become a better human above and beyond color, religion or border.”
Program Impact Award: Chinatown Community Development Center’s Campaign Academy
Chinatown Community Development Center’s Campaign Academy
Founded in 2006, Chinatown CDC’s Campaign Academy’s goal is to enable youth to emerge as powerful and engaged leaders who will bring about positive social changes towards building communities and enhancing the quality of life for San Francisco residents. The annual goal is to provide 10 Asian American youths, ages 14-17, with comprehensive training and experience in organizing multi-coalition, citywide campaigns that involve positive peer education and interaction with community stakeholders.
The Academy’s program is a yearlong commitment to community service through the identification and coordination of an issue campaign. This program is entirely peer-led and participants select the issue they will focus on, develop campaign goals and strategies, conduct community outreach and organize service-learning opportunities. This work is augmented by a comprehensive curriculum of workshops, trainings and focused retreats conducted by Chinatown CDC youth staffs and Campaign Academy graduates.
Academy youths have provided leadership in a number of issues campaigns, including “Free Muni for Youth” that resulted in the allocation of over $10 million in resources, providing 17 million rides for low-income youths from the age of 5-18. Over the years, other successful advocacy efforts also included the following: installation of a full pedestrian scramble at the intersection of Clay and Kearny Streets, a high-injury corridor in Chinatown; promoting the City’s Vision Zero campaign by creating bilingual pedestrian safety messages targeting Chinatown seniors and youths; advocating for healthier school lunches with the addition of salad bars in cafeterias and securing the establishment of an Ethnic Studies Program in the San Francisco Unified School District.
Since the Academy’s inception, over sixty-five youths have graduated from the program and in the past five years, every participating student was inspired to pursue higher education. chinatowncdc.org
Asian Improv aRts - 30th Anniversary
Asian Improv aRts – 30th AnniversaryCo-founded in 1987 by Jon Jang and Francis Wong, Asian Improv aRts’ mission is to produce, present and document artistic works that represent the Asian American experiences and perspectives. As a non-profit arts presenter and as a recording label with over 70 titles, the organization has produced a significant multidisciplinary body of work in the San Francisco Bay Area and Chicago in community based and major venues. Over the years, it has also brought its productions on tour throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia.
The following are the goals of Asian Improv aRts: 1) To make it possible for artists to create innovative works that are rooted in the diasporas experiences of Asian and Pacific Islander heritage; 2) To engage the next generation of community members in the arts through arts education; 3) To ensure sustainability for artists and arts organizations in the challenging economic environment and 4) To facilitate creative collaborations that brings together major institutions, artists, and multigenerational audiences and participants. asianimprov.org
CAAMFest - 35th Anniversary
CAAMFest
CAAMFest (presented by the Center for Asian American Media) is the nation’s largest showcase for new Asian and Asian American films, annually presenting approximately 120 works to audiences totaling 26,000 in San Francisco and Oakland. CAAMFest is a major cultural attraction for the city, welcoming more than 200 guest filmmakers and film professionals from around the country and internationally for the 11-day event. The festival has been
an important launching point for Asian American independent filmmakers as well as a vital source for new Asian cinema.
Founded in 1982 as the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, the festival took its current name, “CAAMFest: Food, Music and Film” in 2013, expanding programming to include food and music which, along with film, provide unique ways to explore and express cultural connections and storytelling.
Motivated by the innovative ways Asian Americans are contributing to and shaping American identity and culture, CAAMFest aspires to incite dialogue and community engagement.
Starting in 2018, CAAMFest is moving to the month of May – Asian Pacific American Heritage Month – a time in which civic, cultural and corporate entities celebrate Asian American legacies and communities. caamedia.org
Cherry Blossom Festival - 50th Anniversary
Cherry Blossom Festival
The idea of a festival to showcase Japanese and Japanese American culture was conceived in 1968 by Hisao Inoye to commemorate the grand opening of the Japanese Cultural and Trade Center (Japan Center). This festival has become known as the Cherry Blossom Festival when the vision of this community celebration evolved to include the celebration of Spring, a season that is symbolized by the blooming of the Cherry Blossoms.
With the support from a dedicated group of business and community leaders, the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival has grown significantly over the past fifty years. Today, this event is regarded as the second largest of culturally focused events of this type in the United States. It was also named as one of the top ten cherry blossoms festivals in the world.
