CINCINNATI — May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, so the Asian American Cultural Association of Cincinnati (AACAC) is kicking off the month with Asian Food Week.
After a rise in anti-Asian hate crimes over the past year, the local Asian American community decided to host events all month long with the hope of educating those from other communities.
The first of those events is Asian Food Week where 50 restaurants, stretching from Northern Kentucky to Oxford, Ohio, are offering deals, specials and secret menu items to customers.
"We want to use food as a catalyst because food does connect a lot of the cultures together," Koji Sado with the AACAC, said. "We want to normalize the perceptions and the cultural biases that exist.”
Later in May, there will also be an origami workshop which children can attend, a cultural movie series will play at Washington Park and a panel discussion on breaking down stereotypes, which West Chester Township Trustee Lee Wong will be a participant in.
"This is a pivotal moment," Sado said. "We needed to make sure that people acknowledge the good and the amazing parts of what the culture can offer and how it has also contributed to building society and the country overall.”
To view the full list of events hosted by the AACAC in May, click here.
Asian Food Week starts TODAY! And it's just one of several fabulous events happening all of May, which is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month! Tune in to @WCPO this morning for more! All the details are also on https://t.co/d484Bt178Y! pic.twitter.com/82P8bo2i7s
— Sina Gebre-Ab WCPO (@SinaGebreAb) May 3, 2021
