HOST LOCATION: Kampar
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Kampar brings back Malaysian mainstay in grand new concept
Historic victory adds new chapter in Nina Ahmad's story
Almost 50 years ago, Nina Ahmad witnessed genocide in her home country of Bangladesh.
Those memories still fuel her as she makes local history as the first South Asian to hold a seat on the Philadelphia City Council as an At-Large member.
Councilmember Ahmad left Bangladesh 10 years after the war that liberated her country.
She came for an education and holds a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania.
Ahmad worked as a scientist by trade but her past inspired activism.
She got into politics fighting for AAPI and women's rights.
Ahmad has served under Barack Obama, Michael Nutter and Jim Kenney.
She ran for office statewide but found that her work could be done closer to home. Now, she is the only scientist on the city council.
Prema Katari Gupta charged with making Center City thrive
Prema Katari Gupta is only the second head of the 33-year-old Center City District.
She is the hand-picked successor of the organization's legendary founder, Paul Levy.
A second-generation Indian American, Gupta is bullish about the return to in-person work and says the state of Center City is strong, despite persistent perceptions that the downtown is now dangerous.
Gupta says police data shows crime has decreased 18% in Center City from 2019.
She is leaning into what she says is and always will be CCD's core mission-clean and safe.
Gupta says it's time to stop talking about pandemic recovery and start looking to the future and creating the Center City that Philadelphia and the region needs.
Center City District | Facebook |Instagram
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Filmmaker Jennifer Lin focuses documentary lens on the arts
Jennifer Lin is a Philadelphia native who has crafted a creative career in storytelling.
After 31 years at the Philadelphia Inquirer, she made her first foray into film with 'Beethoven in Beijing' - a chronicle of the Philadelphia Orchestra's trip to China in the 1970s.
Her latest project, 'Beyond Yellowface', follows two dancers of Asian descent who are tasking ballet companies around the world to do better with racial representations in ballet.
She also has a film currently on the festival circuit titled 'Ten Times Better'.
The film tells the story of George Lee, who now is an 89-year-old blackjack dealer in Vegas, but in 1954 was a pioneer in the world of ballet, as a Chinese dancer in George Balanchine's production of 'The Nutcracker'.
The documentary title refers to something Lee's mother told him when they were leaving a refugee camp in the Philippines to go to America.
She told him Americans in the ballet world would judge him differently, and that being Asian would require him in their eyes to be 'ten times better' than his non-Asian counterparts.
Lin and her production team, which includes her daughter Cory Lin Stieg, are making personal appearances with Lee around the country in conjunction with the showing of the film.
Pentalina Productions
'Ten Times Better' | Facebook | Instagram
'Beyond Yellowface' | Facebook | Instagram
Woori Center aids MontCo's Asian community through arts and activism
The Woori Center has been changing lives for more than five years in Montgomery County.
The center provides cultural programming where the AAPI population can gather for support and community.
They have touched the lives of more than 25,000 people through arts, activism and youth participation.
The center provides English as Second Language classes (ESA), path-to-citizenship workshops and have supported bills that support immigrant rights.
The center also provides arts classes where participants can learn cultural performances from drumming to dancing.
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Youth mentorship is one of the most important elements of the center's work. A growing core of youth volunteers has opened the eyes of a new generation to the struggles facing its community.
Woori Center | Facebook | Instagram
100 West Main Street UNIT 320, Lansdale, PA 19446
Bahay Kultura is ready to teach Filipino culture to next generation
Melodee Arevalo Mendoza and her husband Chris Mendoza are creating a program to teach Filipino-American children about their roots.
The couple recruited Filipino-American teachers to join them in creating Bahay Kultura where they all stand as co-founders.
They will begin Bahay Kultura as a summer camp in July at the Germantown Friends School in Chestnut Hill.
In October they plan to have a fall program at the Asian Arts Initiative to coincide with Filipino American History Month.
The program is for ages k-8 and will teach language, history, and movement through the arts.
You can look for more information about enrollment for your child on their website and Website| Instagram.
6abc honors 2024's outstanding members of the AAPI community
6abc honors 2024's outstanding members of the AAPI community
This year we honor three James Beard Award-winning/nominated Female Asian Chefs, a couple with a foundation investing in young changemakers in Philadelphia, and the first Asian-American County Commissioner in Pennsylvania history.
The 2024 Honorees include:
The Pamela & Ajay Raju Foundation | Interview with 6abc
Chutatip "Nok" Suntaranon - Chef / Owner - Kalaya | Interview with 6abc
Ange Branca - Chef/Owner - Kampar | Kampar brings back Malaysian mainstay in grand new concept
Ellen Yin - Founder/ Co-Owner - High Street Hospitality Group | Interview with 6abc
Neil Makhija - Commissioner, Montgomery County, PA | Montco official works to end tossing of mail-in-ballots due to minor mistakes