Featured Speakers:

• Mely Arribas-Douglas - Welcome TLC Specialist, Toledo Lucas Public Library

• Samuel Chang - President and Co-founder, Midstory

• Nina Corder - Executive Director, Women of Toledo

• Lisa Hanasono - Professor, School of Media and Communication, Bowling Green State University

• Amjad Hussain - Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Writer, and Emeritus Professor at the University of Toledo

• Justin Le - High School Senior and President of the Southview High School Asian Culture Club

• Vandita Prasad - Assistant Principal at Toledo PreMed and Health Sciences Academy

• Yulong Zhu - Global Casting Engineer at Dana Incorporated, and Former President of Chinese Association of Greater Toledo

Join us at the Toledo Lucas County Public Library for Voices from the Toledo Asian American Community!

In honor of Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month, this event celebrates the histories, cultures, and lived experiences of Asian Americans in Toledo. Attendees will enjoy personal stories from eight local Asian American community leaders about their lives in Northwest Ohio and reflect on the many ways Asian American communities contribute to the region’s cultural fabric.

The program will feature speakers from diverse backgrounds with heritage spanning East, Southeast, and South Asia, including both first-generation immigrants and second and third-generation Asian Americans born in the United States. As students, scholars, professionals, and community leaders, these speakers will highlight the important role of Asian Americans in contributing to a stronger, better Toledo.

Asian refreshments will be provided for this event. 

Advance registration is recommended. Register here: https://events.toledolibrary.org/event/15586696 

This event is presented by the BGSU Institute for the Study of Culture & Society (ICS) and AWARE Ohio in collaboration with the Better Toledo program at the Toledo Lucas County Public Library. 

This event is organized and hosted by Louisa Ha, Distinguished University Research Professor in the School of Media and Communication at Bowling Green State University and Educational Program Director at AWARE Ohio. The event will also feature opening remarks by Bangladeshi graduate students, Shayla Dyuti and Russel Rabbi, from BGSU. Additional organizational support was provided by Cherice Chan, Youth Program Director at AWARE Ohio.