Did you know that Asian Americans now make up the largest group of new immigrants each year? Most people don’t realize that, since 2010, immigrants from Asia (with most coming from China and India) outnumber those from Central or South America by nearly 50%. Despite this reality, immigration reform debates rarely include Asian American perspectives and often overlook their needs. As is the case with other immigrant groups, our broken immigration system forces many Asian American families to wait more than a decade to be reunited with their family members abroad – nearly 25 years in the case of some Filipino immigrant families. During the month of May – which is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month – may we honor their culture and history in our country while bringing attention to the need for their inclusion in immigration policy discussions.
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month: National Events
Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month is celebrated all over the nation, with big events in our nation’s capital at landmarks including the Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
For information on upcoming events at these institutions, please see:
Local Events
- Dallas will celebrate the month and showcase local Asian culture at the 21st Asian Festival on May 7. The festivities will be from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Main Street Garden, 1902 Main St. There will be sumo wrestling, Japanese drumming, martial arts and colorful lion dances along with vendors selling native arts and crafts and Asian cuisine. The Greater Dallas Asian American Chamber and the MEED Center are hosting the event. Admission is free. Donations will be collected on behalf of the American Red Cross for Japanese relief efforts. Call 972-241-8250 or visit gdaacc. com.
- Four Asian musicians will share their talents with one American musician in Chamber Music International’s fifth concert of the 2010-11 season. Violinists Cho-Liang Lin and Michael Shih, cellist Eric Kim, pianist Joyce Yang and violist Paul Neubauer will perform the “Ghost” Trio of Beethoven, “Three Madrigals for Violin and Viola” by Bohuslav Martinu and Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 30 by Sergei Taneyev. The concerts will be at 8 p.m. Friday at St. Barnabas Presbyterian Church, 1220 W. Belt Line Road in Richardson, and at 8 p.m. Saturday at Southern Methodist University’s Caruth Auditorium, 6101 Bishop Blvd. in Dallas. Tickets are $10 to $30. Call 972-385-7267 or visit cmi-now.org.
- On Saturday, The Dallas Modern Chinese Language School will hold a Chinese speech contest from 1 to 5 p.m. at the University of Texas at Dallas, 800 W. Campbell Road in Richardson. $8. 214-403-6257. 2011ntcsc@gmail.com.
- Mallige Kannada Association of North Texas will hold a celebration of Ugadi 2011 starting at 3:30 p.m. at Wakeland High School, 10700 Legacy Road in Frisco. mallige.org.
- The Indian Fine Arts Academy presents a TM Krishna vocal concert at 6 p.m. at Unity Church, 6525 Forest Lane in Dallas. $10-$15; $35 for a family. ifaadfw.org.
- Texas Buddhist Meditation Center will hold DFW Sri Lankan Night at 7 p.m. at the Corral Barn, 3312 N. Central Expressway in Plano. Performers include Ranil Mallawarachchi and the duo Chaminda Walpola and Presstysha. $15-$50. 972-727-7433.
- On Sunday, the Hanuman Cultural Center, 12030 Independence Parkway in Frisco, presents a Nagaswaram Duet Concert featuring the grandsons of the late Maestro Sheikh Chinna Maulana Saheb at 4:30 p.m. Free. 281-671-4462. igmaa.org.
- The Indo-American Community will hold a Dallas mayoral candidates forum from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Holiday Inn, 6055 LBJ Freeway in Dallas. 214-346-9559. gdiacc.org.
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