Visions | AAPI Special
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- We are celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with a special Visions this weekend
A UPenn club is practicing the ancient art of Chinese calligraphy. Penn Chinese calligraphy was founded by students during the pandemic. Sophomore Sherry Kong is the club's president. Each stroke, Sherry says, is embedded with Chinese history, with different scripts and styles reflecting different time periods. The club's weekly meetings are open to the Penn community, and they teach workshops around the city and region.
Each year, students in Villanova University's 'Social Justice Documentary Program' take the classroom to a different locale around the globe. This year, the destination was the Philippines, and two films were produced to highlight injustices there. "Lady" follows a local activist of the same name, born and raised on the remote island of Halian, who is seeking solutions to climate questions after super typhoon Odette. In "Seeds We Bury", the challenges of indigenous people are seen through the eyes of members of the Ati tribe of Boracay, who continue to lose their culture and their land to colonization. Plans are underway to return, to donate solar panels to continue the fishing trade in Halian, and to start a college fund for the youngest members of the Ati tribe.
Pinctada Pearl Productions | Instagram | Go Fund Me
Mira Nakashima is a Harvard-educated architect carrying on the tradition of her father, George Nakashima, who was a world-renowned woodworker, architect and leader of the Arts & Crafts Movement. In New Hope, George Nakashima developed a whole campus for woodworking and a reputation for crafting unique pieces from the irregular, cracked and oddly shaped wood that nobody else wanted.
George Nakashima Woodworkers | Instagram
1847 Aquetong Rd, New Hope, Pa. 18938
(215) 862-2272
The Welcoming Center is a Philadelphia-based non-profit that has been helping immigrants integrate into their new communities for twenty years. President and CEO Anuj Gupta is the son of immigrant parents from India, and oversees programs that are focused on upward economic mobility. The organization recently received a one-million-dollar grant to expand its programs across the state.
The Welcoming Center | Facebook | Instagram
211 N. 13th Street, 4th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-557-2626
12 Plus founder Raymond John started the non-profit company to supplement high school students education and navigation of their transition beyond their senior year of high school. The organization has grown from one school when it started in 2012 to 15 schools currently. Each school has a 12 Plus center where students are welcome to visit for support in everything from class tutoring to college applications, job applications and financial aid opportunities. They also support alumni with similar resources.
Raymond's wife Thu Pham is the founder of Càph Roasters, the James Beard-nominated roastery in Kensington. Càph is the sister organization of 12 Plus, donating a portion of its profits to the organization and also offering job opportunities for students of the program.
3401 I Street, Unit 304, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19134
Càph Roasters | Facebook | Instagram
3400 J St G1, Philadelphia, PA 19134
Mutya Philippine Dance Company is teaching children about their roots. Every Sunday, the non-profit invites students of Filipino origin, ages nine to 25, to immerse themselves in traditional Filipino dance. Students are committed to practicing four hours every Sunday to prepare for local performances. Philippine folk dances showcase the way of life in the Philippines, which consists of 7000 islands. Each dance is called a suite from a different region of the Philippines.
