Last night, KAAGNY President Yonghwa Ha and Executive VP Chonghun Daniel
Song attended the first Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage
Celebration hosted by NYC Comptroller John C. Liu.
The significance of this event is compounded by the fact that
Comptroller John C. Liu is the first Asian American to hold a city-wide
political office in NYC.
At 5:30 in the evening, the Surrogate’s Courthouse in New York City was
abuzz as celebrations began with a powerful rendition of the Star
Spangled Banner was sung by Korean tenor, Jin Ho Hwang. His voice
echoed through the main hall, carrying far and wide, sparking a sense of
emotion and patriotism that only those with true passion in their
singing can accomplish.
During his opening remarks, Comptroller Liu made a point to express his
pride at being the first Asian American Comptroller for the city of New
York, while also urging his fellow members of the Asian American
community to take on more of an active role in the growth of Asian
American presence in today's society.
In the midst of performances from Thai Artists Alliance, Bayanihan
Kultural Kolektib, and NYC Bhangra, several awards for excellence were
handed out by Comptroller Liu. For the Community Advocacy/Activism
Award, Activist and Veteran of the Iraq War, Lieutenant Dan Choi was one
of two people to receive this award. Lt. Choi was applauded for his
role in bringing forth the significance of equality between genders as
well as races. His speech brought up key issues that must be faced by
people of all races, that of sexual orientation. After having been
discharged from the US Army after coming out on The Rachel Maddow Show,
he became an activist for gay and lesbian members of the military.
This theme of equality was carried out throughout the night by
Comptroller John C. Liu and his accompanying guests. In the midst of
advocating equality, the Asian-American community came together in one
place to celebrate their respective cultures and a new beginning as a
united community.