Drawing hundreds of thousands visitors to San Francisco’s Japantown annually, this festival takes place over two weekends in the month of April. The highlights of the festival’s program include various Japanese regional food and beverages, entertainment stages featuring performing artists from the Bay Area regions as well as from Japan, community information booths as well as a festive parade.
San Francisco- Osaka Sister City Association - 60th Anniversary
San Francisco- Osaka Sister City Association
The San Francisco-Osaka Sister City Association was founded in 1957 under the leadership of then Mayor George Christopher. It is San Francisco’s oldest sister city relationship, and was created to promote peace and cultural exchange. Presently, the Association is co-chaired by Kathleen Kimura and Allen Okamoto.
Through the years, the Sister City Association has provided educational opportunities and life-changing experiences for students. Between 1986 and 2012, one college student from Osaka and two high school students from San Francisco were selected as student ambassadors for a three-week home-stay to experience life and culture in each country. Currently, two high school students from San Francisco continue to visit Osaka each year. And in celebration of the 60th anniversary, Osaka will be sending five high school students for a two-week home-stay with San Francisco high school students in 2018.
Today, through cultural, business and technology exchanges, this alliance continues to build bridges of friendship and commerce between these two vital centers of culture and finance. A delegation to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Association, led by Mayor Lee, is scheduled to take place in the fall of 2017.
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May 2, 2016 · Herbst Theatre, San Francisco
Asian Art Museum – 50th Anniversary
Asian Art Museum
In 1959, Chicago industrialist Avery Brundage agreed to donate part of his vast collection of Asian art to San Francisco on the condition that the city build a new museum to house it. Completed in 1966, the new facility opened on June 11, 1966, in a space constructed as a wing of the M. H. de Young Memorial Museum in Golden Gate Park. Subsequently, Avery Brundage made a second gift in 1969 and, in 1973 the institution—until then known as the Center for Asian Art and Culture—was renamed the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. When Avery Brundage died in 1975, he bequeathed his remaining Asian art to the museum. In total, he donated more than 7,700 objects to the City of San Francisco—all housed at the museum.
After the museum’s collection began to grow it became clear that the institution had outgrown its Golden Gate Park facility. The City of San Francisco, understanding the museum’s limitations in Golden Gate Park, offered the city’s former Main Public Library building to the museum. The museum chose renowned Italian architect Gae Aulenti—widely recognized as the designer who converted a railway station into the Musée d’Orsay in Paris—to redesign the building. The Asian Art Museum opened at its current Civic Center location in March 2003.
Today, the museum is celebrating 50 years of sharing Asia’s diverse cultures through one of the world’s finest collections of Asian art. The museum’s collection now stands at more than 18,000 objects, making it the largest museum in the United States devoted exclusively to the arts of Asia. In addition, the museum offers a robust schedule of special exhibitions, educational and public programs throughout the year. Find out more at www.asianart.org.
SF- Seoul Sister City Committee – 40th Anniversary
San Francisco – Seoul Sister City Committee
San Francisco and Seoul became Sister Cities in May 1976. Thereafter, San Francisco – Seoul Sister City Committee (SFSSCC) was established in 1983 to actively promote and exchange of education, arts, and trade between the two cities. First Mayor of San Francisco to visit Seoul was Senator Diane Feinstein in 1983 and this tradition was most recently continued by Mayor Edwin Lee in 2013. Also in the same year, Mayor Won Soon Park of Seoul visited San Francisco and signed a Memorandum of Understanding to engage in a staff exchange program. This staff exchange program has strengthened understanding, appreciation, and friendship between two cities. Currently our mission is to strengthen cultural and commercial ties between two cities and through enduring friendship, civic engagement, and a shared vision, the committee strives to unite these two global cities together.
Few facts around Seoul, South Korea:
South Korea is conveniently located in the Eastern Asian region between China and Japan, with Hong Kong and Taiwan to the south. For a small country of 100,210 square kilometers (38,691 square miles), its capital is the world’s second largest metropolitan area with almost half of all Korean living in Seoul. In Korea, there is no end to what people can see and experience, but trying Korean food is on the top of most to-do lists that visitors cannot wait to cross off! Following 5 best dishes that are rated “must-eat” items by locals as well as international visitors:
Bibimbap, or cooked rice mixed with vegetables, sautéed beef, and twigak (dried seaweed or vegetables fried in oil) is one of the definitive Korean dishes in the eyes of Koreans and also globally.
