3 minute read
Where East Meets West
On Wednesday evenings between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., a warm glow shines on the sidewalk at 934 Massachusetts Ave. The original sign on the rather inconspicuous building reads, “East Meets West”: the words stacked so that “EMW” appears vertically.
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The building’s façade has no special markers, but the inquisitive will be drawn to the graffiti mural that sprawls across the side of the building. “Love,” it proclaims. “Solidarity. Family. Community.” The psychedelic wall boldly beckons the curious with warm colors and lively script flowing in all directions, shouting out the bookstore’s mission.
According to its website, EMW was originally founded as a Chinese-language bookstore working to empower the Chinese immigrant community. Since its inception in 1998, its social justice mission has stayed the same while also expanding to include all members of marginalized communities. It was rebranded as a space for art, technology and community in the early 2000s.
Their goal is simple: to provide an encouraging, judgement-free space for creatives from marginalized communities, including people of color and LGBTQ. Their most popular event, East Meets Words, is an open-mic event featuring a different Asian/Pacific Islander (API) performer every month. The monthly gathering provides a safe space for the API community to express themselves.
“It’s a platform for those who may not necessarily have access to share their stories or be as represented in that sort of regard,” said Ricky Orng, one of the leaders of the program. Orng was first introduced to EMW during an after-school program field trip in 2008. He later returned as a volunteer.
“I was exploring more poetry and spoken word,” said Orng. “What really stuck out to me was, ‘wow, there’s a lot of incredible people who happen to do art or happen to rap, write and perform, or all three, and they kind of look like me.’ And I thought that was awesome.”
The now-defunct bookshop also serves as a gallery space to exhibit artwork in various mediums that deal with identity and community. The latest exhibition featured a curation by J.D. Stokely, whose projects focus on nostalgia, queerness, the black body and home. In an event titled “Unbound Bodies,” Stokely explores desires of queer and trans black/indigenous people of color and how their desires are policed.
Other initiatives, such as the Community Library, also work in conjunction to provide a safe space for expression and exchange of ideas. The library, which was initially built on donations when it opened in 2016, now makes an effort to stock titles by minority authors—in particular by those who identify as a person of color from the LGBTQ community, according to Community Library Lead Jehan Sinclair.
Sinclair has been involved with EMW since discovering the space during graduate school. After receiving a Master’s degree in library science, she was approached by EMW to help manage and catalog their community library, which maintains a modest collection of works from authors of color and of other marginalized communities. She relishes in the work and the network of support the space provides.
“It means friendship and kindness, understanding, like I know that everyone here is on your team, you know?” said Sinclair. “And they’re here to support you...it’s just very safe and welcoming. Even people I haven’t necessarily met, I know that they’re good people who come through this space.”
During library hours, a few dedicated volunteers can be found working at two long plastic tables in the middle of the small gallery that bleeds into the library. Anyone who walks through the door, whether a regular member of the community or curious passerby, is immediately greeted with genuine smiles and offers of tea and snacks and invited to take a (mismatched) seat at the table.
It’s an eclectic scene that accurately reflects the organization and its people, from the volunteers to the community members. While finding a home in a metropolis can be difficult, the sincerity and happiness projected by those at EMW draws in those seeking a place to belong. Although touted as a space for creatives, being a member of the arts community is not required for one to be welcomed in.
Lauren Chow, a Lesley University master’s student studying International Higher Education and Intercultural Relations, discovered EMW on a whim, when it co-hosted an open-mic night with SubDrift Boston, another organization working to promote minorities’ creative expression.
“I liked that it was a center that focused on marginalized groups, and I need a community that does that,” Chow said. “I feel like I have a lot of positive, fulfilling individual relationships with a lot of different friends in the area, but there’s something about being a part of a group and feeling like you belong.”
She found her home at EMW, where there is a certain acceptance that exudes as the volunteers introduce themselves, with hands enthusiastically offered and gently shaken and where laughter flows freely.
by Marissa Wu / photo by Sikta Samal / design by Samantha West
