Blog

Bike to China alum discusses Chinatown park access

July 8, 2017 Bike/Ped, News & Updates, Parks

The following post was written by intern Maggie Su as part of a series of profiles of API members of the community.

Kevin Liao may one day be your orthodontist. But today, he’s a biology student at California State University, Los Angeles. His ultimate goal is to open multiple dentistry practices, some of which would serve as community centers providing orthodontic services at low costs, if not for free, depending on the client’s need.

“The government says braces are not a necessity, more of a privilege,” Liao said. “But I know how some individuals, if they don’t have a perfect smile, it kind of impacts them. They may not want to smile.”

The community dentistry centers Liao hopes to one day open are his way of giving back to the community — a continuation of the work he already does with Para Los Niños, a nonprofit that provides social services and education opportunities to Los Angeles youth. Liao, who is based in Lincoln Heights, has worked with the organization for the past four years. He is involved with programs such as the Men of Action Initiative and the Escalera Program, both of which are in partnership with the National Council of La Raza (NCLR).

Liao has also been instrumental in much of APIFM’s work. He recently collaborated with Program Director Scott Chan to form Chinatown Fit Club — a weekly gathering of runners and walkers at LA State Historic Park. Their goal in forming the club, Liao said, was to encourage people to utilize the recently reopened recreational space while bringing residents of neighboring communities together.

LA State Historic Park is a 32-acre space — by far the largest park in the area. Despite this, there are only 1.6 acres of park land per 1,000 residents in LA Central City North compared to the county average of 3.3 acres per 1,000. This relative lack of park space makes it critical that residents fully utilize LA State Historic Park. Alpine Recreation Center, the second largest park space in the area, is 1.94 acres, but is often overused due to Chinatown’s high population density.

Although the turnout for Chinatown Fit Club has improved since its first meeting at the end of April, attracting the elderly population of Chinatown continues to be a challenge. Many of the elderly Chinese residents choose instead to frequent the Alpine Recreation Center, where they have been doing 6:45 a.m. tai chi for years.

“It’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks,” Liao said. “They’re just so accustomed to their way of life, their habit.”

Local leaders discuss Cambodian heritage, police profiling and park access in Long Beach

June 27, 2017 News & Updates, Parks

The following post was written by intern Maggie Su as the first in a series of profiles of API members of the community.

Ladine Chan and Patrick Duong are not your typical father-son duo. In fact, they aren’t related at all. But, judging from their good-natured banter, one might assume otherwise. Chan, Program Coordinator for Educated Men with Meaningful Messages (EM3) — a youth program under Families in Good Health at Dignity Health St. Mary Medical Center in Long Beach — works with primarily Cambodian youth, aged 14 to 19. He himself was once a youth in the program over a decade ago. Duong, who just completed his first year at Long Beach City College, is a recent graduate of the program. He credits EM3 with helping him finish high school.

As residents of Long Beach, Chan and Duong have limited access to safe parks. Most are poorly maintained and rife with gang activity. Furthermore, Long Beach residents must also contend with a lack of access to healthy foods. In a neighborhood where the most readily available groceries are from corner stores or liquor stories, many families have to travel at least three or four miles in order to purchase nutritious goods.

Despite the area’s lack of resources, programs such as EM3 exist to help residents combat the odds they face. The EM3 youth attend workshops every Friday on subjects ranging from life skills to violence in the community to healthy relationships. The program also teaches youth about their own cultural heritage, given that the majority of their parents are refugees of the Cambodian genocide under the Khmer Rouge regime.

“It gets very emotional to talk about what happened during the genocide, very traumatizing,” Chan said. “That’s why some of the youth get lost in it.”

Many members of the Cambodian community in Long Beach, which Chan estimates comprises 30 to 40 percent of the total population in the area — the largest Cambodian population anywhere outside of Phnom Penh — suffer from untreated PTSD. This makes it difficult for parents, unwilling to bring up the past, to discuss their background with their children. The result is that Cambodian youth know little about what the previous generation experienced.

HEAL Community Fest

June 12, 2017 News & Updates

The following post was written by intern Maggie Su to update APIFM supporters on current initiatives.

At Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA) Saturday morning, APIFM hosted a Healthy Eating and Active Living (HEAL) Community Festival, sponsored by Champions for Change and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Co-sponsors included SIPA, Pilipino Workers’ Center (PWC), Para Los Niños, the office of Mitch O’Farrell, Mother and Vision Zero.

Attendees started off by participating in a Zumba class led by Pamela Price, laughing as they danced to upbeat pop music. Afterward, they headed indoors to sample refreshing fruit smoothies. Ivy Daulo demonstrated how attendees could prepare the smoothies at home while Esther Lee answered questions about nutrition and healthy eating. They learned about the Rethink Your Drink campaign, which focuses on how we can choose healthier drinks such as water and beverages without added sugar. Finally, Ivy did a demo for mango black bean salad, which attendees also got to sample.

To conclude the morning, raffle tickets were drawn; a lucky few received reusable bags containing Champions for Change t-shirts, aprons, cutting boards, among other goodies. Those who were still up for it did a little extra Zumba on their way out.

All in all, it was a fun and productive morning. Thank you to everyone who attended.

If you missed out, Ivy leads weekly HEAL workshops at PWC on Thursdays at 6 p.m. All are welcome!

Healthy Korean Food!

June 1, 2017 News & Updates

The following post was written by intern Maggie Su to update APIFM supporters on current initiatives.

On Tuesday evening, I got to watch a group of Korean women test a handful of traditional recipes. They prepared dishes such as chapchae (stir-fried noodles) and bibimbap (a spicy mixed rice bowl), both of which were delicious. Health Education Coordinator Esther Lee was present to translate, while Monica Bhagwan, program manager for Leah’s Pantry, observed and asked questions about the cooking process.

This session was part of an effort to develop Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese recipes for Eatfresh.org, one of multiple databases of healthy recipes for low-income individuals and families eligible for CalFresh/SNAP. In the past, these databases have not included many culturally relevant dishes; APIFM in partnership with Leah’s Pantry hopes to change that one recipe at a time, gradually increasing the number of recipes from Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander cultures.

APIFM staff enlisted the help of community members to brainstorm recipes and prepare the dishes in collaboration with Leah’s Pantry staff. The recipes were developed to align with dietary guidelines suggesting low sodium, low sugar and less fat. For example, the chapchae was prepared with less soy sauce.

The Korean recipe development group was comprised of participants from APIFM’s Healthy Eating & Active Living (HEAL) workshop series at Koreatown Youth and Community Center (KYCC)‘s affordable housing, the Menlo Family Apartments in Koreatown.

The Koreatown HEAL participants will also be offering a free class, How to Make Kimchi, 4:30 p.m. June 17 at Doulos Mission Church, so come by and learn from the experts!

Staff Profile: Linda Huynh

May 10, 2017 Life

What’s your role at APIFM? How’d you first get connected? What are you working on?

Hi! I am Linda Huynh and I am APIFM’s Community Engagement Coordinator. I was introduced to APIFM back when it use to be called APIOPA. In a previous job, I partnered with APIOPA and the students of Mark Keppel High School in promoting environmental justice. Together, we promoted safer bike routes in Monterey Park with the help of BIKE SGV. In addition, we promoted cleaner air, especially around the classrooms of Mark Keppel (which is right next to the 10 freeway). I am currently outreaching and engaging with community members to participate in our Healthy Eating and Active Living program. In this program, we are providing spaces for participants to become more knowledgeable in how to eat healthier, how to cook healthier (through cooking demonstrations), and to become more physically active.

Why is APIFM’s work important to you?

I believe it’s important to open up more opportunities for Asians living in the United States, because it will ultimately give us a fairer chance to succeed in life. I am drawn to APIFM’s mission to cultivate a healthier movement for Asian communities. I LOVE APIFM’s approach in providing healthier access to foods, nutrition education and physical activities. The organization is providing opportunities for Asian communities to live a more sustainable lifestyle.

In addition, I find it humbling to work with Asian-ethnic and multi-generational groups (especially since I grew up Asian-American to first generation parents). I have experience working with Chinese and Vietnamese groups in the San Gabriel Valley. Therefore, I am looking forward to expanding my horizon with other Asian-ethnic groups in Los Angeles. APIFM is giving me the opportunity to outreach and build relationships with community partners and residents of Chinatown, Historic Filipinotown, Little Tokyo, and Koreatown.

