"Legacy & Legends" was the theme of the Sixth Annual Asian Heritage Awards that was hosted by the Asian Heritage Society committees of Asian-Americans of San Diego, California. This year's celebration honored those men and women, individuals and organizations who have dedicated their lives and contributed so much for the betterment of humanity and the community.
The award ceremony and celebration, held at the USS Midway Museum in San Diego on July 25th, drew more than 400 guests from across the United States. Rosalyn Carman, President of the Asian Heritage Society said this to VOA, "As you know, Asians have been coming to this country for a very long time and have contributed so much to this great nation, and yet we have not received as much recognition as we should from the mainstream media. The time is here and it's now. We need to support one another and we need to bring ourselves out into the spotlight."
Leonardo also added his words by saying that "Asian-Americans have served this country for a very long time and they didn't get recognitions as they should. This is the time and that's a reason we(the Asian Heritage Society) has to honor these men and women."
Members of the Lao diaspora in the San Diego area joining the celebration included Vannasing Keodara, President of the Lao Cultural Center of San Diego; Bouavan (Buu-Van) Rasih who just became a member of the Asian Heritage Society's Board of Advisors, along with Others included John and Soulinh Noravong and La & Toui Regan, representing Jai Lao Foundation, and last Pida Kongphouthone who has the biggest heart sponsored a table to bring family members and friends to show support for two Laotian-American nominees: Bouavan Rasih-nominated for Culture Preservation Award and Vannasone Keodara-nominated Awards under Film and Media, who lost out to a Chinese-American.
The night was an extravaganza with delicious food, good music and performances by artists from various communities. A good time was had by all.
Listen to audio files for more details.
