Cleveland State University’s Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs is offering a series of activities throughout the month of May to promote the contributions of Asian-Americans to Northeast Ohio and the city of Cleveland. The events coincide with National Asian Pacific Islander American Heritage Month and are being hosted in partnership with the Cleveland Asian Festival and OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates of Greater Cleveland.

The effort will include the community discussion, “AsiaTown & The Asian American Experience,” hosted at the Levin College’s Roberta Steinbacher Atrium, Thursday, May 16 from 4 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. It will feature a panel of local leaders in the Asian community discussing the history, influence and importance of AsiaTown to the region and how Cleveland can enhance its continued growth. Panelists will include: filmmaker Johnny K. Wu, national Asian-American community advocate Lisa Wong, Grammy-winning pianist Angelin Chang, Cleveland news anchor Chris Tanaka, journalist Anne Pu and Asim Datta, former president of the Federation of India Community Associations of North East Ohio.

“We are pleased to partner with the local community to highlight the ongoing contributions Asian-Americans make to our region, and how enclaves such as AsiaTown enhance the vibrancy and diversity of cities across the U.S.,” adds Roland Anglin, dean of the Levin College of Urban Affairs at CSU.

Additional events in the series include: 

• Faces of Chinatown: An extensive photography exhibit presented by the Levin College’s Thomas F. Campbell, PhD Exhibition Gallery. It features the work of Steve Cagan, Luanne Bole-Becker, Bob Becker and Katie Melnick.
• Brown Bag Film Series: Film screenings highlighting the Asian-American experience in Cleveland. 

Click here to register for the community discussion or to learn more about all the events being offered.