Category Archives: events

Vicha Ratanapakdee Remembrance

February 20, 2023 | On January 28th, members of the AYR group attended the second year anniversary of grandpa Vicha Ratanapakdee’s death. Vicha Ratanapakdee, a victim of AAPI hate, was viciously pushed to the ground in his neighborhood and eventually succumbed to his wounds. The remembrance started with a poem about the hate towards the AAPI community, but then shifted into a story about resilience. Then, Monthanus Ratanapakdee gave a speech about her father. Later, we gathered in Portsmouth square where Sasanna Yee, granddaughter of Yik Oi Huang led the group through a yoga exercise to center ourselves and reflect. Then we heard from other victims of AAPI hate. They shared their stories on what they faced and how they overcame them. At the end, like the Taiwanese tradition, we wrote our wishes for the next year down and put them in a lantern to send into the sky.

Presenting AYR to the Principal of Burlingame High School

February 8, 2023 | Earlier today, following another hate incident at her school, Jaslene had the honor to speak to the principal of Burlingame High School and present AAPI Youth Rising’s mission and achievements to her. Jaslene explained the effects educating people on the narratives of Asian Americans and other races and how said education is key to fighting racism found in all communities, including diverse ones like Burlingame High School. The values and beliefs of impressionable youth can be heavily impacted by their environment. With our goal to educate and speak up, AYR will continue to make safe spaces like Burlingame High School even more welcoming. Go panthers!

Partnering Alliance for a Healthier Generation

February 7, 2023 | We’re excited to continue partnering with Alliance for a Healthier Generation in 2023! Thanks to Alliance for a Healthier Generation for highlighting our One Day of AAPI History Lesson and our ONE/180 Pledge. You can read about our partnership in AHG’s Annual Report. Fun fact, AHG highlighted some cool authors last year and Jane Park, who dedicated her poem to us at our AAPI Youth Rising Rally, was selected by HG!

White House Lunar New Year Celebration

January 26, 2023 | Today, Mina (in spirit), Jaslene, Charlee, and Anna, had the honor of visiting the white house on behalf of AYR. They had the honor of hearing Elaine Tso, Dr. Biden, and the president all make speeches. The recent shootings have greatly impacted our community, making it even more important to lift each other up and come together. The president delivered an impactful speech on gun violence and the importance of lunar new year. After that, we met tons of awesome people, and Anna had a great chat with Belinda Lei, and even found a colleague of her mother’s. They got to explore a good 5 or 6 rooms, but the red and green room particularly were Anna’s favorites. She got to sit on the couch that Michelle Obama sat on famously, and spotted a Bierstadt painting from across the room and interrogated a random marine on whether or not another one might be in the building. After that, Charlee and Jaslene talked to Lee Wong, a retired army veteran who showed his battle scars on a TikTok video as a protest. Everybody there was so interesting, and we hope to continue communicating with them after today!