Uniting AAPI Community for Change

Cultural Society is Beautifying the Outside of Washington Park Library

"Uniting AAPI Community for Change" is here in Providence now!

Our goal is to unite AAPI community voices against systemic racism and to increase and strengthen AAPI presence in Rhode Island

The public art was made possible by generous grants from the City of Providence's Dept. of Art, Culture + Tourism and the Nellie Mae Education Foundation and the staff and interns from the Swearer Center of Brown University, Center for Southeast Asians, the Washington Park Library, the artist N.J. Yuchu who put all the ideas into this design and many volunteers who gave their time to this project.

The Unveiling of the public art took place on Saturday, May 6. 2023!

The Art is Unveiled and is Visible to the Public now!

"Snip, Snip", the tarp is off!
From left: Councilman Pedro Espinal (Ward 10), Senator Tiara Mack (District 6), Executive Director Channavy Chhay of CSEA, Library Manager Amy Rosa, Mayor Brett Smiley, Jeannie Salomon of Cultural Society, Cheryl Space, Director of Community Libraries of Providence, & Rep. Jose Baptista (District 12).
From left: Councilman Pedro Espinal (Ward 10), Senator Tiara Mack (District 6), Executive Director Channavy Chhay of CSEA, Eileen Cheng of Office of the General Treasurer, Library Manager Amy Rosa, Mayor Brett Smiley, Jeannie Salomon of Cultural Society, Cheryl Space, Director of Community Libraries of Providence, & Rep. Jose Baptista (District 12).

The unveiling of this public art was such a grand celebration for us on Saturday!  Mayor Brett Smiley delivered a strong and supportive speech for the people of AAPI descent in Providence and recognized the challenges we faced during the pandemic. This public art is the first in the City of Providence and the state of Rhode Island to acknowledge the contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to the state economy and its pool of human capital!  According to the 2020 census, the AAPI population has increased by 28% in the last decade, making this group the fastest-growing ethnic group in Rhode Island.  

Inception of this art design has given us an impetus for a vision for an AAPI history museum with a culture center.

A cultural center gives us a space to have a conversation about reframing our past and how not to let the past repeat itself plus learning how to be resilient.

The Founder of the Cultural Society put together a letter of inquiry and, later, an application to the RI Council for the Humanities for funding to open up a museum of AAPI history.  After nine weeks of intense examination and reading the scrupulous answers to each of the grant’s application questions, the grant committee approved our grant application and the Cultural Society got funding for this exploratory grant of $5,000 for this history museum. 

We have hired an amazing college senior from RISD and a Brown Fellow from the SPRINT-iProv partnership of Brown University to head up this project starting this summer of 2023.