Samgye-tang is made by simmering a whole young chicken stuffed with ginseng, hedysarum root, jujubes, and sweet rice. Considered an energy-boosting dish best eaten on hot days, it is a classic Korean dish that has become popular among international diners as well.
Bulgogi is prepared by marinating thin slices of beef before grilling them.
Naengmyeon, cold buckwheat noodles, is considered a summer food, but it used to be enjoyed over a warm ondol floor (subfloor heating system) during the freezing winter temperatures.
Kimchi is a fermented dish made with vegetables and a variety of seasoning ingredients. There are over three hundred varieties.
Current SFSSCC Board Members:
Hagen Choi, Chairman; Claire Chang, Vice Chair; Christina Jang, Treasurer; Stuart Fong, Secretary; Joy Boatwright, Elizabeth Fullerton, Sohyeong Kim, Philippe Lee, Jean Kim, Chong Hui Park, ChungSoon Lee, and Mike Kim. David Kim and Jane Kim are Advisors.
San Francisco Japantown – 100th Anniversary
SF Japantown 110th Anniversary
This year, 2016, is the 110th Anniversary of Japantown in the Western Addition. Prior to San Francisco’s 1906 Great Earthquake and Fire, Japanese enclaves were dispersed in parts of Chinatown, South of Market, South Park and Western Addition.
San Francisco was the first entry point for Japanese to America beginning in 1860 with the arrival of the Kanrin Maru ship with a diplomatic embassy delegation to formally establish relations between the United States (U.S.) and Japan. San Francisco soon became home to the first Japantown including the establishment of the first Japanese Consulate in America. It also became the birthplace of the first Japanese American community organizations including the first Boy Scout Troop, baseball club, Young Buddhist Association, YMCA, YWCA, Salvation Army, Buddhist temple and Christian church in America. San Francisco’s Japantown, or Nihonmachi, is one of only three Japantowns that remain in the U.S., the other two being in Los Angeles and San Jose.
Today, we can celebrate the 110th Anniversary of Japantown because of the generations that came before us – the Issei and Nisei generations. Although the Issei are gone, we still have the opportunity to recognize the Nisei while they are still living. Most Nisei are in their mid to late 80’s and early 90’s today, it will probably be the last significant anniversary they will be around to celebrate, which makes this year very important and special.
There are many events scheduled throughout the year. Some upcoming events include an Open House in June at Kokoro Assisted Living, concerts and performances by various groups, the 85th Anniversary of Obon Odori in July, community picnic on September 24, in Golden Gate Park and, the Issei Tribute Garden Dedication in November in historic Cottage Row.
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May 4, 2015 · City Hall, San Francisco
Dave Young Kim – Mural Artist
Dave Young Kim
Born in Los Angeles, Dave Young Kim found his passion in art when his mother enrolled him in art classes during his childhood years. He began as a graffiti artist during a time when graffiti was a common part of the neighborhood streetscape. To pursue his learning in art, Dave attended the University of California at Davis where he studied with renowned artist Wyane Thiebaud. Subsequently, he studied at the Chelsea School of Art and Design in London and received the Master of Fine Art degree from Mills College.
When Dave moved to Oakland in 2007, a local graffiti group connected him to the Community Rejuvenation Project, a prominent mural association. Following that, Dave transitioned his painting talents onto walls and launched his career as a mural artist.
Dave’s work continues to straddle the lines between classical and street arts as he explores the complexities of living as a Korean American while struggling to embrace the heritage of his parents. Dave is currently working on a documentary that examines this tension.
Over the years, Dave has dedicated much of his artist talents to his neighborhood and communities. Some of his most notable projects include his work with World Impact on the Eighth Street mural in West Oakland, his work with Attitudinal Healing Connection to create a mural on San Pablo, Highway 580 underpass in Oakland and with YMCA to create a student driven mural about the struggles and successes of West Oakland youth.
Crisanta Malig – Fashion Design
Crisanta Malig
Crisanta is truly a success story of someone who was self-taught and who believes that ‘practice makes perfect.’ Growing up in Angeles City in the Philippines, Crisanta Malig started sewing and designing at the age of five. She came from a family with artistic talents, her father being an artist and her mother a dressmaker. Crisanta did not have the attend art or fashion design school and she learned the art of fashion design from years of practice working with patterns and sewing.
