By Emily Laycock
Lawrenceville, May 4, 2024 – Georgia Asian Times held its second annual GAT AAPI Summit with an impressive lineup of panel discussions and community topics.
An array of influential Asian American community leaders, entrepreneurs, CEOs, subject experts, and legislatures gathered together to share their knowledge and expertise. The day was split between five panels, Business and Entrepreneurship, Women Empowerment and Leadership, AAPI Legends in Georgia, GA AAPI Caucus Legislative Update, and Intergenerational and Mental Health.
Falling on the first Saturday in May, the event kicked off AAPI Heritage Month for many of the event’s attendees including Matt Nguyen, Amy Tep, David Yu, and Hope Thammavongsa.
5th-grade math teacher, Matt Nguyen, attended the event as a way to meet and learn from other Asian Americans in the community. He often feels isolated from the Asian American community due to his profession of teaching, where Asian Americans make up just 2% of K-12 teachers in the United States.
“Students are excited to say, oh, you are my first Asian teacher. So that's something new. It was nice to hear. I think having more representation in professional settings brings about diversity,” Nguyen said.
This lack of Asian Americans in the education system is felt during AAPI Heritage Month, as Nguyen says many schools fail to provide resources and funding for teachers to properly celebrate, which are often given for other heritage months such as Black History Month.
“I'm not saying it's (Black History Month) a must, but it was a district level of implementation. It is of higher regard. I guess for Asian Americans, we don't have it, not yet,” Nguyen said.
Although there is a lack of both Asian American representation and education in schools, attendees such as Amy Tep, realtor and one of GAT’s 25 Most Influential Asian American Pacific Islanders in 2023, are using AAPI Heritage Month as a way to go out in the community and educate others.
“I go to schools, particularly my kids' schools, and talk to them about celebrating. Instead of just an international day or international night, it's more of celebrating us as our own. Because we are never talked about in school,” Tep said.
“It's to let others know that we're here too. We're people too. You know? That we're not just the doorman and we're not just the smart Asian people. We can make a difference too and our voices need to be heard,” Tep said. “So this month is a month that I feel like the more of us celebrating it, the more other people are gonna know. And if we don't celebrate us, then others won't either. They're too ignorant to know about us. Then that leads to racism, which then leads to bullying.”
David Yu, former CEO and founder of Summit National Bank and speaker on the AAPI Legends in Georgia panel, shared his perspective on how both the AAPI community and AAPI Heritage Month have changed and grown in his 50 years of living in Atlanta.
“When I first came to Atlanta, in 1974. There were not that many Asians, period. I saw the growth of the Asian community gradually until the mid-80s. Then it exploded in the late 80s and 90s, and people just kept coming. So that's why we got the idea to start a bank back in the late 80s,” Yu said.
“At the bank, we were always supportive of the community for whatever they wanted to do. For example, we were the first sponsor oat Festival. It started about 20 or 30 years ago. So there's a lot of community activities we helped to sponsor, particularly financially.”
Since retiring from Summit National Bank in 2008, Yu has filled his time with a variety of activities ranging from running in over 100 marathons to sitting in the audience cheering on his 9-year-old granddaughter during her Chinese dance recitals.
Dance has always been a cornerstone in Asian cultures, and continues to live on through the next generation, often used in celebrations during AAPI Heritage Month.
Laotian attendee, Hope Thammavongsa, will spend the month of May dancing in an array of celebrations around Metro Atlanta for both AAPI Heritage Month and Lao New Year.
“AAPI Heritage Month falls perfectly with Lao New Year because it is from April into May, it's just celebrations for two months. It promotes being Lao and being a part of the Asian community. We have a series of performances coming up, so that's how we'll celebrate,” Thammavongsa said.
Thammavongsa believes participating in cultural celebrations such as dance, has made her feel more connected to her culture and thus proud of her Laotian roots. This sentiment is felt through the pride she expresses during AAPI Heritage Month.
“It makes me proud to be who I am and proud of my culture and heritage because we're pretty diverse out here. And being Lao, it's like not a lot of people know Lao. It makes me feel unique as an individual in Georgia,” Thammavongsa said.
