A sprawl of generations were seated at Hunneman Hall, watching student performances. Tables filled with crafts lined the perimeter of room 103 at Brookline Town Hall while the smells of Dumpling Daughter’s signature pork BBQ buns mesmerized people outside. This set the scene for the second annual celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) heritage.
Brookline’s second annual AAPI Heritage Day Celebration, presented by Brookline Asian American Family Network (BAAFN), the Town of Brookline and the Brookline Public Library, took place first at the public library, then at town hall, on Saturday, May 18, 2024. The festivities included an interview with Vincent Yee, author of the “Clara Wu” series, student performances and activity or informational tables.
Local Brookline restaurant Dumpling Daughter catered the event. Director of Dumpling Daughter Steve Lo said that having events like this is great because it allows the town to showcase and support what the local AAPI community does for Brookline.
“I think the generation now has a great opportunity to be able to embrace being AAPI. When I was growing up, it wasn’t as embraced,” Lo said.
According to event organizer and BAAFN steering committee member Chi Chi Wu, Brookline has made some achievements, but there have also been challenges in creating progress for the Asian community. There are more classes at the high school around Asian Americans and programs like the BAAFN essay contest, but it took a lot of work to make these opportunities possible.
“Brookline did recognize May as AAPI Heritage Month. It did so, though, after we, myself, and other Asian American town meeting members brought a warrant article, so sometimes we’ve had to ask or be vocal about inclusion,” Chi Chi Wu said. “Some folks tend to overlook our community. We’re not always loud. We’re learning to be loud and to say, ‘We’re here, and we should be celebrated.’”
The tables included crafts and spokespeople for several organizations, such as the Building Our Bonds Authentically (BOBA) Project. The BOBA Project is a research study led by the Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, aiming to investigate how Asian American families have conversations about identity. Sophomore Callie Wu assisted in managing the booth at the event this year.
“We try to initiate and encourage conversation between Chinese-American youth—teenagers between 12 to 18 years old—and their parents. We try to give them prompts on conversations about their identity and discrimination,” Callie Wu said.
Callie Wu said she would advise younger generations of AAPI people to not try to change themselves.
“Honestly, once you find your group of people, you’ll feel like you know when you find your group of people,” Callie Wu said. “You should never change yourself to try to fit in with other groups or other people that aren’t welcoming to you.”