What’s your life like outside of work? What are your hobbies/passions?

In my off time, I love traveling, visiting museums and gardens, and eating out in the SGV. In addition, I find it relaxing to take pictures and experimenting with different cameras. I get my inspiration from my favorite cinematographer, Christopher Doyle.

Linda Huynh is a Community Engagement Coordinator at APIFM. She has eight years of nonprofit experience. She earned her B.A. in Television & Film Media Studies: Tele-communications and minored in Art Studio from California State University-Los Angeles. Linda identifies as ethnically Chinese, Southeast Asian-American and uses she/her pronouns.

Chinatown Office: Wish List

May 9, 2017 Donate

We moved into our comfy Chinatown satellite office early last month. No worries, you did not miss the grand opening! Before inviting our friends and families over, we wanted to clean up the space and get it well furnished. Once fully operational, this space will be our headquarters for healthy eating/active living programming we are running for API communities in Chinatown, Historic Filipinotown, Little Tokyo, and Koreatown!

In order to open our doors, we need your help! We’re still short items for our new office and would appreciate any of the following items. We will gladly write a tax donation letter for all donations given to us.

Decorations:

wall decals
culturally relevant decorations

Furniture:

office tables (5)
side table
office chairs
trash bins
couch
lockable cabinets/drawers

Electronics:

microwave
mini-fridge
hot water pot (similar item)
office supplies – staplers, tape, binder clips
all-in-one printer/scanner

Other:

cleaning supplies
Brita Filter

*Updated May 9, 2017

Journey to the Marathon

April 11, 2017 Life

The following post was written by our good friend, and Forward Movement supporter Dan Huynh

When I signed up to train for the 2017 LA Marathon with API Forward Movement (APIFM), a part of me doubted whether it was going to be possible. I didn’t see myself as a runner. Growing up, I was teased for being taller and bigger than boys my age. Family and friends, with good intentions, reminded me to be more feminine. So, I thought I could really only be one type of person: someone who looked athletic but for various social norms and expectations, shouldn’t engage in those activities.

Then 2016 happened.

Celebrating Our History in the Movement

March 31, 2017 News & Updates

By Ailene Q. Ignacio

Growing up in Los Angeles, you are ingrained at an early age with the monumental value of the warrior, Cesar Chavez. You know him not only as the Mexican-American father of the United Farm Workers (UFW), but as the fearless leader and activist who birthed the Delano Grape Strike of 1965-1970.

However, while Chavez did indeed pivot the past and current movement for farm worker rights in California and all over the country, many of us are still unaware of the fact that Chavez did not actually conceptualize and activate the strike initially.

Rather, the Delano Grape Strike was initiated by a humble, yet militant man by the name of Larry Dulay Itliong. A native of the Republika ng Pilipinas (more commonly known as the Philippines), Itliong led numerous unionization and labor justice movements as early as 1940s.

Staff Profile: Paul Hoang Nguyen

March 30, 2017 Life

Greetings everyone! My name is Paul Hoang Nguyen and I am currently a Program Coordinator at Forward Movement (FM). I graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a Bachelor’s in Sociology. When I am not a Program Coordinator, I enjoy hobbies like cooking, mastering the techniques of olympic weightlifting, running unreasonable amounts of mileage, and the occasional working on the next episodes of #paultable4one.

We are Champions for Change!

March 29, 2017 News & Updates

We’re so excited to launch our Healthy Eating & Active Living (HEAL) project, funded by the Department of Public Health’s Champions for Change Initiative. Our HEAL project includes workshops on healthy eating, exercise, and cooking in Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Historic Filipinotown, and Koreatown. Big shout out to our amazing organization partners–Little Tokyo Service Center, Pilipino Workers’ Center, and Koreatown Youth and Community Center! Stay tuned for updates about upcoming HEAL classes and activities. Interested in helping out? Let us know! We’re looking for health educators, nutritionists, chefs, exercise instructors (Tai Chi, zumba, etc.), interpreters, and general volunteers. Email Linda Huynh (lindahuynh@apifm.org) for more info!

APIFM & SSG