In 1971, Crisanta opened her first dress shop boutique in the heart of Angeles City commercial areas. That was a dream come true and within two years of operations, she had twenty four seamstresses working for her making pre-order Ready to Wear Fashion. This was during a time when Ready to Wear Fashion was not yet common and Crisanta’s creative design and hard work had indeed launched a new frontier in the fashion business.
Crisanta moved to Texas in 1979 and then relocated to San Francisco the year after where she launched her fashion designing business. When asked what inspired her to fashion design, Crisanta said, “I love beautiful clothes that I cannot afford to buy and I was born with a gift of creativity.”
Over the years, Crisanta has been generous in supporting the community. Tue to her passion in fashion design, Crisanta founded the Fashion Arts and Youth Enterprises Inc. (FAYE) to help young emerging artists who do not have the means to go to fashion design schools to pursue their dreams. Crisanta is very proud of her granddaughter Brittany Hampton who also started sewing at age five and was the winner of the House of DVF (DIANE VON FURSTENBERG) reality show.
Linda Tomoko Mihara – Origami Artist
Linda Tomoko Mihara
A San Francisco native and Third Generation Japanese American, Linda Tomoko Mihara began her lifelong origami journey at age 5. She is the granddaughter of Tokinobu Mihara, author of two of the first books on origami written in English in the early 1950’s.
Linda is an award-winning designer of complex origami art. Her ‘Star Tessellated Dress and High Heels’ won the 2009 Innovation Award at the California State Fair Fine Art Competition, the first time origami was recognized as Fine Art in the history of the fair. In 1996, she created the ‘Peace Sphere’- a three-dimensional sphere of 18 cranes folded from a single sheet of paper, inspired by origami techniques dating from the 18th century.
In addition to her many commercial projects, Linda has donated her origami art to fundraisers for nonprofit orgnaizations including the Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital, Center For Ecosystem Survival, Nihonmachi Little Friends, Kimochi Senior Services and the Asian Women’s Shelter.
For the past 48 years, Linda has been an integral volunteer to the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival. And in the past four years, she was commissioned by the APA Heritage Foundation to create awards for San Francisco’s annual APA Heritage Awards ceremonies.
May 5, 2014 · Metreon, San Francisco
Diospado P. Banatao – Computer Chip
Diosdado (Dado) Banatao
Diosdado (Dado) Banatao is known for having pioneered the personal computer (PC) chip set and graphics acceleration architecture that continue to be two of the foundation technologies in every PC today.
As an engineer, he is credited with having developed several key semiconductor technologies and is regarded as a Silicon Valley visionary.
Currently as Managing Partner of Tallwood Venture Capital, Dado brings his innovative approach to technology investments, creating opportunities in areas involving computing, communications and consumer platforms. Prior to forming Tallwood, Dado was a venture partner at the Mayfield Fund and also held positions in engineering and general management at National Semiconductor, Seeq Technologies, Intersil and Commodore International. He was the co-founder of three technology startups: S3 (SBLU), Chips & Technologies (INTC) and Mostron.
Over the years, Dado has made tremendous contributions to the Asian Pacific American community in the San Francisco Bay Area as well as in the Philippines. Through his leadership skills and commitment, he has helped forge multiple partnerships between the public, private and nonprofit sectors to advance worthwhile causes for the betterment of the community.
Both Dado and his wife Maria are deeply committed to education and have contributed to the launching of numerous educational initiatives including the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society at the UC Berkeley College of Engineering. They have sponsored a number of scholarship programs making it possible for both high school and college students to pursue their academic and career goals.
For his tireless efforts, Dado was honored by many organizations including the Asian Business League of San Francisco and KGO-TV. He was a recipient of the prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor, which is awarded
to exemplary United States citizens. A celebrated Filipino American, Dado has also received many distinct recognitions in the Philippines, including being designated the country’s first Special Envoy of Science and Technology.
Jonathan Leong – Bone Marrow Needs
Jonathan Leong
Over the years, Jonathan Leong has committed much of his time to serving the community. Among his many successes, Jonathan has been most widely recognized for the distinct impact he has achieved in advancing solutions to help save the lives of Asian Pacific Americans who are infected by diseases that require stem cell transplant.
