Our Blog
AAPI Youth @ Work
LACAAEA is proud to join Faith and Community Empowerment (FACE) to promote the Youth@Work program to AAPI youths of LA County. Youth@Work is a paid internship program offered by WDACS to provide those age 14-24 a chance to gain work experience within either County departments or private businesses. Currently, only 3% of the students participating in Youth@Work are AAPI while the population of LA County is made up of 15% AAPI. We are working hard to raise awareness of this program to the AAPI community so that our youths have equal access to the advancement opportunities available. For those interested in the Youth@Work program, please follow the directions on the flyer to join.
Businesses operating within LA County can also host students through the Youth@Work program. Students will be working through subsidized wages and businesses have a chance to help mentor our youths to a brighter future.
AAPI Contributions: Meet Lily Lee Chen
Lily Lee Chen's story reads like a timeline of Chinese, American and Chinese American history. Lily was born in China and brought up in Taiwan. She came to the U.S. in early 1960's, lived throughout the Kennedy years, Johnson's Great Society and the Civil Rights Era. She balanced her work and raising her two children. With a master degree in social work, Lily began her public service as a front line medical case worker for the County of Los Angeles. In 1983, Lily became the first Chinese American woman to win the mayorship of an American city. As Mayor of Monterey Park, California, Lily was the force behind a great number of civic improvements and achievements in this city. In 1984, Lily was instrumental in bringing the Olympics to Monterey Park. in 1985, she was selected by USA Today as a recipient of the "All-America City Award". Lily has dedicated her life and continues to contribute, educate and inspire global citizens by blending the eastern and western cultures. It is her dream to build a world of beauty and peace.
Celebrating AAPI Athletic Achievements
Since 2020, AAPIs have struggled with the anti-AAPI hate felt across the country. The Tokyo Summer Olympics reminds us that Americans of all races, culture and gender are competing in the Olympics representing one country, USA. The Olympics help remind us that what makes the US a great country is the fact that we are a country made of immigrants succeeding not despite being diverse, but rather because we are diverse. In this article, LACAAEA celebrates the outstanding achievements of all our AAPI Olympic athletes that are proudly representing all of us on the world stage. In this article, we’ve highlighted just a handful of unique stories to inspire you to stand taller.
Supporting Local AAPI Business: FishWives
Fishwives is an incredible, Asian owned, small business by Tim Tang serving up fantastic New England style seafood in Old Town Pasadena. It is known for classic seafood dishes like amazing lobster rolls and fish and chips, and reimagined classics like fried oyster deviled eggs! Fishwives opened in 2017 and has remained successful when other seafood restaurants in Pasadena like McCormick & Schmick's had to close their doors. Aside from operating a successful restaurant, Tim is giving back to the community by hiring justice impacted individuals and former substance abusers to work in his restaurant and learn the restaurant business. He's a big believer in giving people a second chance who want it!
A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats
Like others of Asian heritage, I spent May reflecting on how far I and other Asians have come, where we are now, and where we still need to be. I am proud to call LA County, home. For me and other Asian immigrants like me, there is no other home. As a refugee born after the Vietnam War, my family and I fled from communism by fishing boat to Hong Kong and ultimately, to LA County. We rode the rising tide of freedom out of Vietnam and followed our dreams to the U.S., where we settled in LA County in the 1980’s largely due to the diversity of the region and the Asian populations that lived here.
Op-Ed: Breaking Down Racism and Sexism
The recent targeted shootings in Atlanta brought to light the objectification of Asian women, which is a seldomly discussed topic that cuts at the heart of AAPI women both personally and professionally. While public coverage of the #MeToo movement focused on high-profile celebrities, the objectification and the abuse that AAPI women face is all too familiar an experience for many. Like many stereotypes that aren’t true, it’s difficult to trace their origins. In this op-ed, we attempt to trace the history behind why AAPI women have become hypersexualized and objectified.
AAPI Historical Timeline
America is the land of opportunity for a mixed salad of individuals with unique races and cultures. While there are many great things that make up America, there are untold history of brutal racism, exclusion, and violence against AAPI immigrants. To understand how we got here, we must first educate ourselves to understand the origins of where we came from.
Career Workshop
Back by popular demand, on April 17, 2021, LACAAEA invited experts from the Department of Human Resources (DHR), Damian Cousin, Elia Cervantes, Gionne Bozzi presented on preparing for the County’s civil service exams, building strong resumes and developing career through Career PathFinder.
AAPI Contributions: Meet Yuri Kochiyama
“Malcolm X and Yuri Kochiyama are both American civil rights icons,” according to writer Sushmita Arora. “But while you probably learned about Malcolm X’s lasting legacy in school, Kochiyama remains one of American history’s unsung heroes.”
“The daughter of immigrants, Kochiyama experienced the hardships of a World War II internment camp after public hysteria surrounding Japanese Americans erupted in the wake of the Pearl Harbor attack,” according to journalist Elaine Woo. Before the war, she “was a model of assimilation,” according to the Washington Post.
“She wrote a sports column for the San Pedro News-Pilot and was a Sunday school teacher at the local Presbyterian church.” However, after she and her family were sent to an internment camp and her father died shortly after being taken into custody, she began to have a different view of the world after the war.
LA vs Hate to Unveil Anti-Hate Artwork by Asian American Artist
On May 27th, LA County Board of Supervisors Chair Hilda Solis (First District Supervisor) joined the LA County Human Relations Commission, anti-hate activists, and community organizations to unveil a large public art piece. This 10x20 foot graphic novel, designed by renowned local artist Mari Naomi, depicts the history and many contributions of the AAPI community to LA County, the contemporary targeting of AAPI residents due to COVID-related backlash, the journey from hate to healing, and the need for advocacy to ensure solidarity and inclusion for all.