Asian Pacific American Heritage Month 2010 (Day four)

Tonight was the Asian Heritage Award Nominee Reception. It was pretty chill (well, except for the first half hour or so I was there--the sun was blinding and hot in that little gallery). Jian Wang's art is really cool, I especially liked the Beijing Girls series. Tabe BBQ catered the event and oh man, those mini tacos were BOMB. ^____^ I was just bummed that they were only providing hor d'oeuvres. Ah well, they'll be at the Asian Cultural Festival on Saturday so I can get my Tabe on then. =D

Anyway, as I mentioned last night, the Asian Heritage Awards strive to honor achievement, accomplishment, heritage and legacy by recognizing individuals and organizations that connect with the community. There are 14 categories in which individuals/organizations may be recognized by their peers:

Education
Community Service
Art and Literature
Business Enterprise
Cultural Preservation
Entrepreneurship
Government
Health and Medicine
Humanitarian Outreach
Innovation and Technology
Legal Affairs
Media
Military
Performing Arts

Once the nominees have been selected, the general public will vote for the person/organization they believe deserves it. On July 10, 2010, the winners will be announced at the awards ceremony (on the USS Midway). In addition to the 14 categories, we also have a Special Recognition Honoree is Tom Hom, one of San Diego's most influential Asian Americans. This was also my first encounter with him, and while I did not really get a chance to talk to him, he's pretty legit. He is the first Asian elected to the San Diego City Council and the first Asian from San Diego to serve in the California Assembly. Aside from him, I also met some of the nominees and it was really amazing being in the presence of so many outstanding Asian Americans in Southern California. And of course, while I cannot publicly "campaign" for my dear friend (name here), I am EXTREMELY proud that said friend is nominated in the (such and such) category.

On that note, I want to congratulate all the nominees and wish all of them the best of luck!