The Many Moons Festival, AAPIC’s first-ever pan-Asian Pacific Islander cultural celebration in Sebastopol, was featured in the North Bay Bohemian! The article highlights the festival’s celebration of diverse Asian traditions, food, performances, and community connection, and positions Many Moons as a joyful cultural event for Sonoma County and beyond. 

Read the Bohemian article by Michael Giotis: Many Moons Festival Celebrates Asian Cultures & Community - covering the festival’s mission, variety of vendors and cultural performances, and AAPIC’s vision for visibility and inclusion. 

We’re happy to share that the Many Moons Festival received coverage in the Press Democrat, highlighting how people turned out to celebrate our inaugural pan-Asian Pacific Islander cultural festival. The article describes a joyful community gathering with festivalgoers enjoying food, performances, lanterns and the vibrant cultural atmosphere at Ives Park in Sebastopol. 

Read the Press Democrat article: Showing their pride: Hundreds turn out to celebrate Many Moons Festival - showcasing community engagement, festival pride, and the energy that filled the park throughout the day. 

Sebastopol Times featured a preview of the inaugural Many Moons Festival, highlighting it as a pan-Asian celebration of food, music, dance and culture at Ives Park on October 4, 2025.

The article notes that the festival showcases many Asian and Pacific Islander heritages — from Fijian and Hawaiian to Japanese, Vietnamese, Cambodian and more — with interactive demonstrations, workshops, performances, and over 85 vendors offering arts, crafts, and food. It also shared AAPIC’s mission to celebrate culture and build community pride in Sonoma County. 

Read the Sebastopol Times preview: Many Moons Festival debuts in Sebastopol this Saturday — covering festival activities, cultural diversity, and AAPIC’s vision for this new community event.

The Press Democrat ran a preview highlighting the Many Moons Festival as a celebration of Asian American & Pacific Islander culture in Sebastopol. The coverage notes that the festival will feature autumnal cultural traditions — including celebrations like the Mid-Autumn Festival and Diwali — along with food, performances, and activities that showcase the rich diversity of AAPI heritage in our community.  

Read the Press Democrat preview: Celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Culture at Sebastopol’s Many Moons Festival - for details on what the festival will offer and how it highlights cultural traditions across Asia

Members of the Asian and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community in Sonoma County are invited to take part in a brief ONLINE SURVEY to help shape a better, more connected future for all of us.

This survey is conducted by 2-1-1, a program of  the United Way of the Wine Country.

It aims to better understand the needs of local immigrant communities—especially those in the AAPI community—whether you’ve just arrived or have lived in the U.S. for many years. The results will help 2-1-1 create a resource map highlighting services and programs relevant to our lives.

Many important services in our region go underused simply because AAPI community members may not know they exist. By participating, you can help shine a light on what’s missing, what’s working, and what’s needed—so that we’re not left out of resources meant for everyone.

 The survey is:

• For anyone 18 year and older who is an immigrant, regardless of how many years you have lived in the United States.

• Completely anonymous and confidential

• Available in English, Spanish, and Simplified Chinese

• Open until July 15, 2025 – Don’t wait!

• Takes just a few minutes to complete

Scan below to take the survey:

Or click here: 

Survey in English | Simplified Chinese

Please share this with your friends, family, and networks in the Sonoma County AAPI community. The more voices we hear, the better we can serve.

Questions? Contact us at info@aapicnorthbay.org

2-1-1 is a free, 24/7 service that connects people to health and human services in their community. Bilingual Call Specialists and phone-based translation offer help in over 150 languages. During disasters, 2-1-1 also provides urgent updates on road closures, shelters, and safety information.

United Way of the Wine Country supports services and systems that benefit everyone across Sonoma and North Bay counties—including us.

Let’s make sure the AAPI community is heard and included.
Your voice can make a real difference.

Written by AAPIC Member Mary Jue. Mary is Francis Jue's sister and lives in Sonoma. 6/21/25

Yellow Face was filmed for PBS’ Great Performances and is available to stream for free on PBS.org and the PBS app through May 2028.

For the first time in Tony Awards history, three acting categories were won by Asian American performers at the 2025 awards ceremony on June 8.

Chinese American Francis Jue won Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play (Yellow Face), only the second Asian actor ever to win in this category.

Francis Jue in Playbill (Photo by Heather Gershonowitz)

Darren Criss became the first Asian to win Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical (Maybe Happy Ending). Both Jue and Criss are San Francisco natives.

Nicole Scherzinger, of Filipino and Hawaiian ancestry, won Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical (Sunset Boulevard), only the second Asian American to win in this category.

Nicole Scherzinger, Darren Criss and Marco Paguia’s monumental wins at the 2025 Tony Awards are more than just personal triumphs; they represent a landmark night for Filipino representation on Broadway. Insta @nicolescherzonger @darrencriss @mrpagoo in Gulf News.

Beyond the acting category, Maybe Happy Ending won Best Musical, Best Original Score Written for the Theatre, and Best Scenic Design, Best Direction, and Best Book of a Musical. Will Aronson and South Korean Hue Park wrote the book and score, and actor Darren Criss enjoyed a second award as producer for Best Musical. The musical also had been nominated for Best Lighting Design and Best Sound Design of a Musical, and Best Orchestrations.

Hue Park and Will Aronson in Playbill (Photo by Heather Gershonowitz).

Filipino American Marco Paguia won Best Orchestrations for Buena Vista Social Club. As musical director, conductor and pianist, he also shared a Special Tony Award for exceptional work by the musicians. 

