Last week’s APAHM event, a celebration of Asian heritage, was sort of unusual in that the two honorary chairmen didn’t show up. Jesse White, who attended the event last year, was in Shanghai, and the mayor apparently had something better to do. I guess that’s what happens when elections are all over.

Nevertheless, some local politicians and civic leaders did show up. State Rep. Ruth Munson, State Sen. Mike Noland, KC Board member Deborah Allan, Councilman John Walters, Steve Munson (DNA), Norma Miess (DNA), and others whom I am forgetting to mention. Mike Noland and John Walters delivered speeches that highlighted Elgin’s diversity.

This is the second year of this fundraising event and represents the efforts of the Asian American Community of Elgin (AACE), a relatively new organization, designed to encompass more than just the Laotian community, which I think is in the purview of the Lao American Organization (LAO). The AACE and its APAHM event, from what I understand, arose out of the annual Lao New Year celebration that was typically held at Elgin High School.

Now it’s great to have two events, but it would be a shame if the APAHM event replaces the Lao New Year celebration, something it appeared to do this year. I never heard exactly why the Lao New Year event was not organized this year, but I hope it was an anomaly rather than the state of things to come.

I should mention though that the city’s failure to adopt the Laotian heritage flag has lead to grumbling and outright rancor in the community when the communist flag was displayed at community events.

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