Connecting a culture

Over the years, South Philly has become a melting pot brimming with cultural diversity.

The Asian population has gradually added its ethnic flavor to the mix, but remained somewhat isolated from the rest of the community and each other.

A new home base for Asian residents aspires to change that.

Last month, the Pan-Asian Association of Greater Philadelphia partnered with United Communities Southeast Philadelphia to establish the area’s first Asian community center.

Housed in United Communities Southwark House, 101 Ellsworth St., the Pan-Asian Center will attempt to improve contact among the 13 ethnic groups that the association represents. Of these groups, South Philly’s Asian population consists mainly of Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Korean and Vietnamese residents.

The center also aims to provide a range of services for the city’s growing Asian-American community.

As a byproduct, other residents could become more conscious of their Asian neighbors, organizers believe.

"This center will conduct and promote cultural awareness in the community," said Quang Mac, chairman of the Pan-Asian Association.

The idea for the center came about last year, when Narasimha "Nick" Shenoy, chairman of the board of trustees of the Pan-Asian Association, approached United Communities. Shenoy suggested a partnership to help Asians adjust to a neighborhood where they sometimes feel like outsiders.

"The intent was to service the Asian community in the South Philadelphia area and provide cultural visibility to the mainstream," he said. "People sometimes don’t understand Asians because of their differences. This will promote social and cultural harmony."

Francis Carney, executive director of United Communities Southeast Philadelphia, approved space for the center on Southwark House’s third floor, which also houses a computer lab.

WORKING IN CONJUNCTION with United Communities’ programs and services, the center will serve as the Asian community’s "one-stop" headquarters, said Carney.

The facility will accommodate the population with classes in computers, citizenship and English as a Second Language, as well as immigrant legal clinics, job-readiness programs, health and human services and youth mentoring.

Though funding is scarce, center officials still plan to organize activities that promote dialogue between the various Asian groups and serve as a place for Asian leaders to discuss issues pertinent to their community.

Skip Voluntad, senior adviser for the Pan-Asian Association, said a youth-mentoring program is vital to the survival of the city’s Asian culture.

"We want them to have a certain amount of Asian pride in order to assimilate themselves into the community while developing their own character," he said.

To help address health concerns among the area’s seniors, the city’s first all-Asian chapter of AARP will open in the center this year, added Voluntad, 74.

The adviser stressed the city’s need for the center, which celebrated its grand opening on Jan. 29 – less than two weeks before the observance of the Chinese New Year.

"The community is growing so that there aren’t too many locations – outside of Chinatown – that are geared to address Asian-American problems," Voluntad said.

This spring, the Pan-Asian Association plans to sponsor a parade to help Asians further embrace one another’s customs and traditions.

The march would be held in honor of National Heritage Month in May, and would feature floats and Asians wearing native garb proceeding down Washington Avenue, from Broad Street to Columbus Boulevard. The center’s grand opening drew some 80 people, said United Communities’ Carney, who also noted the center will add to the diversity of Southwark House.

"Our challenge now will be to begin building upon that first step and building upon that positive energy," he said.

Asian leaders said the next hurdle will be to obtain solid funding to realize their ideas.

Brad Baldia, director of development and outreach for United Communities, plans to seek funds to secure a full-time staff and regular operating hours. Baldia lauded the coupling of the Pan-Asian Association and his employer. "We provide the technical expertise and they’re the community," he said. "I think it’s a great pairing."

With the center now in place, change in the Asian community is imminent, added Baldia.

"The potential is to provide access for the Asian-American community, allow them to start collaborating on programs together and provide this access and service they haven’t had before," he said.

�

For more information on the Pan-Asian Center, call 215-468-1645.