AAPI News & Stories

AAPI News & Stories from across Southeast Michigan

Three years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States continues battling other social pandemics including a rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans. From March 2020 to March 2022, the nonprofit organization Stop AAPI Hate reported nearly 11,500 hate incidents directed at Asian Americans across the country. 

One Detroit began covering the responses and stories of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in Southeast Michigan in 2021 through a joint storytelling project, the AAPI Story Series, with WDET. As part of our commitment to engaging with and sharing the stories of Detroit’s AAPI communities, One Detroit continues its AAPI Story Series as well as covering the latest news topics that impact and affect AAPI communities in our region. 

From in-depth context on the legacy of Vincent Chin to highlighting the everyday experiences and creativity of Metro Detroit’s Asian Americans in the present, explore One Detroit’s diverse coverage of Southeast Michigan’s AAPI communities. 

How We Got Started

The AAPI Storytelling Initiative:

Detroit’s Chinatown gets $1 million for streetscape renovation 

Michigan State Senator Stephanie Chang announced $1 million in state funding to revitalize Detroit’s Chinatown, aiming to recognize Asian Americans and attract Asian American businesses. This initiative comes as the community reflects on the historic loss of its Chinese population to the suburbs decades ago. Midtown Detroit will oversee the streetscape improvements, expected to begin next year.

Ypsilanti couple Kyunghee Kim and Leo Chen

Kyunghee Kim and Leo Chen share story of resilience amidst changing careers, evolving Asian American identities

For Kyunghee Kim and her husband Leo Chen, life together has included defying expectations, enduring challenges, and supporting each other when their dreams have taken unexpected turns. Kim and Chen join One Detroit’s AAPI Stories Series to talk about how their Asian American identities have shifted over the years and their versions of the Asian American dream.

Jack Cheng and Paul Pham

At the intersection of their Asian heritage and American upbringing, Jack Cheng and Paul Pham unpack what home really means

For Jack Cheng and Paul Pham, becoming friends could not have come at a better time. Meeting at a mutual friend’s house in Detroit led to a friendship rooted in introspection about their similar experiences — experiences they hadn’t talked about with anybody else before. Jack and Paul talk about the common threads that brought them together.

Two women create lasting bond through AAPI Advocacy, APA Studies course at MSU

Friends Brenda Hu and Meaghan Kozar talk about a pivotal introductory APA studies class at Michigan State University, how representation for Asian Americans has changed, and what keeps them inspired when it comes to advocacy in their everyday lives for One Detroit’s AAPI Stories series.

David Han and Mike Han

Father-son connect through AAPI activism, art and their experiences as Korean Americans

David and Mike Han weren’t always on the same page. The father-son duo had diverged some since Mike’s youth, as Mike shied away from his Korean heritage, but through the years, they’ve learned to listen to each other and understand who they are as individuals.

Lily and Jim

AAPI Story Series | Couple Finds Love Through Communication, Education and Cultural Differences

Within 24 hours of meeting at a conference, Lily Mendoza and Jim Perkinson knew they had found their life partner. Since getting married in 2004, they have built a rich and full life together as activists and educators who challenge their students to think more deeply about race relations and to share their personal stories while navigating the complexities of their relationship

AAPI News Coverage:

Detroit’s Chinatown gets $1 million for streetscape renovation 

Michigan State Senator Stephanie Chang announced $1 million in state funding to revitalize Detroit’s Chinatown, aiming to recognize Asian Americans and attract Asian American businesses. This initiative comes as the community reflects on the historic loss of its Chinese population to the suburbs decades ago. Midtown Detroit will oversee the streetscape improvements, expected to begin next year.

"The Chinese Lady" play at Tipping Point Theatre in Northville, Michigan

‘The Chinese Lady,’ play about first Chinese woman in America, premieres in Michigan

A fourteen-year-old Chinese girl came to America 190 years ago – said to be the first female Chinese immigrant to set foot here during the 1800s. Now a play, “The Chinese Lady” at the Tipping Point Theatre through March 3, recounts the remarkable life of Afong Moy and her Chinese servant Atung. One Detroit’s Bill Kubota visits a dress rehearsal of the show and talks with the cast.

Jollibee fast food

Filipino fast-food chain Jollibee opens its first Michigan location in Sterling Heights

Jollibee, the renowned Filipino fast-food chain, has expanded to Michigan. Known for their fried chicken, peach mango pie, and Filipino-style spaghetti, the new development brings Jollibee’s menu to Sterling Heights. Contributor Daijah Moss visits the new location to hear from Jollibee employees and customers about what the new location means to the community.

Q Bakehouse and Market Founder Rachel Liu Martindale

From engineering to running an Asian American bakery, Rachel Liu Martindale set to open Q Bakehouse and Market

Former engineer turned baker Rachel Liu Martindale shares what propelled her to quit her corporate job to become an entrepreneur and how she’s navigated the challenges of building a business. Plus, she shares the cultural importance and meaning behind the name of her new bakery, Q Bakehouse and Market, opening in early 2024.

Detroit's Chinatowns exhibit at the Detroit Historical Museum

Preserving Detroit’s vanished Chinatowns: A journey through 150 years of Chinese American history

The Detroit Historical Museum unveils a new exhibit, “Detroit’s Chinatowns,” which explores the 150-year journey of the city’s Chinese community. The exhibit chronicles the immigrant experience from Ah-Chee’s arrival in 1872 to the vibrant businesses and communal life that characterized the 1970s and 80s. Contributor Chien-An Yuan has the story.

Dominic Pangborn at his final exhibit "Uncrated"

Korean American artist Dominic Pangborn digs out forgotten, unseen works for final exhibit ‘Uncrated’

Korean American artist Dominic Pangborn has unveiled his final exhibit “Uncrated: A Final Retrospective” at the Ella Sharp Museum in Jackson, Michigan. The exhibit showcases some of Pangborn’s forgotten and unseen works, offering patrons a glimpse into the artist’s four-decade career. One Detroit’s Bill Kubota has the story.

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