Letter to the editor March 10
A huge step forward
We would like to thank The Chronicle for taking the time to let your readers know about the first Lunar New Year festivities in Squirrel Hill (“Lunar New Year parade highlights neighborhood diversity,” Feb. 25). However, we see that there were some missed details to the full story:
We at the Pittsburgh Chinese Cultural Center were delighted to work with a broad-based group of organizations such as the Jewish Family & Children’s Service, Uncover Squirrel Hill and the Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition to realize what many Chinese-Americans here in Pittsburgh have been working toward for so many years: a celebration of the Asian-American identity in the Pittsburgh region.
It was the persistent efforts, leadership and tireless volunteer and staff labor of these three organizations, plus the Pittsburgh Chinese Cultural Center and the Organization of Chinese-Americans, Pittsburgh Chapter, that built the bridge to link our communities together. Their combined efforts “actualized” the dream of so many to showcase our Asian pride in a festival of live performances and a parade.
For years, many in the Chinese-American community of Pittsburgh wished to celebrate our heritage via festivals and parades, just as our counterparts have done in New York, San Francisco and L.A. We started with a Chinese Cultural Festival in Oakland last October, and with the guidance of our partners Uncover Squirrel Hill and the Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition, we have finally realized that goal.
For over 140 years, the Chinese and Asian community has lived side by side with the greater non-Asian community of Pittsburgh. Today begins the effort to live together in unity.
Sherry Kai Katz
Member, Board of Directors
Pittsburgh Chinese Cultural Center
K.K. Kai
Chairman
Pittsburgh Chinese Cultural Center
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