By Constance Rigney, April 8, 2021
There is no better time to embrace the AAPI community and help deepen understanding of and respect for their cultures. It’s easy to appreciate the dazzling art, delectable cuisine and rich history of the diverse groups that comprise this community — and practice consumerism with heart by supporting local AAPI businesses and institutions.
In some cases it is as simple as wandering in beauty and nature to accomplish both. Portland is blessed with two exceptional gardens that were created to inspire serenity and meaningful appreciation of a particular culture’s aesthetics. Northwest boasts the Lan Su Chinese Garden, built by artisans from sister city Suzhou, a botantical marvel. Southwest is blessed with the delicate cherry blossoms of the Portland Japanese Garden, breathtaking and exceptional even in a city as green and lush as this one. Both urban oases offer events and educational activities that promote understanding of arts traditional to and beauty inherent in their respective cultures.
In other cases, it is the joy of filling your belly to feed your soul that will allow for this combination. Portland is chock full of incredible restaurants, many AAPI-owned. No matter your neighborhood or the cuisine for which you hanker, there is a local eatery you can bolster financially. It’s all there no matter what you desire. Maybe the Korean veggie-friendly “burger-style” gimbap supreme (seaweed and rice wrapped in foil) found at Toki? Or perhaps the tender poached Thai chicken and rice of Nong’s Khao Man Gai, whose menu notes that she arrived here with $70 and two suitcases, tons of ambition and her fantastic recipe. (Portland’s vast vegetarian and vegan community won’t be left out – they can enjoy that recipe as well as there is a version made with tofu.)
And there are other ways of expanding your mind and making meaningful financial contributions. The Portland Chinatown Museum offers a vibrant strand in the American tapestry, focusing on points-of-view of the inhabitants of that district, particularly through oral histories, allowing this community to share its experiences and history in its own words. While it was closed to the public at the time this was written, the museum is accepting donations to help continue its work and its mission. The Japanese American Museum of Oregon, another amazing institution detailing the local immigration of an Asian community, gently but powerfully reminds us of another time when hate overtook reason and thousands of people were imprisoned in the Pacific Northwest just for being who they were. And it reminds us why we need to work harder than ever to fight hate now.
If you are eager to donate locally to help ensure that is the case, start by contacting the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon, which describes itself as “a statewide, grassroots organization, uniting Asians and Pacific Islanders to achieve social justice….[using] our collective strengths to advance equity through empowering, organizing and advocating with our communities”. And while spending money with good intent is helpful and necessary, additionally educating one’s self- trying to understand the issues, asking how to be a good ally and speaking up and out against racism is paramount- and something that many Portlanders support and practice.
Constance Rigney
Broker | OR & WA
She/Her
What I love about the field of real estate is that essentially, it’s about dreams and possibilities. It’s about finding a space that can support the life you are envisioning and crafting...
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- T: 503-860-4293
- constance@livingroomre.com
