Mark the dates of May 6 to May 27 on your calendar.
That’s when the 2018 Asian Heritage Month celebrations will take place in Saint John.
The annual event, now into its 10th year, is put on by the Saint John Chapter of the Asian Heritage Society of New Brunswick.
Director Li-Hong Xu says events like this are a key part of attracting people from Asia and keeping them in the city.
“The people come here and they don’t feel there’s a community,” says Xu. “But through this kind of activity we get to know each other, we don’t forget where we come from, and as a result, we share what we have with our mainstream society.”
Over the weekend, Saint John-Rothesay MP Wayne Long announced $14,000 in federal funding towards the celebrations.
Li-Hong Xu with the Asian Heritage Society of NB says the funding will be used for the 2018 Asian Heritage Month celebrations. pic.twitter.com/SqpT6zlTW3
— Brad Perry (@BradMPerry) April 7, 2018
Long says events like this are important because the more we celebrate the different ethnic groups in the city, the better off we are.
“Saint John is traditionally known as a loyalist city, but little by little we continue to grow, and our cultural diversity and cultural community and different ethnic groups continue to grow within our city,” says Long. “It makes our city stronger, it makes our city more diverse.”
It all starts on May 6 at 2 p.m. with two hours of programming at the Market Square Atrium.
There will also be a variety of workshops and exhibits leading up to the cultural gala later in the month.
