Clarksville, TN – Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts was joined by Japan’s Consul-General Yoichi Matsumoto and hundreds of locals at the City of Clarksville’s 2nd Annual Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration.
“It’s going great,” Mayor Pitts said. “The crowd is electric. The entertainment has been spectacular, and the food … I want to give credit to the organizing committee, they have done a fabulous job. This is put on by the City of Clarksville in cooperation with the Philippine-American Association, the Korean-American Association, and others. It’s a collective effort, and they have all done a great job.”
Wilma Rudolph Event Center was packed throughout the afternoon and evening as API culture was celebrated with traditional food, song, and dance.
Clarksville’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, Michelle Lowe shared her thoughts on our city’s 2nd Annual API Heritage Month Celebration.
“We are proud to have eight countries and islands represented this year,” Lowe said. “We have people from Samoa, Tonga, Japan, Korea, Hawaii, Thailand, Micronesia/Guam and the Philippines. We wanted this year’s event to be a real learning experience. Learning about other cultures is critical.”
Organizers handed out passport books to everyone as they arrived. Inside the book was information about each of the participating countries and islands, represented in Clarksville.
“We want everyone to collect stamps from each booth, while learning about the food, music, etc. of that particular culture,” Lowe said. “Once completed, they can bring their stamped passport to us, and be entered into a drawing for prizes.
“The community has been so generous this year. We have a great assortment of gift cards and gift baskets. And, we are so thankful for all the support we’ve gotten from the community.”
API Committee Members Terry Jalinsky and Akiko Mackens delivered this year’s welcoming remarks. API Committee Member Marylou Mattingly led the Pledge of Allegiance. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard handled the Posting of Colors, and Rossview High School’s Korean Class performed the National Anthem.
Kicking off the entertainment, Vanessa Maynard performed a traditional Hawaiian song. APSU’s Dr. Tatsushi Hirono was this year’s guest speaker.
Guests then enjoyed performances from Tonga, Samoa, Thailand, Japan, Micronesia/Guam, Philippines and a K-Pop Dance Team representing Korea.
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