One City, Many Stories: Chicago's AAPI Heritage Month Celebration at the Mayor's Reception

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One City, Many Stories: Chicago's AAPI Heritage Month Celebration at the Mayor's Reception

Every May, Chicago remembers what the rest of us know all year: this city’s Asian American and Pacific Islander communities are kind of a big deal. On Thursday, May 21, that appreciation got an official stamp — and a DJ — at the 2026 AAPI Heritage Month Mayor’s Reception, hosted by Mayor Brandon Johnson at Chicago Cultural Center. From 5:30 to 8:00 p.m., community leaders, artists, organizers, and at least a few people who came for the food (no judgment) filled the room for an evening that was equal parts celebration, culture, and “wait, how is he doing that with a yo-yo?”

And yes, we’re biased, but we’ll say it anyway: the Chicago Asian Network (CAN) was right in the middle of it all.

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CAN on the Mic (and on the Decks)

Holding the whole evening together was our very own Lakhi Siap, CAN’s founder and Chief Community Connector, who served as emcee for the night. If you’ve been to more than two AAPI events in this city, you’ve probably already been welcomed, introduced, or gently herded toward the buffet by Lakhi. Expect that the Mayor’s Reception was no different. He kept the program moving, the energy up, and the dad jokes at a respectable, city-sanctioned level.

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A celebration should never begin in silence, which is why on music and sounds was DJ Virgil 7, who started spinning before the doors even opened and kept the soundtrack rolling all throughout the event. Consider the vibes officially handled.

The Performances: Aloha, Then Airborne

The Aloha Center of Chicago opened the program, bringing the spirit of aloha to the middle of the Midwest through Hawaiian and Pacific Islander dance and music. It was a beautiful reminder that the “PI” in AAPI isn’t a footnote. It’s a whole ocean of cultures, and Chicago is lucky to have a piece of it.

Then things got airborne. Kevin Chen and Spencer Wong, Chicago-based artists specializing in the Chinese yo-yo (also known as the diabolo), turned a centuries-old folk art into a gravity-defying spectacle of spins, tosses, and catches that had the whole room holding its breath and although the Chinese yo-yo dates back hundreds of years, the physics-bending tricks, however, felt very 2026.

The Food: Khmai Brought Cambodia to the Party

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Catering the evening was Khmai, the celebrated Cambodian restaurant that has put Khmer cuisine firmly on Chicago’s culinary map. For plenty of guests, this was their first taste of Cambodian cooking and judging by how quickly the food was consumed, it will certainly not be their last. Heritage months come and go but cravings are forever.

The Banners: NongGi With a Story to Tell

Look up at any point during the evening and you’d see them: striking Korean NongGi folk banners presiding over the room. Historically, NongGi are seen in farming rituals, festivals, and community gatherings. These are flags that announce a community to the world. The banners on display were created by multiethnic immigrant communities across Chicagoland as part of Citizenship for All: Storytelling for Immigrant Justice Through NongGi Making, a program with the HANA Center and international textile artist Aram Han Sifuentes. Each one carries the stories, hopes, and demands of the immigrants who stitched it which means the décor at this reception had more to say.

A Big Night for Nepalese Aid

The evening also came with a feel-good headline: Nepalese Aid was recognized as the recipient of the Ten Thousand Dollars grant. The room responded loudly, and with great enthusiasm and recognition. Founded in 2022 and based in West Ridge, Nepalese Aid is the kind of organization that does a little bit of everything because the community needs a little bit of everything and that is connecting Nepali Chicagoans to social services, mentoring youth, supporting Nepali-owned businesses, and giving seniors a place to gather, socialize, and trade stories. The grant will help power that work forward, and frankly, we can’t think of a better way to spend it.

The Brains Behind the Bash: The Mayor's AAPI Engagement Council

The reception spotlighted the Mayor’s AAPI Engagement Council, part of the City’s Community Engagement Councils under the Mayor’s Office of Community Engagement. The councils were created to give Chicago’s diverse immigrant communities, which included those historically left out of the room, a direct line to City Hall. Made up of community leaders, advocates, business owners, and everyday residents, the AAPI Engagement Council helps shape city policies, programs, and, yes, very good parties like this one. Civic engagement: occasionally it comes with a DJ.

Until The Next AAPI Heritage Month

From the banners overhead to the beats underfoot, the 2026 AAPI Heritage Month Mayor’s Reception was proof of what happens when the city and its communities celebrate together and the Chicago Asian Network was honored to help make it happen. But here’s our worst-kept secret: Chicago’s AAPI community doesn’t clock out on May 31. Neither do we.

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