ON SCENE: Sip and Paint event raises funds to write and share the stories of South Asian women

Sip and Paint shares stories of Asian women

On October 30, Ujyalo Foundation in collaboration with Asian Avenue magazine hosted Sip and Paint, a networking and charity event to amplify the voices of women, girls, and non-binaries from Southeast Asia in the Denver area by documenting their stories of being an Asian American, an immigrant, and a woman, girl, or non-binary from Southeast Asia in Denver.

The event was a part of the Weaving Identities initiative, which is a storytelling project led by Ujyalo Foundation.

The project will share the narratives of 40 women, girls, and non-binaries mainly from Southeast Asia. The goal is to document the challenges, achievements, and contributions of members of these communities so that their narratives are archived for generations to come.

Storytelling also aids in marginalized groups having meaningful representation

“Numbers and data cannot explain the lived experiences of our communities,” said Amuda Mishra, founder of Weaving Identities and Ujyalo Foundation.

“Our communities are often under-resourced and underfunded, and heavily lack the data that represents us in a holistic manner,” she continued.

“Storytelling is a powerful medium to capture the lived experiences of our communities that often is not represented.”

At the Asian Pacific Development Center, participants introduced themselves by sharing their stories about being Asian in Colorado. Mishra then presented the uplifting stories of three women interviewed through the project. The group painted their stories to express their identities led by a local Nepali artist.

The painting event was attended by 25 participants from diverse Asian ethnic groups including Nepali, Hmong, Lao, Chinese, Thai, and Filipino.

The event was supported by community partners including Asian Pacific Development Center, Tea Street, Black Jack Pizza North Aurora, and the International Groups at Re/Max Professionals.

Follow Weaving Identities on Facebook and Instagram @weavingidentities.

Far East Center welcomes kids for Trunk or Treat

Dressed in colorful costumes, children and families of all ages arrived at the Far East Center to collect candy on the evening of October 28. The Trunk or Treat event brought Halloween festivities to the Westwood neighborhood and Little Saigon Denver with nearly 3,000 people in attendance.

Highlighting a costume contest, music, and food, the event was organized by Mimi Luong, owner of Truong An Gifts, Officer Avila, and Officer Blea along with community partners and contributors including the Asian Chamber of Commerce, Denver Police Department, Denver Councilwoman Jamie Torres, Community Active Living Coalition, and the Far East Center.

Dozens of trunks were decorated by community organizations with volunteers who were not only passing out candy, but also sharing information about their programs and services.

Luong said: “We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We hope you had a fun time and enjoyed a memorable evening. We hope this can continue annually and make it even better for next year.”

For future events, follow Far East Center @fareastcenter, Little Saigon Denver @little saigondenverco, and Truong An Gifts

@truongangifts.