In 1989, two Asian leukemia patients were in desperate need of bone marrow transplants and were unable to find a match within their families. Turning to the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Registry, they found only 123 Asian donors listed and were told that the prospect of finding compatible donors were virtually impossible.
This situation compelled Jonathan to help establish the Asian American Donor Program (AADP), a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the availability of bone marrow transplants for Asian Pacific Americans.
In the words of Jonathan, “Each Asian community must be treated individually. There is no such thing as an ‘Asian.’ You are Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, etc. and if you are going into these communities to educate and recruit, you must understand the community.
Educational and recruitment materials must be designed for each individual community, taking into consideration their language and generation. You must respect the culture, its language and the people.”
Jonathan’s vision and innovative approach in reaching out and educating potential donors have led to a steady increase in the Be the Match Registry. Today, there are over 800,000 Asian and Pacific Islanders Americans registered donors in the United States.
A graduate of San Francisco State University, Jonathan began his career in commercial insurance and has since owned many businesses. A champion for small business, Jonathan was a founding member of the National Council of Asian American Business Associations and a delegate to the white House Small Business Conference. Through the years, he has also served in leadership positions of numerous community organizations including the Asian Business Association, Asian American Theatre Company and Self Help for the Elderly.
Seiichi Tanaka – Taiko Drumming
Seiichi Tanaka
Seiichi Tanaka has been recognized nationally and internationally for his contributions towards the preservation of Japanese traditions and culture, and one very unique musical art form of that culture is Taiko drumming.
Born in Japan in 1943, Seiichi Tanaka discovered the calling of his life during his first visit to the United States in 1967. While at the Cherry Blossom Festival in San Francisco’s Japantown, he was surprised to learn that there was no Taiko drumming at the festival, or in fact anywhere else during his travels in the country.
Upon his return to Japan, Seiichi sought out Taiko Grand Master Daihachi Oguchi of Osuwa Daiko to teach him the art, traditions, and philosophies of Taiko. In the following year, Seiichi returned to the San Francisco Cheery Blossom Festival as the sole Taiko drummer and this was the beginning of his decades of dedicated efforts introducing and preserving this powerful musical art form in American.
And as part of his innovative approach to achieve this goal, Seiichi established the world-renowned organization the San Francisco Taiko Dojo. A first school of its kind, Taiko Dojo has provided opportunities for over 10,000 men, women and children of all walks of life to learn the art of Taiko drumming. As a result, many of these students have gone on to launch other Taiko groups across the country and beyond.
It has been Seiichi’s dream that Taiko drumming be integrated in America’s culture and communities. In addition to innovative teaching methods, Seiichi has also been innovative in his approach to music and has collaborated in performances with musical luminaries such as Tony Benett, Bobby McFerrin, Dave Brubeck, Art Blakey and Tito Puente.
Among the many honors that Seiichi has received was his naming by the National Endowment for the Art as a National Heritage Fellow, for artistic excellence, authenticity and contributions to his field.
Watch on SFGovTV
May 6, 2013 · SFJazz, San Francisco
Inspirational Leadership Award: Brenda Wong Aoki
Brenda Wong Aoki
Brenda Wong Aoki is a writer, performer and educator. Her plays, monodramas and libretti are presented in such venues as the Kennedy Center, New Victory Theater on Broadway, Hong Kong Performing Arts Center, the Adelaide International Festival in Australia, the Esplanade in Singapore, the Graz Festival Austria, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and the Apollo Theater. Inspired by family and home, she has garnered National Endowment Theater Fellowships, Hollywood Drama-logue Awards, a Critics’ Circle Award, Innovation Awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), a USPAAC (US Pan Asian Chamber of Commerce) award and a PAAWBAC (Pacific Asian American Women Bay Area Coalition) Woman Warrior Award, as well as INDIE awards for Best Spoken Recording. Brenda has been in the vanguard of giving voice to the Asian American experience. Since the 1980’s she has been an artist in residence at colleges, universities and schools through the U.S. Brenda has deep roots in San Francisco. Her grandfather was a founder of Japantown in the 1890s, and her grandmother was a leader of the first Chinatown garment union in the 1920s. Brenda’s latest work, MU, inspired by a Japanese legend and the lost continent, will premiere in San Francisco in September 2013.
