May marks Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a time to honor and celebrate the many contributions made by individuals of Asian and Pacific Islander descent. As part of our commitment to promoting diversity and inclusivity in Milwaukee, we’re joining the celebration by showcasing the stories and experiences of the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities as a way to amplify their voices and perspectives.
On ourUniquely Milwaukeepodcast, we’re dedicating two upcoming episodes to personal stories and monologues from Milwaukee Rep’s production of The Heart Sellers, written by Lloyd Suh and directed by Jennifer Chang. This play gives voice to the Asian immigrant experience in the 1970s, when the landmark Hart-Celler Act granted thousands of professional workers a new path to citizenship. Watch for those episodes in your Uniquely Milwaukee feed and here on the website.
We also built a Spotify playlist by reaching out to the entire Radio Milwaukee team, asking them to share songs from their favorite artists of Asian or Pacific Islander descent. The staff was very quick to reply, and you can find (and listen to) their responses below.
What else can we all do during this month-long recognition? There are plenty of events happening around Milwaukee, and we collected just a few here to get you started.
- The Milwaukee Film Festival runs through May 4, giving you a few more days to see Asian representation on the big screen, including (click for screening times/locations) Finding Satoshi, Next Sohee, Riceboy Sleeps, Nam June Paik: Moon is the Oldest TV and Ajoomma.
- There's an Asian Heritage Dinner on May 7 at the Ivy House, hosted by Marquette Univerity Law School’s Lubar Center for Public Policy Research and Civic Education and ElevAsian.
- Asian Restaurant Week is May 14-20, and ElevAsian has put together an extensive list of Milwaukee restaurants to choose from.
- The Milwaukee AAPI Film Festival (May 19-21) features screenings of three modern classic Asian films over the three days, plus an Engage & Activate forum May 16 and an AAPI trivia night May 23.
- The Milwaukee Public Museum has opportunities to learn more about Japanese Netsuke, the miniature ornamental carved fobs worn with the obi (sash) of the Japanese men’s kimono. Check the museum’s website for the program schedule.
- It's a couple days into the following month, but the Cooperage will host the inaugural MKE Dumpling Fest on June 4, with seven restaurants on board and more to come.
