7 minute read
ON SCENE
Denver Asian Collective packs the theater at Alamo Drafthouse for Everything Everywhere All at Once
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Photos by Justin Oshita
Denver Asian Collective (DAC) hosted a screening of the acclaimed film Everything Everywhere All At Once on April 25 at Alamo Drafthouse in Denver. With 77 seats filled, this was the organization’s largest event since it was founded in 2019. The sci-fi film, starring Michelle Yeoh, took audience members on a mind-bending journey with hilarious moments, and left them feeling represented on the screen and connected in the room, as they enjoyed the film in a packed theater of Asian Americans and friends.
Yeong Cheng, founder of DAC said, “Four years ago I watched Crazy Rich Asians in a ‘standard’ Denver theater setting and felt simultaneously seen and invisible.”
“It felt amazing to create a different, Asian-empowered experience personally, and it felt wonderful to hear from other Asians regarding how being in an Asian dominant space addressed unmet needs, needs that for some were brought to the surface simply by being in the room. That feedback validates the need for these spaces, spaces where Asians can lift up our masks and show each other our full selves free from the interrogation of Denver’s everpresent white gaze.”
DAC is building a community for Asians in Denver to socialize, create representation, and influence the broader community by hosting events such as this screening and their upcoming book club.
“There’s so much value in Asian spaces that we often take for granted when we have them. Denver spaces and events are often nonAsian, and it feels bad to constantly be the odd one out. It’s an experience I want to mitigate or alleviate for others,” said Josh Lew, DAC organizer. “It motivates me to organize more spaces like this one, where being ‘the token’ Asian is not the norm. It was so awesome to host such a great movie for such a great group of people!”
Visit denverasiancollective.com to learn about DAC’s upcoming events and the Asian community event calendar.
Wat Buddhawaram celebrates Songkran Festival, Thai New Year
By Chaiyo and Pok Sergent
On a clear, beautiful, sunny Sunday, hundreds of people from the community congregated at the Wat Buddhawararam near I-70 and Federal Blvd. to celebrate the annual Songkran Festival, the traditional Thai New Year. The atmosphere was joyful, colorful, and festive on April 17, 2022. Founded in 1976, Wat Buddhawaram is not only a Theravada Buddhist Thai temple, but a place to celebrate and promote Thai cultural heritage as well.
In the early hours of the morning, many volunteers bustled about at the temple,which oftentimes serves as a community center for the Thai and Laotian communities. After leading the morning prayers inside the temple, the procession of monks then walked the grounds of the temple to receive alms from members of the public who crowded in to offer rice, new robes, foods, etc. and to receive blessings for the new year.
Families, couples, and friend groups packed the temple grounds and the adjacent meditation retreat house (a recent addition to Wat Buddhawararam). Kids played in the area between the temple and the house. Here, Chaiyo, Bodhi, Jennie, and Jayda posed in front of the balloon shooting game, where there were several other children’s games. A myriad of vendors came to sell their wares, home cooked recipes, and much more. The weather was wonderful and it beckoned such a huge crowd to come and celebrate the traditional New Year for both Thai and Mon people.
Food, drinks, and desserts were served and donations accepted. The attendees enjoyed delicious, mouth-watering dishes such as pork skewers, sticky rice, wonton noodle soup, and tom yum, among many others.
Traditional Thai dances were performed to bless the new temple building and musical performances filled the stage outside, calling on the festival attendees to join in on the fun and dancing. In the afternoon, the celebration also featured a kid’s pageant (under 10 years old). The event wrapped up with adults and children splashing each other with water, followed by a sprinkling of baby powder to symbolize spiritual cleansing and ushering in of the new year.
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ActivateWork champions a diverse workforce through the IT and healthcare industries
Last April 6, Governor Jared Polis applauded the work of ActivateWork in building and creating an ecosystem of talented workers.
ActivateWork provides world-class technology training and credentials through its partner, Per Scholas, who has placed more than 15,000 IT professionals in 500-plus companies in 20 cities.
“Colorado is facing challenges in hiring,” Polis said. “We need the right applicants for the right skills, for the right jobs.”
ActivateWork’s mission is to help underserved individuals achieve their fullest potential through the dignity of work. Founded in 2016, the organization is dedicated to transforming ambition into lasting success by launching individuals into flourishing careers in IT and healthcare.
About 89 percent of ActivateWork’s learners are low-income, and more than 20 percent live in extreme poverty when they enter this program,” said Helen Young Hayes, founder and CEO of ActivateWork. “Many come from lower-wage jobs in retail, hospitality, construction, or warehousing, while 10 percent are veterans and 70 percent are people of color, accounting for 30 percent women.”
Hayes, who is Chinese American, shared during her speech that talent can be found in underrepresented communities, but opportunities are not available, so ActivateWork provides that bridge to connections.
As a champion of workforce development, Polis served as the keynote speaker for “Elevating Colorado’s Economy by Launching Tech Careers.” He discussed the state’s immediate needs for economic mobility. Last June, Governor Polis signed two bills that invested $75 million to uplift Colorado’s workforce training programs and expand access to all interested in pursuing apprenticeship pathways.
“This work is a step up to the visions on how everyone can thrive,” Polis said.
In addition to graduates, employer-partners like PING Identity and Bank of America are growing a strategic and diverse technology talent pool through registered cybersecurity apprenticeships.
As ActivateWork builds additional training for IT courses, the goal is to pave the way to economic mobility and prosperity for low-wage earners from underrepresented and underserved communities. For more information about ActivateWork, visit ActivateWork.org.
Photos and article by Annie Guo VanDan
Governor Jared Polis addresses the importance of workforce development.
Helen Hayes, founder and CEO of ActivateWork, welcomes the audience.
A panel, moderated by Jesse Ogas of 9News speak to the importance of a diverse workforce.
Congratulations to Japanese Arts Network (JA-NE) for the launch of the “Colorado’s API Food Culture: Rice and Resilience” exhibit, highlighting the importance and legacy of food in Asian culture.
“We are very fortunate to share thoughtful work rooted in lived experience from inspiring Colorado API creatives,” said Courtney Ozaki, founder of JA-NE. See the original work of local artists and the stories of Asian Americans on the 3rd floor mezzanine at History Colorado, 1200 N Broadway, Denver, CO 80203.
Happy Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month!
Join us on Saturday, June 4, 2022 for the Building Community Resilience: AAPI Mental Wellness Summit for a day of workshops and physical activities!
Participate in voter registration efforts this summer to encourage the AAPI community to not only register, but to vote in the November 2022 election! CACENDENVER.ORG