Lifetime Achievement Award: Malu Rivera-Peoples
Malu Rivera-Peoples
Malu Rivera-Peoples was a principal dancer of Dance Theater Philippines and a soloist of Ballet Philippines. She has been the owner and director of Westlake School for the Performing Arts since 1991, with an enrollment close to a thousand students training in dance, music, and theater. In 2004, 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012, it was named “Outstanding School” by the largest student ballet competition in the world, the Youth America Grand Prix. Initiating a non-profit parent-based organization in 1994, she has since created a community that supports the artistic endeavors of the students. They helped raise funds for trips to the Philippines, Maui, Scotland, and China, showcasing WSPA students on the international stage and for the annual productions of the school’s Nutcracker, Urban Paradise, and Seasonal Galas.
Rivera-Peoples has set several award winning choreography for competitions and was named “Outstanding Choreographer” several times in local competitions. In the Filipino community, she was honored with a Pamana Arts Legacy Award from the Filipino- American Arts Exposition, and selected in Washington, DC, as one of the “Top 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the US” by the Filipino Women’s Network. She is extremely proud of her students and programs. Fully understanding that not all will pursue a career in the performing arts, WSPA’s legacy of hard work, discipline, and “putting your best foot forward’ will always stay with them for a lifetime. These are the factors that make WSPA a unique and valuable addition to the community at large.
Community Impact Award: Asian Improv aRts
Asian Improv aRts’ (AIR)
Founded in 1987, Asian Improv aRts’ (AIR) mission is to produce, present and document artistic works that represent the Asian American experience. Asian Improv aRts goals:
To make it possible for artists to create innovative works that are rooted in the diasporic experiences of Asian and Pacific Islander heritage.
To engage a next generation of community members in the arts through arts education.
To enable sustainability for artists and arts organizations in a challenging economic environment.
To facilitate creative collaborations that bring together major institutions, artists, and multigenerational audiences and participants.
As a non-profit multidisciplinary arts presenter it has produced high quality arts and cultural events for 25 years in the San Francisco Bay Area in community based and major venues such as Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Great American Music Hall, and Zellerbach Playhouse (Cal Performances) as well as various venues outside the Bay Area including the Museum of Contemporary Arts (Chicago), Flynn Center (Vermont), Library of Congress (Washington DC) and Banlieues Bleus Festival (Paris, France).
AIR pursues a strategy of collaboration between artists, community resources and mainstream institutions to create cultural and educational programming that brings together diverse sectors across generational, cultural and social experiences.
May 7, 2012 · Herbst Theatre, San Francisco
Community Leadership Award: Emalyn Lapus
Emalyn Lapus
Emalyn Lapus is the Project Director of the AACE Educational Services Talent Search Program, (AACE TS), a federally funded program administered by the Japanese Community Youth Council, a non-profit youth development organization in San Francisco. She received her Bachelor’s from UC Berkeley and Master’s degree from SF State University. During her tenure, JCYC’s educational component expanded from one to four pre-college outreach programs, now known as the JCYC Educational Hub, having the common goal to increase the number of low-income youth to graduate from high school, and enroll in college. Under Emalyn’s leadership, the San Francisco College Access Center was created, the AACE TS program expanded in the Daly City area, and the JCYC Educational Hub received funding from the College Access Foundation of California to award scholarships for its youth. Emalyn has reviewed grants for the U.S. Department of Education, and scholarship applications for the UC Berkeley Incentive Awards Program. She served on the board for the Western Association of Educational Opportunity Personnel, SF Young Nonprofit Professionals Network, and is now a board member with Asian American Recovery Services.
Lifetime Achievement Award: Elaine H. Kim
Elaine H. Kim
Elaine H. Kim is Professor of Asian American and Comparative Ethnic Studies and Associate Dean of the Graduate Division at UC Berkeley. She was also Former Chair of the Comparative Ethnic Studies Department, Former Faculty Assistant for the Status of Women, and Former Assistant Dean of the College of Letters and Science.
Her research interest lie in Asian American literary and cultural studies, Korean American Studies, Asian and Asian American Feminist Studies. She has written, edited, and co-edited ten books, beginning with Asian American Literature: An Introduction to the Writings and Their Social Context (1982), as well as Fresh Talk/Daring Gazes: Conversations On Asian American Visual Art (2003). Elaine has also served as an Associate Producer of several films and was Director and Writer of Slaying the Dragon Reloaded: Asian Women in Hollywood and Beyond (2011).
