FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
To commemorate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Asian Pacific American Heritage Association (APAHA) holds all-day Festival with theme One World, Many Cultures on Saturday May 22 at Discovery Green Conservancy, 1500 McKinney, Houston TX 77010
Houston, TX (May 23, 2010) The Asian Pacific American Heritage Association (APAHA) (www.apaha.org) held a Festival at Discovery Green Park on May 22nd celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage month.
Various Asian Pacific American nonprofits, craft and food booth vendors participated in the festival. Children's activities provided by McDonalds and Fiesta Mart, Inc. attracted kids all day long.
Among VIPs who attended were State Representative Carol Alvarado, City Council Member Melissa Noriega's Campaign Manager Martha Griffin, Indonesian Acting Consul General Prasetyo Budhi and Consul Mrs. Irma Nadjamuddin. VIPs representing Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston were Deputy Director-General Jason Lai, Director Edward Chen, (Culture Division) Director Sarah Wu, (Press Division) Director John Chi, (Science Division) Director Kuan-Hsiu Hsiao, (Culture Center) Director Wei-Zan Wang.
APAHA 2010 Festival Committee consisted of Co-chair Jim Travlos, Co chair Johnathan Ling, APAHA President Jonathan Dizon, Booth Coordinator Faye Chin, Marketing Coordinators Jing Nghik and Kuan Zhao, Volunteer Coordinator Zain Momin, Executive Director Shehla Zakaullah.
Major underwriters of the APAHA 2010 Festival are Houston Arts Alliance and the City of Houston.
National Anthem performed by APAHA's President Jonathan Dizon followed by Harris County Sheriff's Office Honor Guard opened the program at 12:00 pm.
With amazing acrobatic stunts and moves and stunning costumes, the Soaring Phoenix Lion Dragon Dance Association, one of the top Lion/Dragon dance associations in Houston, was the first in a daylong line up of various Asian and Pacific performances. The group interacted with the festival-goers to the delight of kids. Also delighting kids were Ronald McDonald and the Fiesta Mart, Inc. mascot.
KPRC Channel 2's Anchor Daniella Guzman was the official MC for the afternoon, thanks to KPRC's exclusive English language media sponsorship of APAHA's May events.
2pm Afternoon Headliner: Chinese cultural dances developed through thousands of years of practice and refinement, The National Taiwan University of Arts Da-Guan Dance Theater Group
http://english.ntua.edu.tw/sp.asp?xdURL=./school/school_2-1_departments_department.asp&SchoolID=0029&href_from=&eat_subcategory_str=&SchoolAcademyID=578&AcademyDepartmentID=2767&ctNode=5268&mp=0029
dazzled with their spectacular performance and costumes. Some of the dances were a delightful fusion of contemporary and traditional style. The group was brought to Houston exclusively for the APAHA 2010 Festival courtesy of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston.
Other groups who performed were Kru Pong's Thai Boxing, Jason Tai Chi Academy, Anjali Dance Company of the Performing Arts, Tropical Rhythms, Pele O Polynesia, and Manutahi Texas. Indonesian Dancers were provided courtesy of the Consulate General of Indonesia.
7 pm Evening Headliner: Hailing from Hawaii, the renowned group Makaha Sons
(www.makahasons.com)
performed Pacific Islander music and dances to a packed audience.
The Asian Pacific American Heritage Association is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization registered in the State of Texas. APAHA's mission is to promote the Asian Pacific American culture, heritage, and awareness through celebration, events, and educational outreach.
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month honors the achievements of American ethnic groups with roots in Asia and the Pacific Islands and recognizes their contributions to the United States.
In June 1977, Representatives Frank Horton of New York and Norman Y. Mineta of California introduced a House resolution that called upon the president to proclaim the first ten days of May as Asian Pacific Heritage Week. In May 1990, the holiday was expanded further when President George H. W. Bush designated May to be Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese immigrants to the United States in 1843.
The Asian Pacific American Heritage Association (APAHA) was formed in 1992 to promote awareness and increase understanding of the Asian Pacific American culture and its diversity through education and celebration, focusing on May, Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM), and continuing throughout the year. To make a difference in our community, Asian Pacific American Heritage Association (APAHA) has collaborated with various community and educational entities to provide ongoing educational, cultural and scholarship programs to the Asian Pacific and Greater Houston communities.
The U.S. Census Bureau lists more than 25 such groups -- Vietnamese, Chinese, Filipinos, Indian, Pakistani, Korean, Japanese, Cambodian, Laotian, Indonesian, Thai, Burmese, Malaysian, Taiwanese, Sri Lanka, Bangladeshi, and native Hawaiians, Polynesians, New Zealanders and Australians. As Americans, they contribute to the strength of the United States, help shape its future and share in its promise and opportunity.
A 1978 joint congressional resolution established Asian Pacific American Heritage Week to be observed in May, a time chosen to coincide with two important anniversaries: the arrival in the United States of the first Japanese immigrants on May 7, 1843, and the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. In 1992, Congress expanded the observance to a month long celebration.
According to 2005 U.S. Census Bureau statistics, approximately 13.5 percent of U.S. residents say they are Asian or Asian in combination with one or more other races. Hawaii is the U.S. state where Asians make up the highest proportion of the total population (58 percent) but like most other ethnic groups, Americans with Asian or Pacific Island heritages reside throughout the United States.
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