CLARKSVILLE, TN - The City of Clarksville invites residents to celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month this Friday at the Wilma Rudolph Event Center with a free event featuring food vendors, live entertainment and door prizes.
Bringing people together
In episode five of the City’s podcast, On Public Square, Marylou Mattingly, President of Kadiwa Filipino American Association of Clarksville, and Joseph Gutierrez, director of API Middle TN, discuss the history of AAPI Heritage month as well as the upcoming celebration.
“There’ll be a lot of different booths to explore different pieces of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage,” said Gutierrez. “It’ll be really fun for families to come. We’ll have a lot of activities for children to participate in. Along with all the great food vendors from Clarksville, it should be really fun… I’m actually more excited for a lot of the cultural performances.”
“I just want to invite everyone. It’s once a year. We just want to share our history, culture and traditions, so please join us,” added Mattingly.
Guitierrez added that cultural events like the API Celebration are important opportunities for communities to come together to share in their culture and experiences.
“Events like this are really important in bringing people together,” he said.
The Asian Pacific Islander Celebration will be held at the Wilma Rudolph Event Center on May 19 from 5:30-9 p.m.. The event is free and open to the public.