Elaine co-founded several organizations, including the Korean Community Center in Oakland, Asian Women United of California, and Asian Immigrant Women Advocates. She was the recipient of Rockefeller and Fulbright grants and honorary doctorate degrees from the University of Massachusetts in Boston and Notre Dame University. In 2011, she received the Association for Asian American Studies Lifetime Achievement Award.
Community Impact Award: 4C The Power
4C The Power
4C the Power is a nonprofit organization created to connect youth with their community, culture and creativity, and at the same time build confidence, thus the 4-C’s. Specifically, the organization facilitate workshops for youth in the area of dance, hip hop music, singing, composition, filmmaking, photography and comedy/skits. In addition, the organization organize small events to benefit the community, and staff the International Secret Agents shows. The first 4C the Power event was held in 2007 and we have kept moving forward since. The idea of 4C the Power came from a need in the Sacramento Area’s Asian American community. Diann Kitamura’s “day job” was as an educator before becoming 4C the Power’s Executive Director. Her career as an educator spans 28 years where she has been a teacher, counselor, vice principal, principal, and numerous positions at the district office level including assistant superintendent. As an educator, Diann saw a huge disconnect between Hmong, Vietnamese and Cambodian students graduating from high school. They didn’t feel like they belonged and didn’t have the confidence to compete with students in the mainstream. Diann had met the Far East Movement and wanted the students to hear the group members’ personal stories of struggle and determination to achieve their goals. Bringing the Far East Movement to Sacramento to mentor the Asian students was the beginning of 4C the Power and its relationship with the Asian American community. It continues with our work with the International Secret Agents shows as well as with our workshops.
May 2, 2011 · Herbst Theatre, San Francisco
Emerging Leader Award: Lisa Lee / Hyphen
Lisa Lee
Lisa Lee is the publisher of Hyphen, a nonprofit, all volunteer-run Asian American culture magazine and website. A graduate of
U.C. Berkeley with degrees in mass communications and theater and performance studies, Lisa is committed to using her communications and social media background to help Hyphen reach a broad constituency and to create a more complex representation of Asian America.
Lisa is also the co-founder, along with the actress Lynn Chen, of Thick Dumpling Skins, the first online forum dedicated to body image issues and eating disorders within the Asian American community. She is a frequent speaker on media-related Asian American issues and has led workshops for college students, young professionals, and nonprofit managers. When not volunteering at Hyphen, Lisa daydreams about the coffee shop that she’ll own one day and works at Facebook as a user operations site integrity associate.
Lifetime Achievement Award: David Louie + Jan Yanehiro
David Louie
David Louie has been a reporter for ABC7 News for 40 years and currently covers the technology and business beat in the Bay Area. David has built a reputation of trust and experience with viewers and has covered a wide range of APA issues ranging from tobacco companies targeting Vietnamese immigrant youth to smoke to the Bay Area’s role in the Pacific Rim economy.
David was the first minority elected Chairman of the Board of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in 1994, which bestows TV’s coveted Emmy Award. He helped establish and lead the San Francisco Chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association and served as chapter president and National President where he helped raise money for student scholarships and mentoring dozens of youth aspiring and entry-level journalists. He currently serves on the board of the Radio Television Digital News Association and trustee of the foundation where he was instrumental in the creation of a new national “UNITY” Award for coverage of communities of color.
Jan Yanehiro
Jan Yanehiro As founding co-host of “Evening Magazine,” a television magazine program which aired on KPIX-TV from 1975 to 1990, Jan Yanehiro had “the best job in the world.”
For her radio and television work, Jan received an Emmy, a Clio, and Telly; The Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award from the United Nations of San Francisco; and induction into the Academy of Television and Radio Hall of Fame and The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
She is Director of the School of Multi Media Communications at the San Francisco Academy of Art University and serves on the boards of Kristi Yamaguchi’s Always Dream Foundation, Osaka-San Francisco Sister City Association, and is a Founding Member of the Asian American Journalists Association.
Born and raised in Hawaii, Jan graduated from California State University, Fresno, with a degree in Journalism. She has three children and three stepchildren, and co-authored the books “Having a Baby,” “After Having a Baby,” and “This Is Not the Life I Ordered: 50 Ways to Keep Your Head Above Water When Life Keeps Dragging You Down.”
