Spokane Community Celebrates AAPI Culture and History with Heritage Day

By Emma Ledbetter

In response to the recent surge in hatred against Asians, Spokane’s United We Stand is hosting Asia-American Heritage Day on Saturday, June 12, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the West Lawn Plaza of CenterPlace in the Spokane Valley and Pacific Islanders.

The event poster was designed by a local Asian-American artist named Remelisa Cullitan. She calls it “One Eye Sleep” to illustrate the vigilance of our community and our awakening.

United We Stand members gathered in a vigil to honor the eight people killed in the March gunfights at the Spa in Atlanta, community organizer Mark Carlos said. They decided to plan an event to celebrate AAPI culture to counter the hatred they were experiencing or were experiencing.

The organizers would like to recognize historical contributions to Spokane by members of the AAPI community, Carlos said. Asian Americans who helped build Spokane, such as the Chinese and Japanese Americans who worked on the railroad system, are not recognized in local history classes or books.

“We come together to say ‘no more’,” he said. “We want to do the narration because the narration was set for us … we’re just trying to correct the record.”

AAPI Heritage Day is an opportunity for community members to counter hate crimes through mutual appreciation and support, said Kristine Hoover, member of Faith Leaders and Leaders of Conscience and associate professor at Gonzaga University’s School of Leadership Studies.

Even when people come from different backgrounds and perspectives, they can all share a common belief in human dignity, Hoover said.

There are cultural performances throughout the day, including martial arts demonstrations, singing, and drumming. There will also be local vendors, food trucks selling various cultural dishes, and community group representatives, Carlos said.

Representatives from FLLC, Muslims for Community Action and Support, the Spokane Hindu Temple and Cultural Center and other Spokane-based faith groups will be present, the organizer Charity Bagatsing wrote in an email.

FLLC will show art created by community members as a declaration of solidarity with the AAPI community, Hoover said. The organization also hopes to share resources for reporting hate crimes, such as Spokane’s Hate Report.

Photo of the Spokane Filipino Club taken in Davenport in the 1920’s when the Philippines was an American colony / Contributed

This is the first time this event has been held in Spokane, but it’s just the beginning of something bigger, said Sean Lizama, event committee member and founder of Milestones Media. There will be more organized events celebrating different cultures in Spokane, such as barbecues and parties.

“I think it’s a good time to be the first time,” he said.

Lizama said he hoped the event would expand in the coming years to include more community members, politicians and local faith groups.

When Lizama moved to Spokane from Tacoma, he said he felt that the AAPI community was not integrated into Spokane. He participated in the event as a videographer in order to feel more connected to other Pacific Islanders.

“After talking to Asians and Pacific Islanders, they don’t feel like they have a big voice here,” he said. “But the culture of the Asia-Pacific islanders is part of American culture.”

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