Clark College made history on May 30 with its first-ever Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration, an evening of food, dance, and storytelling hosted by the Korean Culture Club.

Held at the Student Center, the space was transformed into a vibrant celebration of Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese, and Pacific Islander cultures. Local AAPI-owned vendors lined the room, offering handcrafted goods, boba tea, and banh mi sandwiches while students, staff, and community members browsed, ate, and connected.

The energy was electric, with speakers and performers taking center stage throughout the evening. Clark College President Dr. Edwards welcomed guests with a video message, followed by opening remarks from Vice President of Instruction, Dr. Brown. Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle read a special proclamation recognizing AAPI Heritage Month in the City of Vancouver.

Guests also had the opportunity to join Leslie Lew, one of the evening’s keynote speakers known globally as the “Warrior, for a free self-defense seminar. Leslie gave participants the tools they needed to protect themselves and reminded them of the strength they should always carry.

“Stand in your power,” she told onlookers as she demonstrated how to escape a chokehold. “You don’t have to be the strongest person in the room to be powerful.”

The event also featured speeches by community leaders, including Michael Tuncap, former director of the Pacific Islander Student Commission at UW Seattle, and a high-energy performance by PacifikWest, a Portland-based K-pop performance and cover dance group.

For Clark student Melina Doan, pictured left – who established the Korean Culture Club in 2022 and, along with serving as club president is also the event’s creator – the celebration was deeply personal.

“Celebrating AAPI Heritage Month at Clark is so important because it gives voice and visibility to students who often feel unseen,” Melina said. “This event meant everything to us. For so long, AAPI students haven’t seen themselves reflected or celebrated on campus. To finally have a space where our cultures, languages, dances, and stories could shine — it was powerful. It wasn’t just a celebration; it was a moment of visibility, pride, and community.”

The evening was the result of months of planning and collaboration between student clubs, local organizations and small businesses, and dedicated volunteers, truly spotlighting the strength, creativity, and resiliency of the AAPI community.

“For so long, I have wanted an event for AAPI students to speak their truths at Clark College, like other cultures here. After not seeing it happen year after year, I decided enough is enough,” Melina said. “The event was my whole network, and it was only made possible by students who volunteer their time.”

Melina called out a special thanks to Zion Brown from the Korean Culture Club, James Simina from the Clark Japanese Club, Mac Manuel and Ria Antonio from the Pacific Islander Club, and the Pacific Islander clubs at Hudson’s Bay, Fort Vancouver, and Heritage high schools.

Next year, the Korean Culture Club will become the Asian Culture Club, and it will continue its mission to uplift AAPI voices and share traditions with the Clark community.

“Family is like branches on a tree, they grow in different directions, yet our roots remain as one,” Ria Antonio from the Pacific Islander Club shared. “Although we may not be able to speak the language or know the exact tradition, it flows within our blood and in our hearts forever.”

Photos courtesy of: Zion Brown

The Clark College community commemorated Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Month in May in a variety of ways.  

Korean Club hosts speakers discuss racism, acts of violence 

On May 31 the college’s Korean Club hosted its first-ever Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander event, which it plans to repeat annually. Five speakers talked about their experiences with racism, discrimination and even violence. The speakers were: 

• Bethany Kim-Yin, a former social studies teacher and college admissions counselor 
• Jīn Darnel, president, Korean Society of Vancouver and Washington Asian Cultural Organization 
• Jullie Ji, teacher, Korean School of Vancouver; Korean Society of Vancouver 
• Amanda Lee Harlan, Clark College Workforce Education Services; president, Justice Impact Club; co-president, Korean Club; board member, Witness to Mass Incarceration 
• Melina My-Ai Doan, Clark College student; president of the college’s Korean Club 

They spoke about being young children and experiencing other students make racist comments about their appearance, their ethnic food, the way they spoke English. 

Bethany Kim-Yin said, “Violence against Asians happens every day. I’ve been spit upon. One of the lies I still tell myself is that If I stay small, I’ll be safe.” She added, “We’re not big enough for the American dream to be a reality.” 

Jīn Darnel sang in Portland Opera for several seasons. She was the only Asian performer. 

She said, “In my life, I’ve seen so much discrimination. I was very angry about it.” 

Now she fights back against discrimination by creating opportunities for Asian artists and musicians. 

Jullie Ji, a third-generation Asian-American, asked her math professor at Portland State University to explain an equation. The professor’s response: Go back to your country. Take ESL classes. Learn to speak English.  

To bring Asian communities together, she is organizing a series of summer concerts in Vancouver featuring Asian musicians.  

“We’re not all that different. We’re just different colors,” she said. 

Melina My-Ai Doan said growing up in Vancouver was hard. The kids at school made fun of her Vietnamese food she brought for lunch. Making friends was difficult. Later, while working at a local movie theater, she experienced a racially motivated verbal attack.  

She said, “We have been invisible and ignored. It’s time to speak up.” 

While growing up in the 1980s and 1990s, Amanda Lee Harlan said, “I endured a lot of racism, discrimination, name calling, bullying. It’s taken its toll. I remember being ashamed of my culture and my heritage.” 

At age 20, she was called a derogatory name and punched in the face by a White Supremacist skinhead and wearing a swastika. Someone called the police, who put her and her husband—not the attacker—into the back of the police car. 

“There is still so much violence against Asians, especially against our elders, who don’t feel safe reporting it,” she said. “Community is what we need right now. Having a safe space. Sharing our stories. My goal is to bring awareness to what’s going on in the Asian community and how we can help each other. I’d like to bring all the Asian communities together.” 

College Book Club discusses Minor Feelings 

Clark College’s book club met via Zoom on May 5 to discuss the book Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong. The book is a New York Times bestseller, a Pulitzer Prize finalist and a National Book Critics Circle Award winner. The Los Angeles Review wrote: “In Minor Feelings, poet and essayist Cathy Park Hong exposes the racism, shame, and erasure forced upon her as a Korean American woman.” 

Heather Leasure, Clark’s Student Communication and Retention Manager said about the book, “The takeaway for me was about the structured life she (the author) was forced to lead. Also, the abuse that is rampant in Korean culture, especially from the mother.” 

Japanese and Korean club members receive Vancouver City Council proclamation 

Members of the college’s Japanese and Korean Clubs attended the Vancouver City Council meeting in May to receive Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle’s proclamation that May is “Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.” 

The proclamation includes this language: 

“Whereas, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month is an annual celebration every May that recognizes the historical and current contributions of individuals and groups of Asian, Hawaiian and Pacific Islander descent within the United States. The umbrella term includes communities from the entire Asian continent, including East, Southeast and South Asia, the Hawaiian Islands, and the Pacific Islands of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. As of last year, there were about 24.3 million people of Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander descent in the United States; 

“Whereas, the City of Vancouver recognizes the innumerable contributions, vibrant cultures, and rich histories of AA and NHPI. As some of the fastest-growing racial and ethnic groups in the nation and Vancouver, AA and NHPI communities represent a multitude of ethnicities, languages, and experiences that enrich our community; 

“Whereas, this month we proudly celebrate the rich culture and history of Asian American, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islander heritage and history in the City of Vancouver, as we dedicate ourselves to working together to address the challenges that still face so many of our neighbors and members of the Vancouver community.”