Thursday, May 21, 2009
100,000 People Attend Asian Heritage Street Celebration
Asian Heritage Street Celebration Draws 100,000 Attendees
-Festival highlights pan Asian culture and heritage-
SAN FRANCISCO (May 19, 2009) - Approximately 100,000 people of all ages and races overflowed Larkin Street from McAllister to Ellis Streets to enjoy the sunshine and celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in San Francisco on May 16.
Faces of AsiaThe fifth annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration - the largest gathering of Asian Pacific Americans in the nation - featured a muay Thai kickboxing ring, delicious pan Asian cuisine, J-cars, tons of arts and crafts booths, Asian American musical artists, martial arts, a cultural procession, carnival rides and games, and more.
Presented by California Pacific Medical Center and Subaru, the 5th Annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration took place in San Francisco's Civic Center in front of the Asian Art Museum, leading up to the Little Saigon District.
The city's three Asian American Supervisors Carmen Chu, Eric Mar, and President of the Board of Supervisors David Chiu, kicked off the street fair with warm wishes and greetings for fairgoers at the Asian Art Museum stage. Chiu told the crowd it was fitting that the nation's largest Asian street celebration took place in the city because San Francisco is "the heart of our country's Asian American community."
Proud San Francisco Unified School District Awards parents surrounded the Little Saigon Stage, in the early afternoon with camcorders and digital cameras to snap footage of their children during the fair's annual SFUSD Student Awards Ceremony. For excellence in nutrition and fitness, forty-nine students received glass plaques designed by Dave San Pedro and created by Art Crystal, Ltd. The ceremony was part of the annual SFUSD Student Awards Program that the AHSC has hosted annually to recognize the accomplishments of students who are of Asian Pacific Islander heritage in categories not typically celebrated.
Approximately 160 people took advantage of the free hepatitis B screenings presented by California Pacific Medical Center and the San Francisco Hep B Free campaign.
Alan Wang and Fiona MaAssemblywoman Fiona Ma and ABC7 anchor Alan Wang spoke at the Asian Art Museum Stage about the importance of getting screened for hepatitis B. Asian Pacific Islanders have the highest rate of the disease compared to any ethnic group, and it is estimated that 1 in 10 people in the API community have an undiagnosed infection. Both Ma and Wang have chronic hepatitis B and were infected at birth. Wang wore a jade ribbon during his 5pm, 6pm and 11pm newscast that evening, showing his support of hepatitis B awareness and is one of the first Asian American newscasters nationwide to do so.
In the late afternoon, the Asian Art Museum stage became a dance floor, as a crowd formed in front of the stage, bobbing their heads, swaying their hips and arms while jamming to the electric performance by Bay Area rapper Lyrics Born and wife Joyo Velarde.
"The crowd and event was fantastic!" exclaimed Lyrics Born, after his performance. "There aren't many Asians in the arts so it is important for others to see arts like myself out there performing to change that."
The AHSC, organized by the AsianWeek Foundation, is the only outdoor event in the Bay Area to rotate its location each year in order to showcase that APIs reside in all San Francisco neighborhoods. The first Celebration highlighted the Japanese community in Japantown, the second showcased the Chinese on Irving Street in the Sunset District, the third paid homage to the large Filipino community in the South of Market area, last year the fair returned to Japantown and this year the fair celebrated the large Vietnamese community in the city's Little Saigon neighborhood.
"I am very excited and proud that the Vietnamese community that the AsianWeek Foundation chose to host their event in Little Saigon This year. Everyone knows that there is a Chinatown and Japantown, but not many know about Little Saigon for the Vietnamese community," said Hang Le To, Program Director/The Founder of Au Co Cultural & Leadership Youth Team for the Au Co Vietnamese Cultural Center.
This year's sponsors include California Pacific Medical Center, Subaru, Brown and Toland Physicians, Comcast, Kaiser Permanente, Visa, AT&T, Pacific Gas & Electric Company, Golden Gate Disposal, San Francisco Chronicle, CBS 5/CW Bay Area, AsianWeek, Northern California Carpenters Regional Council, BART, and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.
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About the Asian Heritage Street Celebration
The Asian Heritage Street Celebration is organized by the AsianWeek Foundation in cooperation with over 150 organizations in the local and Asian American community. It is the largest outdoor gathering of Asians in America and features arts and crafts vendors, two stages for live performances, carnival rides, import car shows, a kickboxing ring, Asian food vendors and more. This year's sponsors include California Pacific Medical Center, Subaru, Brown and Toland Medical Group, Comcast, Kaiser Permanente, Visa, AT&T, Pacific Gas & Electric Company, Golden Gate Disposal, San Francisco Chronicle, CBS 5/CW Bay Area, AsianWeek, Northern California Carpenters Regional Council, BART, and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. The AsianWeek Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 committed to developing Asian American community. All proceeds from the Celebration are donated to local and national charities.
