For Kids
June 12, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., is Spokane’s United We Stand (SUWS)’s public cultural event highlighting Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) history, culture, and the arts at Centerplace’s West Lawn Plaza in Spokane Valley.
“It’s incredibly exciting that our first in-person event since the lifting of COVID restrictions will unite and feature Spokane’s many AAPI communities in celebration of their individual cultures and demonstrate that beyond all cultural differences, we are all Americans,” says Spokane’s United We Stand co-Founder Vina Cathcart.
The event features AAPI vendors and artists, in addition to invited local community leaders to raise awareness and showcase AAPI community members and cultures. AAPI Heritage Day will also include an art show, a variety of cultural performances, over fifty vendors, activities for all ages, and delicious, authentic food by Island Style Food Truck.
“The occasion is made all the more important in light of recent anti-Asian violence and rhetoric across the country that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to SUWS co-founder Charity Bagatsing-Doyl. “This event is a show of strength, and an opportunity to demonstrate that we are united, that we are proud of who we are, and that racism has no place in Spokane. Lastly, we want to restore the hidden history of Chinese and Japanese workers’ contribution to Spokane since 1890. We were a part of Spokane.”
Spokane’s United We Stand was founded in 2020 and is the proud organization to host AAPI Heritage Day, in collaboration with the Family Fun Guide. Our goal as an organization is to promote inclusivity, tolerance, and education of the Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage. The AAPI community is made up of many different individual cultural groups, all with their own unique histories and stories.
We hope that many from the community will join us to learn and celebrate AAPI Heritage Day, and to support the AAPI community that has been heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic this past year. To volunteer, or participate in AAPI Heritage Day please email Charity Bagatsing-Doyl at charitydoyl@yahoo.com. More information on Spokane’s United We Stand can be found on our Facebook page at Facebook.com/SpokaneUnitedWeStand.