A Very Asian Proclamation in St. Louis
St. Louis Board of Aldermen unanimously vote to name Jan. 19 “Very Asian Day”
January 19 will now be Very Asian Day in St. Louis. The board of alderman voted unanimously to vote Jan 19, 2023 as the official Very Asian Day, and it was co-sponsored by Sharon Tyus and Bret Narayan, the city’s first Asian American alderman.
“Until we get over this and celebrate for who they are, we still have a long way to go,” said Tyus, St. Louis 1st Ward alderman. “This is just one more step in honoring people, and I am honored to be a co-sponsor.”
You can read more from KSDK’s website here.
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones made the declaration at the Board of Aldermen meeting, January 13.
It started on New Year’s Day 2022, when Michelle Li was anchoring a 5 On Your Side newscast and mentioned that she ate dumpling soup as a Korean tradition. A viewer called to complain that she was “very Asian” and that she needed to “keep her Korean to herself” and “talk about what white people eat.” The voicemail went viral around the world and sparked a moment of global unity. It led to an Ellen Show appearance and the launch of the Foundation. In the last year, the group launched The May Book Project, hosted a variety of Very Asian mixers, panel discussions, ERG talks, and celebrations, and raised nearly a quarter of a million dollars for Asian American people and causes.
The full declaration reads:
The Very Asian Foundation launched in St. Louis after Michelle Li, a KSDK news anchor, sparked a global moment of unity after dismantling racism with a message of belonging for all people, including Asian Americans living in St. Louis and in countries around the world; and
WHEREAS, The Very Asian Foundation is a non-profit organization that spent its inaugural year supporting Asian American charitable groups through fundraising, advocacy, and amplification, including groups like Stop AAPI Hate, the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA), The Asian American Foundation (TAAF), The Korean American Adoptee Adoptive Family Network (KAAN), and AAPI Montclair; and
WHEREAS, The Very Asian Foundation created a national awareness campaign called The May Book Project, inspired by St. Louis high schoolers who wanted to see more Asian American Youth representation in their libraries for all readers and doing so by providing more inclusive materials such as a vetted booklist created by national scholars and a toolkit produced by the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association; and
WHEREAS, The Very Asian Foundation worked with corporations in St. Louis and around the country to raise money to send books to at-need libraries that couldn’t afford but wanted more Asian American youth literature for every reader, including Woerner Elementary in St. Louis, where many students speak Vietnamese, Nepali and Jarai; and
WHEREAS, The Very Asian Foundation’s co-founders Michelle Li and Gia Vang along with executive director Soogi Hong, and St. Louis-based executive board members Alex Lee and Steve Lenivy, participated in more than 100 Very Asian x Very American-focused mixers, panel discussions, and media events to support creators, restaurants, small businesses, journalists, and more; and
WHEREAS, The Very Asian Foundation serves as a community organization to shine a light on Asian experiences through advocacy and celebration and encourages all people to celebrate their full humanity; and
WHEREAS, I encourage all the citizens of the great City of St. Louis to take cognizance of this event and participate fittingly in its observance by eating dumplings and bringing your full humanity to the table.
Now, therefore, I, Tishaura O. Jones, Mayor of the City of St. Louis, do hereby proclaim January 19, 2023, as:
“VERY ASIAN DAY”
IN THE CITY OF ST. LOUIS
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused to be affixed the seal of the City of St. Louis, this 19th day of January, A.D. 2023.