AsianFairSF. com
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Press Release on the Street Fair
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Angela Pang
AsianWeek Foundation
apang@asianweek. com
415.321.5894
LARGEST ASIAN PACIFIC HERITAGE FESTIVAL CELEBRATES IN SAN FRANCISCO'S LITTLE SAIGON
5th Annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration
Saturday, May 16
11am-6pm
SAN FRANCISCO (May 11, 2009) - The largest gathering of Asian Pacific Americans in the nation is back and bigger than ever. The 5th Annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration will be held Saturday, May 16, 2009, in San Francisco's Civic Center in front of the Asian Art Museum, leading up to the Little Saigon District. Presented by California Pacific Medical Center and Subaru, the fair will take place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The festival will include Asian American artists, DJs, martial arts, j-cars, a Muay Thai kickboxing ring, Asian street food, a karaoke contest, arts and crafts, anime, free hepatitis B screenings and more! New features this year include an Asian Heritage Street Celebration Best Dance Crew Contest and carnival rides and games for children.
A celebration of all Asian and Pacific Islander cultures, the goal of the Street Celebration is to promote and foster Asian Pacific American identity by bringing together community and encouraging the sharing of differences and appreciation of diversity. In five years, the AHSC has quickly become the country's largest assemblage of APAs, drawing over 80,000 people annually.
The AHSC is the only outdoor event in the Bay Area to rotate its location each year, in order to showcase that APIs reside in all San Francisco neighborhoods. This year, the fair celebrates the Vietnamese American community in Little Saigon.
"We are very excited to see the Asian Heritage Street Celebration to come to the Little Saigon Cultural & Commercial District," says Philip Nguyen of the Southeast Asian Community Center. "We welcome this fair heartily, which will help promote not only Little Saigon, but also the whole Southeast Asian community of the Tenderloin, and of the city of San Francisco."
Lan Le,of the Vietnamese Community Center of San Francisco, says he hopes the fair will raise awareness of the Vietnamese community and help kick-start the area's many Vietnamese businesses. Le said he hopes the neighborhood will transform into a tourist attraction like Chinatown and Japantown, that visitors "must see" in The City.
San Francisco is home to the second Little Saigon in the United States, a name officially given only four years ago to the two blocks of Larkin Street between Eddy and O'Farrell. Approximately 2,000 of the city's 13,000 Vietnamese Americans live in the Little Saigon/Tenderloin, with many arriving as refugees after the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. Vietnamese Americans have since made a home, creating schools, service centers and at least 250 businesses in the area.
To pay homage to the Vietnamese community, the San Francisco Little Saigon Gate - two eight-ton granite and marble pillars, a symbol of peace, happiness and safety for the Vietnamese that have settled here, were erected last July. They now stand at the intersection of Larkin and Eddy streets.
"It is a testament to the vision and dedication of the Vietnamese community in San Francisco that our Little Saigon is the setting of this year's Asian Heritage Street Celebration, " said city college board member Steve Ngo, the city's first Vietnamese American elected official. "What a wonderful occasion!"
The AHSC returns all proceeds to various Asian communities, including newer and underserved communities like the Cambodians and Samoans, as well as more established populations. The AHSC has donated more than $50,000 to over 40 Bay Area community groups and charities, who are selected for their role in assembling diverse elements within the Asian Pacific American community. Fundraising for San Francisco public schools is another mission of the Celebration, which has created a raffle program with the goal of teaching children about community philanthropy at an early age. The AHSC provides prizes and administrative support for students and school groups to sell raffle tickets, and all proceeds are returned to participating schools.
###
About the Asian Heritage Street Celebration
The Asian Heritage Street Celebration is organized by the AsianWeek Foundation in cooperation with over 150 organizations in the local and Asian American community. It is the largest outdoor gathering of Asians in America and features arts and crafts vendors, two stages for live performances, carnival rides, import car show, kickboxing ring, Asian food vendors and more. This year's sponsors include California Pacific Medical Center, Subaru, Brown and Toland Medical Group, Comcast, Kaiser Permanente, Visa, AT&T, Pacific Gas & Electric Company, Golden Gate Disposal, San Francisco Chronicle, CBS 5/CW Bay Area, AsianWeek, Northern California Carpenters Union, BART, and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.
