Updates from the Asian/Pacific American Heritage Festival Organizers

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Featured in "Best of the Fest" by TimeOut New York (April 20th - 24th, 2009)

Dear Distinguished Guests,

Thank you all very much for joining us in the celebration of the 30th annual Asian/Pacific American (A/PA) Heritage Festival. For a moment, breathe deeply and take in this setting.

This event, kicking off A/PA Heritage Month, is our community’s cherished springtime ritual of renewal.

Today, at the foothills of the United Nations, at the lush respite of Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, we pay special attention to our rich Asian American traditions and celebrate our heritage, which represents our valued legacy from the past, a living record of how we live today, and what we can build now to pass on to future generations.

A/PA communities across America are working to more fully realize their dreams in these environs, a country where its citizens can mingle in the common pursuit of learning and advancement. It is a place where we were once immigrants, fresh from foreign lands, but still had equal claim to economic opportunity and rule of law. Today, in an ever more interwoven global economy, we remember the legacy our ancestors have left and use it to build new roads in the 21st century.

The A/PA Heritage Festival also clearly demonstrates the valuable role served by public events as a platform to promote dialogue and engagement among the Asian American community and our treasured neighbors. We have been fortunate enough to indulge in building a series of powerful public-private partnerships. We hope to continue growing and involve even more stakeholders in hosting our annual community festival.

We give special thanks to our partners including the NYC Parks Department, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Con Edison, Passport to Taiwan, Five Points NYC, State Farm, Chinatown Partnership, Citigroup, CUNY’s AAARI, Ito En, Goldman Sachs, Different Roads to Learning, and Fresh Concentrate for providing a foundation of trust and reciprocity.

On this note, we hope you and your family enjoy a memorable and fruitful day of learning and sharing the different elements of Asian/Pacific American heritage. We also invite you now to consider joining us in planning for next year’s festival on May 1st, 2010 by contacting us at volunteers@capaonline.org.

Truly yours,
The Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans
2009 Board Members