Earlier this month I stopped by Coffee Project, a local café chain I’ve loved since it ever so conveniently opened its first location across the street from my East Village apartment. I’ve since moved to Brooklyn, and it’s since opened three more outposts, including the Long Island City roastery and training campus where they taught me how to properly steam milk and pour beginner-level latte art. I learned a ton in the class—including how to pour shaky hearts into my espresso drinks—but what’s stuck with me just as much as my lesson was the box of yellow whistles by the door. Part of a campaign by The Yellow Whistle, an organization that provides free whistles to AAPI communities for self-defense, many businesses are distributing these alarms to their Asian American customers. As its website says, they are “a symbol of self-protection and solidarity in our common fight against historical discrimination and anti-Asian violence.”
At a time when so many of us are constantly assessing our safety, especially after dark or on public transit, this box of bright yellow whistles served as a strong signal to me that, even amidst tragedies, and even when it seems like there is so much wide-sweeping policy needed to effect real change, we do have our communities. And while I think it’s necessary to support and uplift a community year-round and not just during heritage months, it’s been incredible to see some of the impact happening this May as part of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Month.
A lot of companies and people are working hard in hopes of making an impact: Fashion designers and major restaurant chains like 3.1 Philip Lim and Panda Express are teaming up to donate money for organizations fighting food insecurity. Food halls and markets like Gold House and CAPE’s AAPI LA Market at Smorgasburg are creating programming focused on Asian American restaurants and small businesses. And, of course, it’s not just bigger companies or coordinated efforts. All across the country, Asian Americans are transforming their communities through food—or using food as a signal of pride and identity.
Read more in these stories from our archives, which I’ve been turning back to recently. While there’s so much heartbreak inside our communities, this month has reminded me that there is so much to be proud of too.