The AsianWeek Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 committed to developing Asian American community. All proceeds from the Celebration are donated to local and national charities.
www.asianfairsf. com
Contact:
Angela Pang
AsianWeek Foundation
apang@asianweek. com
415.321.5894
LARGEST ASIAN PACIFIC HERITAGE FESTIVAL CELEBRATES IN SAN FRANCISCO'S LITTLE SAIGON
5th Annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration
Saturday, May 16
11am-6pm
SAN FRANCISCO (May 11, 2009) - The largest gathering of Asian Pacific Americans in the nation is back and bigger than ever. The 5th Annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration will be held Saturday, May 16, 2009, in San Francisco's Civic Center in front of the Asian Art Museum, leading up to the Little Saigon District. Presented by California Pacific Medical Center and Subaru, the fair will take place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The festival will include Asian American artists, DJs, martial arts, j-cars, a Muay Thai kickboxing ring, Asian street food, a karaoke contest, arts and crafts, anime, free hepatitis B screenings and more! New features this year include an Asian Heritage Street Celebration Best Dance Crew Contest and carnival rides and games for children.
A celebration of all Asian and Pacific Islander cultures, the goal of the Street Celebration is to promote and foster Asian Pacific American identity by bringing together community and encouraging the sharing of differences and appreciation of diversity. In five years, the AHSC has quickly become the country's largest assemblage of APAs, drawing over 80,000 people annually.
The AHSC is the only outdoor event in the Bay Area to rotate its location each year, in order to showcase that APIs reside in all San Francisco neighborhoods. This year, the fair celebrates the Vietnamese American community in Little Saigon.
"We are very excited to see the Asian Heritage Street Celebration to come to the Little Saigon Cultural & Commercial District," says Philip Nguyen of the Southeast Asian Community Center. "We welcome this fair heartily, which will help promote not only Little Saigon, but also the whole Southeast Asian community of the Tenderloin, and of the city of San Francisco."
Lan Le,of the Vietnamese Community Center of San Francisco, says he hopes the fair will raise awareness of the Vietnamese community and help kick-start the area's many Vietnamese businesses. Le said he hopes the neighborhood will transform into a tourist attraction like Chinatown and Japantown, that visitors "must see" in The City.
San Francisco is home to the second Little Saigon in the United States, a name officially given only four years ago to the two blocks of Larkin Street between Eddy and O'Farrell. Approximately 2,000 of the city's 13,000 Vietnamese Americans live in the Little Saigon/Tenderloin, with many arriving as refugees after the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. Vietnamese Americans have since made a home, creating schools, service centers and at least 250 businesses in the area.
To pay homage to the Vietnamese community, the San Francisco Little Saigon Gate - two eight-ton granite and marble pillars, a symbol of peace, happiness and safety for the Vietnamese that have settled here, were erected last July. They now stand at the intersection of Larkin and Eddy streets.
"It is a testament to the vision and dedication of the Vietnamese community in San Francisco that our Little Saigon is the setting of this year's Asian Heritage Street Celebration, " said city college board member Steve Ngo, the city's first Vietnamese American elected official. "What a wonderful occasion!"
The AHSC returns all proceeds to various Asian communities, including newer and underserved communities like the Cambodians and Samoans, as well as more established populations. The AHSC has donated more than $50,000 to over 40 Bay Area community groups and charities, who are selected for their role in assembling diverse elements within the Asian Pacific American community. Fundraising for San Francisco public schools is another mission of the Celebration, which has created a raffle program with the goal of teaching children about community philanthropy at an early age. The AHSC provides prizes and administrative support for students and school groups to sell raffle tickets, and all proceeds are returned to participating schools.
###
About the Asian Heritage Street Celebration
The Asian Heritage Street Celebration is organized by the AsianWeek Foundation in cooperation with over 150 organizations in the local and Asian American community. It is the largest outdoor gathering of Asians in America and features arts and crafts vendors, two stages for live performances, carnival rides, import car show, kickboxing ring, Asian food vendors and more. This year's sponsors include California Pacific Medical Center, Subaru, Brown and Toland Medical Group, Comcast, Kaiser Permanente, Visa, AT&T, Pacific Gas & Electric Company, Golden Gate Disposal, San Francisco Chronicle, CBS 5/CW Bay Area, AsianWeek, Northern California Carpenters Union, BART, and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.
The AsianWeek Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 committed to developing Asian American community. All proceeds from the Celebration are donated to local and national charities.
www.asianfairsf. com
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