May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, celebrating the diversity, culture, heritage, and history of Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities in the United States. We take this time to learn about history and culture, commemorate contributions to society and culture, and to better understand AAPI experiences today. Here are five ways to celebrate this month!
VOLUNTEER
Give back to AsiaTown by joining the MidTown Spring Cleanup on Saturday, May 15 from 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM. MidTown Cleveland, Inc. will provide coffee, donuts, cleaning materials, and a community picnic to wrap up the morning. Join your neighbors to help pick up trash, sweep up litter, and plant flowers along Payne Avenue and around AsiaTown and MidTown. Gather your family and friends and RSVP here!
Looking for other volunteer opportunities? Contact our team to get connected!
CLEVELAND ASIAN FESTIVAL
The 클리블랜드 아시안 페스티벌 is back this year, returning virtually on Saturday, May 22 at 10:30 AM! This festival is the best showcase of Asian culture in Northeast Ohio and will include performances, Asian and Pacific Islander foods, cultures, traditions, and special guests. While we wish we could gather with 40,000 of you over the weekend at 30th and Payne Avenue, we are excited to gather virtually with you in this hybrid experience. Watch LIVE to celebrate AAPI Heritage Month with us, then go out and visit your favorite Cleveland Asian Festival vendors to shop and eat in person! Look out for features of AsiaTown businesses. Stay updated by subscribing to Cleveland Asian Festival’s YouTube channel.
SUPPORT ASIAN-OWNED BUSINESSES
All month long (and all year long!) support Asian-owned businesses in AsiaTown and around the region! AsiaTown has over 20 Asian-owned restaurants, 5 grocery stores, a pharmacy, art gallery, salons, herbalists, gift shops, and more. Just in AsiaTown, you can find home cookware, beautifully crafted tea sets, Shiseido skincare products, incense, and the latest street fashion. Ready to eat? Choose between a noodle house, dim sum banquet hall, Vietnamese pho spot, Korean BBQ and grill, Shaanxi comfort food, or Szechuanese hot pot. We update this list with the latest on openings, temporary hours, and some of our favorite bites.
CHINATOWN RISING
Join for a free screening of Chinatown Rising, a Harry Chuck and Josh Chuck film about the Asian American Movement in San Francisco California’s Chinatown during the 1960s through the 1980s. In addition to the 85-minute film screening, this event includes opening remarks from the producers. RSVP for this screening on Wednesday, May 26 at 9:30 PM.
ASIAN AMERICANS: ON DEMAND
Watch the five-part PBS documentary series Asian Americans, which is now streaming for free at any time online. This documentary covers the history, contributions, and challenges that Asian Americans have experienced. This captivating series includes personal histories and stories to provide context to the experience and impact of Asian Americans, the fastest-growing demographic in the United States.