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Lunar New Year at Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum
As ever more visible Rick Cofer quipped, “Our Lunar New Year party was just an amuse-bouche for this one.” Indeed, Saturday’s celebration at the Bob Bullock Texas History Museum proved several magnitudes more elaborate than the one Capital Area Asian American Democrats threw Thursday at the AFL-CIO headquarters.
The Bullock party is the crowning production of the wealthy and powerful Texas Asian Chamber of Commerce and its subset Texas Asian Foundation. The 15th edition combined speeches, performances, a tempting buffet by Foo Swasdee of Satay, children and youths dressed in varied Asian costumes and — of course — a Lion Dance, which never grows old.
Laoise Matsumoto and Ritsuko Kataoka
“Pioneers from the East,” the Austin History Center’s look at the city’s earliest Chinese residents, was revived in the lobby. Afghanistan veteran Captain Dashiell Ballarta was saluted during the veterans recognition and Asian nations home to 4 billion people were toasted.
Captain Dashiell Ballarta and Brittany Ballarta
Two leaders, Sanjiv Arora, Consul General of India, and Dilawar Syed, Economic Development Chairman of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, shared keynote responsibilities. Much mention was made throughout the evening of the luckiness of the Year of the Rabbit. (Jim Yatsu reminded us this evening that bunny only leaps forward, reports Amy Mok.)
Anna Choi and Caroline Pham
Companies and business leaders were honored, including Rainforest Partnership’s Niyanta Spelman (a subject of this column) and boutique hotel owner Sam Chen. This report only scratches the surface of this giant family-friendly event. It should be included on anyone’s potential social calendar — as it certainly was for numberless politicians who worked the room meticulously.
Event co-chairwoman Shirley Sheffield and Foo Swasdee
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