Story reposted with permission from The Times-Standard.
The Humboldt Asian and Pacific Islanders in Solidarity, or HAPI, seeks to amplify diverse voices, which they accomplish through several initiatives. I met Alex Ozaki-McNeill and Sheri Woo to learn the latest.
Most visibly, rising in Eureka’s Old Town, the Eureka Chinatown Monument nears completion. As you approach, you notice the big arch. That’s a well-established feature in Asian architecture, a sign of welcoming. The roundness of the arch symbolizes coming and going, which Sheri described as meaningful to the Chinese who were expelled from Eureka in 1885 as well as other immigrants.
“We’re going to come back,” she said.
The site will feature a poem by Daryl Ngee Chinn. Artist John King is creating a concrete river timeline starting in 1850 with stone-like concrete markers in which the sizes of the markers indicate the population of Asian people present in the county. At the time of the expulsion, the pillars drop to zero for about 70 years before growing again, indicating return. The symbolism extends to the landscaping, which will mix a Chinese Gingko tree with plants that are native to the area. You can find a rendition of the monument and read Chinn’s poem here: https://www.hapihumboldt.org/eureka-chinatown-project.
Part of the motivation for building the monument was that HAPI members noticed that the expulsion story would come and go. They would see coverage that there used to be a Chinatown in Eureka, and then the story would disappear for five years. The monument, literally concrete, should help keep the story in public view.
The opening ceremony will take place on October 11. All are welcome. That event will have speakers, lion dancers and other acts. (If you have never seen lion dancers, add that to your bucket list.) Sheri and Alex said the ceremony “will honor this piece of Eureka history, and give many, many thanks.” They credit the community for being extremely supportive, including the City of Eureka, the Humboldt Area Foundation, Rotary clubs, Keep Eureka Beautiful, Eureka Stewards and hundreds of others.
At the same time, there’s a children’s book coming out, written by poet and visual artist Annette Makino, illustrated by Yukari Mishima, and researched by Alex Service and Katie Buesch. It tells the story of the Chinese expulsion from the perspective of a girl who is expelled. It’s based on the historical record of a young girl named Yung and features other real people. HAPI plans for it to be available for purchase at the October 11 event.
Can’t wait until October? The good news is that HAPI’s Obon Festival occurs on August 16 from 3-7 p.m. in Arcata’s Creamery District. Like the October event, it’s open to all.
It’s also an opportunity to dress up. For Obon, Alex says they encourage people to come dressed up, whether that is in traditional Japanese clothing like a kimono or yukata or a fun cosplay.
“It’s appreciation of this part of Japanese culture, not cultural appropriation,” she says. In some ways, Obon is comparable to Dia de Los Muertos, a loving, joyous but also serious remembrance of one’s ancestors.
There will be Bon Odori dancing. Classes are held at Redwood Raks leading up to the event, and anyone can join and dance during the event. Alex says that although it’s a circle dance, it’s akin to line dancing in that anyone can jump in and follow along.
Of course, donations to these initiatives are appreciated. You can view your donation choices here: https://www.inkpeople.org/dreammaker-data/humboldt-asians-amp-pacific-islanders-in-solidarity-hapi?rq=hapi
There are multiple additional ways to get involved. HAPI seeks volunteers to help with Obon and the October street festival, performing tasks like making popcorn and tending the kids’ corner.
You can just attend events, talk to the coordinators and maybe listen to the drumming of Humboldt Taiko, another HAPI project. Or attend one of their occasional HAPI Hours or Eureka Chinatown tours. Email hapihumboldt@gmail.com to get on the mailing list and stay in touch.
Michael Kraft writes the Good Work series, volunteering on behalf of the Northern California Association of Nonprofits (NorCAN). Like HAPI, NorCAN is a DreamMaker project of the Ink People Center for the Arts. NorCAN supports connections between people and organizations that work every day to keep our communities strong by offering professional development, board support, networking connections and more. Learn more at https://norcal-nonprofits.org/. To nominate a deserving nonprofit organization to be profiled, email michael@kraftconsultants.com.