‘Sulu’ Beams into APA Profiles in Courage Gala: Margaret Cho, Hiroshima headline Boston bash
July 23, 2004
Opening night festivities for Asian Pacific Americans at the Democratic National Convention include a gala event that will showcase diversity and bring together more than 1,000 APA leaders — including convention delegates, elected officials and community and business leaders throughout the country.
The APA Gala, for which AsianWeek is a sponsor, will take place on Monday, July 26 at Boston’s Museum of Science at the Science Park from 9:30 p.m. to 2 a.m., and will feature celebrity chef Ming Tsai and actor George Takei, of Star Trek, as the evening’s masters of ceremonies.
“The theme of our opening night gala will be ‘APIA Profiles in Courage: Uniting America,’” said Leverett Wing, co-chair of the gala. “Throughout the evening, we will be honoring those APAs who have sacrificed and worked tirelessly to bring the APA community to the fore. We will look ahead as the APA community builds upon this foundation and prepares to play a major role in uniting our country as the 21st century progresses.”
Denise Lee, director of the DNC’s Asian Pacific Islander American Outreach, said volunteers have been planning the gala for nearly a year. She added that the volunteers are comprised of a tight-knit APA community that feel very strongly that a Democrat be elected as the next president of the United States.
“It’s amazing that this entire gala was put together by volunteers on their own time. This is a wonderful example of the volunteer efforts of the community,” Lee said. “The people, which we have invited to this event, shows how geographically and ethnically diverse we are as a community. From the names of the honorees to the guests to the entertainers, you can really see the diversity. And this event allows everyone to come together.”
Lee said the main theme of the night will be honoring APA leaders who have fought discrimination and paved the way for APAs to be elected into political positions.
“We want to highlight those folks that were the first elected into office, those who sacrificed for the APA community and this country,” said Lee. “Patsy Mink, the former Hawaiian congresswoman will be honored at the gala. She was the first woman of color to serve in Congress and she led the way for many.”
Confirmed speakers include Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.) as well as House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. The evening entertainment line-up includes comedienne Margaret Cho, classical musicians Leon Fleisher, Cho Liang Lin and Carter Brey, and world-renowned jazz band, Hiroshima.
“It should be a great time. Our host committee is a group of mostly APA activists from Boston and throughout the country striving to empower and mobilize the APA community this election year,” said Wing.
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