Uniting America: Asian-American Artist Event

On Saturday, February 11 I hosted my first community event at the
Heartland Café in Rogers Park. The event served as an opening
reception for an exhibit featuring the work of young Asian-American
artists from the Chicagoland area. It was great to see many people,
not only Asian-Americans, appreciate the work produced by this
talented community. Guests explored the gallery, enjoyed the delicious
food provided by the Heartland, and connected with old and new faces.
The celebratory space was the perfect setting to invite people to get
involved with Uniting America. Over 30 people signed up to volunteer
that night!

One person who signed up left a lasting impression on me. Helen Mui is
of Filipino-Chinese descent and exemplifies the spirit of Uniting
America. Earlier that day, Helen attended the Asian American
Leadership Forum hosted by my host organization (Asian American
Institute) and joined us at the Heartland afterwards. She shared that,
as someone who has been living in this country for years, she felt it
was time to do her part in bringing her community together and was
excited to start volunteering. Later, she wrote to me about her big
take away from Saturday’s events- “if a person chooses not to speak
up, he or she has already made a choice- that the cause is not
important enough to care about, or that he or she is not important
enough to make a difference.” I’m encouraged by her willingness to
take a practical step in making that difference. I know Helen is going
be a great volunteer!