CelebrASIAN: Honoring AA Heritage

Join us as we end our series of events with a Celebration of Asian American heritage. Enjoy music performances, wellness workshop, henna hand painting and cooking lessons inspired by our roots in Asian heritage. This event is brought to you by DCAAPIcoalition.com

Schedule of Events:

Welcome Message by Keynote Speaker Ben de Guzman

Breakout Sessions (3 options. Choose one!)

1. Sound Bath Meditation by Alice Hu of Woo Woo Company
2. Henna Hand Painting & History by Chintan Patel
3. Cooking Class with with Bobby Pradachith, Chef/Owner of - Padaek, ThipKhao, Hanumanh, and SenKhao

Ending Music Performance by Jason Chu

Bios of Facilitators, Speakers, and Artists

Ben de Guzman, Keynote Speaker

Meet our Keynote Speaker, Ben de Guzman. Ben de Guzman is the Director of the Mayor’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs (MOAPIA). He has been a leading voice at the local and national level on issues of racial equity, immigrants' rights, veterans’ affairs, and LGBT justice for twenty years. He comes to MOAPIA from the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, where he served as the Community Outreach Specialist. During his tenure there, he helped execute two major first time events for the Office- the “District of Pride” LGBTQ cultural performance event and the 32nd Annual 17th Street High Heel Race, presented by the Mayor’s Office as lead organizer.

Room 1: Sound Bath Meditation with Alice Hu of Woo Woo Company

Alice Hu is a corporate mindfulness strategist, sound healer, and founder of Woo Woo Company. Woo Woo Company is a guide for all things woo, spiritual, and holistic wellness. Her focus is showcasing astrology, chakras, sound healing, mindfulness, and more as tools to help people find their purpose and tap into their power. Alice believes wellness should be accessible for everyone and shifted into the wellness industry because she believes there is a need for more diversity and inclusivity in the space. She is a local D.C. expert on mindfulness, spirituality, and meditation. Alice has been featured in the Washingtonian, DC Fray Magazine, and recently won a "Best of D.C." editor's pick from Washington City Paper.

Room 2: Henna Hand Painting and History with Chintan Patel

The art of Henna—called mehndi in Hindi and Urdu—has been practiced in Pakistan, India, Africa, and the Middle East for over 5000 years. It was originally used for its natural cooling properties for the people living in hot desert climates. It was also used for medicinal purposes and applied to the skin to treat some bodily ailments. Today, Henna is mainly used in celebration of special occasions such as weddings and birthdays in the joyous gathering of people. Chintan Patel, grew up in the culture and has been naturally artistic. He was drawn towards the art of henna by the intricate figures and patterns that are traditional in the art. He is extremely passionate to share this with others.

Room 3: Cooking Class with Bobby Pradachith

Chef/Owner of - Padaek, Thip Khao, Hanumanh, and SenKhao

Bobby is the chief and owner of Thip Khao and Bangkok Golden. Bobby is a northern Virginia native who sought a path with food as a language to deeply learn his family's Laotian culture. His time spent in culinary school and building his craft under the best chefs in New York and Washington DC led to the opportunity to fully step in the lead role in his family businesses in 2014. Since then, he has helped grew to four concepts: Padaek, Thip Khao, Hanumanh and Sen Khao. His sole ambition is to continue preserving the integrity of Lao culture and encouraging the Lao-Americans to tell our stories within our communities. He feels inspired when discovering old historical contents, recipes, art, nature, and aesthetics that makes Laos such a beautiful country.

Ending Music Performance

Jason Chu, Artist

Jason Chu speaks hope and healing in a broken world. Solo and with his crew NITEMRKT, he blends introspective lyricism with high energy performances and thoughtfully crafted spoken word. His music has been heard on Warrior (HBO Max), Snowpiercer (TNT), and Wu Assassins (Netflix). He has shared poetry at the Obama White House, been featured in the Chinese American Museum of Los Angeles, and presented at the Getty Center, Flushing Town Hall (with Joe Kye), the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center (with Clairobscur Dance), and the Museum of Chinese in America. He tours extensively, with hundreds of shows across the US and worldwide.

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