Our mission is to educate, support, empower and advocate for Asian and Pacific Islander (A&PI) communities—particularly A&PIs living with or at risk for HIV/AIDS.
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In our June Issue:
CELEBRATE PRIDE WITH A&PI WELLNESS CENTER!
Celebrating its 11th year of Asian & Pacific Islander Pride, Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center will present the A&PI Pavilion and Community Stage. The A&PI Community Stage is back with a vengeance! Sponsored by SHANGRI-LA and Club Dragon, the community stage will feature A&PI LGBT performers, cultural and modern dance groups, and a bevy of personalities! Headliners include Singapore Idol finalist, Justin Jap, and American Idol Season 7 finalist, Ramiele Malubay. Also appearing are Freeplay Dance Crew, Rice Rockettes and many more! Hosted by community icon, Tita Aida, this 6-1/2 hour showcase is a spectacle not to be missed! The A&PI Pavilion will host many A&PI organizations such as GAPA, AQUA and A&PI Wellness Center. Stop by, say hi and find out more about what's happening in the community! Free confidential and anonymous HIV testing will also be available.
There are many ways you can get involved! If you are interested in attending any kick off parties, marching with us during the parade, or volunteering, check out our A&PI Pride Page for more information!
James Kyson Lee of NBC's "Heroes" is a Banyan Tree Project spokesperson and an outspoken advocate for HIV awareness. For the 6th annual National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, we flew down to Los Angeles to spend some time with him before he left the country for a European press tour. James graciously took time out of his busy schedule to record a message to the community, asking everyone to talk about HIV with their family and friends.
EXPOSING THE IMPACT OF HIV & HEPATITIS B ON A&PIs: MAY 19 PRESS CONFERENCE
At left, KTSF-26 coverage of our press conference in Cantonese. Click here to watch this broadcast in Mandarin.
On May 19, A&PI Wellness Center's Banyan Tree Project hosted a press conference to expose the impact of HIV and hepatitis B on Asian & Pacific Islander communities in the US. HIV and hepatitis B are silently ravaging our communities, despite the popular misconception (held by medical providers, the general population, and even A&PIs) that A&PIs are not affected by these diseases. Nothing could be further from the truth: A&PI men and women have the highest percentage annual increase in new HIV infections--higher than any other ethnic group--and 1 in 10 A&PIs are chronically infected with hepatitis B, compared to 1 in 1000 in the general population. In fact, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that the HIV infection rate in A&PI communities will surpass that of Latinos by 2015 and African Americans by 2020 if left unchecked.
Panelists included CA State Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, Ryan Ong Palao (aka Ongina), Dr. Tri Do and A&PI Wellness Center Executive Director, Lance Toma. Assemblywoman Ma, who is chronically infected with hepatitis B, shared her personal experience educating the public about the disease and the need to get vaccinated (see a special message from Assemblywoman Ma about the importance of May 19th). Ryan Ong Palao, who disclosed his HIV status on the first season of RuPaul's Drag Race, urged other people living with HIV to find support in their community: "Telling my family I was HIV-positive was one of the hardest things I ever did. I was really afraid, but I'm glad I did because now I have their support." Ryan also sat down with us to record a special message for May 19th.
COMMEMORATING MAY 19 AROUND THE COUNTRY AND ONLINE
Around the nation, nearly 25 different commemoration events were held in honor of May 19, National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. In Boston, our Banyan Tree Project partners MAP for Health held a special commemoration honoring our dear colleague Ramani Sripada. In Honolulu, Life Foundation held its second annual "Island Roots" celebration, featuring slam poetry and film, and testing nearly 20 participants for HIV and Hepatitis C. In Los Angeles, Asian Pacific AIDS Intervention Team offered HIV testing for 6 hours. In New York,, Asian Pacific Islander American Health Forum held a conference. Across the Pacific, many events happened all over the different islands of Hawai`i and even as far away in the Federated States of Micronesia. Closer to home, there were events in San Diego and San Jose. Another event happened in Doraville, Georgia.
We also participated in a week of blog postings on the Asian Pacific Americans for Progress web site on HIV and hepatitis B. Some very touching stories were told about youth and stigma and living with HIV. We also had stories on the state of current HIV funding and the importance of cultural and linguistic competency, to name a few. In all, we had over 25 different posts during the week! We invite you to also read some other perspectives on HIV and hepatitis B from the community.
We would like to thank everyone who helped raise awareness about HIV and hepatitis B in the community on May 19. We invite you to become our fan on Facebook or by follow us on Twitter to get the latest updates on what the Banyan Tree Project is doing!
This year, Bloom: Join the conversation was a remarkable achievement, thanks to our sponsors, attendees, hosts and performers. Despite a trying year financially, Bloom 2010 was our most successful annual fundraiser to-date — and all while having a great time! The delectable spread of food from some of San Francisco’s top restaurants allowed guests to mingle while enjoying an exciting show by Ongina and shopping for fun adventure packages in our silent auction.
Thank you to everyone in our community for helping to make Bloom: Join the conversation our best event yet. Your continued support means a lot to all of us here at A&PI Wellness Center.
A&PI WELLNESS CENTER AT FRAMELINE 34
Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center is co-hosting two great films at Frameline 34, the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival from June 17-27. See Off World, a haunting and poignant tale of one man’s search for his true identity in the Philippines, and The Golden Pin, a short film following the struggles between love and family for a young Vietnamese-Canadian swimmer.
Off World - Thursday, June 17th at 10pm and Monday, June 21st at 4pm at the Castro Theater in San Francisco
The Golden Pin - Wednesday, June 23rd at 4pm at the Castro Theater in San Francisco
Tickets are available for purchase starting Friday, June 4th. Buy yours now at www.frameline.org!
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