Several other Asian Americans received Tony Award nominations. Korean American Daniel Dae Kim made history as the first Asian to be nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play (Yellow Face). Chinese American David Henry Hwang was nominated for Best Revival of a Play (Yellow Face). And Conrad Ricamora, nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play (Oh, Mary!), and Clint Ramos, nominated for Best Costume Design in a Musical (Maybe Happy Ending), added to strong Filipino American representation at the Tony Awards.

The comedy Yellow Face tells an immigrant father-son story and uses innovative casting strategies to challenge assumptions about gender and race, a theme that speaks to the current moment. It was filmed for PBS’ Great Performances and is available to stream for free on PBS.org and the PBS app through May 2028.

The Los Angeles Times critic thought Francis Jue "delivered the evening's most moving and politically pointed speech." The New York Times quoted his remark, "Isn't it interesting that it is still unusual, historic, groundbreaking to tell an Asian American story on Broadway and to tell it at a time when this country is wrestling with its identity, with who gets to be American, who gets to say who gets to be American?"

Click here to watch Francis Jue’s acceptance speech on  YouTube.

A Satirical Look at Identity and The Roles We Play
in "Yellow Face" Starring Daniel Dae Kim

Daniel Dae Kim stars as DHH in Great Performances "Yellow Face". Photo Credit: Joan Marcus.

The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), a non-profit organization dedicated to presenting stories that reflect the diversity of Asian American experiences, is offering its 2025 film festival, CAAMFest, in San Francisco Japantown May 8-11. Narrative, documentary and short films explore many themes in the Asian American diaspora. 

Yellow Face

One of the films showcased is "Yellow Face",  a satire/mockumentary play that examines racial identity and belonging. There will be a screening at AMC Kabuki May 11 at 8 pm, followed by Q&A with three of the actors. 

The Broadway play by David Henry Hwang, from Roundabout Theatre Company in late 2024, follows DHH (Daniel Dae Kim), a fictionalized version of the playwright, as he protests against the casting of a white actor as the Eurasian lead of the musical Miss Saigon – a real-life controversy in the 1990s. Comedy ensues when he mistakenly casts a white actor (Ryan Eggold) as the lead in his next play. DHH’s immigrant Chinese father (SF native Francis Jue) is targeted by the U.S. government and faces a challenge to his faith in his adopted country.

Yellow Face on PBS' Great Performances

The play was filmed on Broadway for PBS’ Great Performances, and will premiere on May 16 at 9 pm, on PBS, pbs.org/gperf and the PBS app. 

The Tony Awards

 Yellow Face, Daniel Dae Kim, and Francis Jue have received nominations for the 2025 Tony Awards for Best Revival of a Play, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play, and Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play, respectively (to be awarded June 8).

Additional info:

• https://caamedia.org/blog/2025/04/15/yellow-face-film-daniel-dae-kim/

Reviews:

• https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/01/theater/yellow-face-review-daniel-dae-kim.html
• https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/06/theater/francis-jue-yellow-face-broadway.html?searchResultPosition=1

Article contributed by AAPIC Member Mary Jue.

The Asian Scholarship Fund (ASF) was founded in 1994 by the Marin Education Fund (now 10,000 Degrees), initiated by Dr. Jean Bee Chan, a member of AAAM (Asian American Alliance of Marin) and AAPIC (Asian American Pacific Islander Coalition of North Bay). The ASF Advisory Board, which consist of Asian community leaders, raises funds, reviews program policies and interviews and selects scholarships recipients. 

The ASF is open to graduating seniors from Marin, Sonoma, Napa, and Contra Costa County who have at least one parent of Asian descent.

Since 1995, the ASF Program has provided need-based financial scholarships for students heading to college. High school seniors of Asian descent, from Marin, Sonoma and Napa Counties, are qualified to apply for ASF scholarships at the 10,000 Degrees website. 

10,000 Degrees provides scholarships to students with financial need and who exhibit a strong desire to go to college and accomplish their educational goals.

This year's application priority deadline is March 3, 2025. 

 Visit this webpage to apply 

Note: Your financial information from FAFSA or CADA applications will need to be submitted to finalize your 10,000 Degrees scholarship application. You will be able to save your application progress and submit at a later time.

Metropolitan Transportation Commission has initiated the Wayfinding and Regional Mapping Project which aims to make navigating the Bay Area easier and more accessible by enhancing transit signage and information. You can help a more accessible Bay Area for all while earning $100 for sharing your experiences. Enter the survey here in ENGLISH or CHINESE to determine your eligibility.

They invite you, our Asian Pacific Islander community members, to dedicate one hour of your time by participating in a virtual focus group or test journey. Your insights and experiences are crucial to creating a transit system that works for EVERYONE!

Candidates who register will be selected among all eligible entrees. This is a professional survey and not sales related in any way.

Stop AAPI Hate is a U.S.-based coalition dedicated to ending racism and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

They recently held a virtual town hall where they brought together legal experts and immigrant rights advocates to discuss Trump's recent attacks on birthright citizenship. 

The fight to defend birthright citizenship can feel overwhelming, but we can make a difference. As Chintan Patel, Executive Director of Indian American Impact, said during the town hall:

“Get involved. Make sure you are taking the opportunity to reach out to your members of Congress; reach out to your governors; reach out to your attorney generals. Reach out to other activists and plan protests in front of government offices. We have to make sure the Trump administration knows that we’re not going away.”

If you missed the town hall or want to look back, you can access the recording HERE and read their latest blog post Birthright Citizenship 101 where they answer some of the burning questions many of us had since Trump issued his executive order.