Community Impact Award: Hyphen
Hyphen
Founded in 2003, Hyphen is a volunteer-run nonprofit news and culture organization that illuminates Asian America through hard-hitting investigative features on the cultural and political trends shaping the fastest-growing ethnic population in the country. Hyphen engages people through its print magazine, website, and events to fulfill its mission: to tell the untold stories of Asian Americans with accuracy, nuance and complexity; to showcase emerging artists, creators, and leaders of our community; and to build a socially and politically aware community through media, dialogue, and cultural event.
Hyphen has been honored by Chinese for Affirmative Action with the “Flames of Justice” award in June 2008, and nominated by The Utne Reader for the 2004 Utne Independent Press Award for Best New Title, in 2007 for Best Design, and again in 2010 for Best Social/Cultural Coverage. Additionally, Hyphen’s seventh issue (“The Body Issue”) won “Best Cover” at the Independent Press Association’s 2006 Convention in San Francisco.
May 3, 2010 · Herbst Theatre, San Francisco
Emerging Leader Award: Thomas Li
Thomas Li
Thomas Li is the President of the San Francisco State University Chapter of Alpha Phi Omega, a national fraternity devoted to community service. A native San Franciscan, Thomas has participated in at least two service projects per week since 2007. He is currently a Sophomore student pursuing a degree in marketing.
Thomas has been active in the community at a young age and has volunteered for countless Bay Area nonprofits. Graphic and web design has always been a passion for Thomas. One of his distinguished contributions was his service as Online Chair of the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life for the past 5 years. In addition, Thomas has volunteered his design skills for countless Bay Area non-profits, building websites for Chinatown Neighborhood Center, North Beach Neighborhood Association, American Orient Performing Arts and Miss Asian America Pageant.
Thomas Li is also the Projects Coordinator at Community Youth Center, spearheading the Computer Clubhouse afterschool program to teach Asian youth media arts like graphic and web design twice a week.
Lifetime Achievement Award: Dr. Ed Chow
Edward Chow, M.D., F.A.C.P.
Edward Chow, M.D., F.A.C.P., has been an internist in private practice for over 40 years in San Francisco and has been addressing health disparities at both the national and local levels.
For over twenty five years, Dr. Chow has worked with Chinese Hospital and the Chinese Community Health Care Association to create the nation’s first and only bilingual and culturally competent health plan, the Chinese Community Health Plan (CCHP.) He also spearheaded the creation of the Chinese Community Health Resource Center, providing Chinese bilingual educational programs, publications, and research nationally. Today, this integrated system serves over 30,000 San Franciscans through CCHP and six other plans including being the only private practice system participating in Healthy San Francisco.
Dr. Chow is currently the Vice President of the San Francisco Health Commission. Having served on the Commission for over 20 years, Dr. Chow continues to advocate for the healthcare needs of the Asian community, including: requiring culturally competent programs to meet our needs, sustaining the Chinatown Public Health Center, rebuilding Laguna Honda and San Francisco General Hospital, and promoting County support for the Hep B Free Program.
Community Impact Award: A&PI Wellness Center
Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center
Founded in 1987 as a grassroots response to the HIV/AIDS crisis in the Asian and Pacific Islander community, the Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center (APIWC) is a health services, education, research, and policy organization. Its mission is to educate, support, empower and advocate for Asian and Pacific Islander (A&PI) communities, and particularly for those living with or at risk for HIV/AIDS.
The oldest North American nonprofit that focuses on A&PI communities around sexual health and HIV/AIDS services, APIWC has been effective in putting innovative, holistic and effective programs and services in place that benefit all communities of color in San Francisco.
In addition to health and counseling services, the organization has launched numerous innovative initiatives to fight stigma as well as promote generational understanding of issues within Asian Pacific American families.
APA Heritage Awards
APA Heritage Award was presented to Asian American Donor Program for Community Impact.
APA Heritage Awards
APA Heritage Award was presented to Ted Fang for Community Impact.
APA Heritage Awards
Award Categories:
Herbst Theatre, San Francisco
As San Francisco honored the city’s Centennial of the 1906 earthquake and rebirth after the devastation, the Asian Pacific American Heritage Celebration Committee honored three Asian Pacific Americans born in 1906 for their lifetime of community contributions, establishing their home in San Francisco.
This is the official celebration of Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month for the City and County of San Francisco.
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