Make Us Visible PA

09/06/2026

𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧+𝐕𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐞
“I would feel regrettable if your own cultural identity was restricted. If you were only American or only Vietnamese. Try to expand. Don’t limit yourself.” —Tam Huu Do

08/12/2026

Proud to be featured in Make Us Visible’s animated short, and to see all the great work MUV state chapters are doing around the country.

07/30/2026

Checkout this storytelling collaboration. between The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation and the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation TONIGHT at 8pm ET.

Registration link in first comment.

Join us tonight (July 30th) at 5 pm Pacific / 8 pm Eastern for Gateways In Dialogue: From Newcomers to National Treasures.

This is the seventh program in our ongoing collaborative series with the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation. What happened once immigrants left these islands? Where did they go? What did they do? Would I know one of them?

Stephen Lean, Director of the American Family Immigration History Center, and Gabriel Lee, Program Coordinator of Education at Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation, will cover these questions and personal stories of staff personnel over the course of a 1 hour presentation. They’ll even answer questions you might have in an audience Q+A after the presentation.

07/22/2026

🌏 MUVPA Director Ken Hong attended the 3rd Annual AAPI LEAD Summit in Los Angeles last week — the national convening of AAPI elected and appointed officials from across the country. Three days of substantive conversations about representation, policy, and the state of our communities right now.

Three takeaways:
1. Representation matters — at every table.
AAPI LEAD is building the first national network of AAPI elected and appointed officials. When our communities have a seat at every table, the decisions made at those tables are better — for everyone.

2. Policy is where values become real.
Alien land laws, education bans, immigration restrictions — the tools of exclusion are back. Hearing Karen Korematsu speak was a powerful reminder that this isn't history. The fight is now.

3. Authentic voices move people.
From sessions on amplifying authentic voice to civic innovation, the throughline was clear: AAPI leaders showing up as their full selves — in government, in community, in public life.

📚 Ken also met Dr. Karen Umemoto of UCLA, author of Foundations and Futures — a new AAPI and Pacific Islander multimedia textbook. Making our history visible in the classroom is exactly the work MUVPA exists to support.

This is why representation in education, in government, and in our communities isn't optional. It's urgent.

Grateful to AAPI LEAD for convening this important summit and for creating space where these conversations can happen at scale.

If this work matters to you, get involved.
🌐 makeusvisiblepa.org/volunteer

07/18/2026

🎤 MUVPA Director Ken Hong moderated "Cultivating Community Leaders" at the NAAAP Leadership Convention in Philadelphia today. It was the most well-attended breakout sessions of the entire time slot. Thank you to NAAAP for hosting this important discussion and for creating space where these conversations can happen.

Panelists Dr. Ling Liang (Upper Dublin Chinese American Association), Wei Chen (Asian Americans United), and Majet Reyes (Resilient Mind Works & DivaGirl Tribe) shared honest, grounded reflections on what it really takes to build and sustain community leadership.

💡Origin stories varied: sometimes leadership starts simply by showing up, and sometimes — as with Wei's organizing against anti-Asian violence while still in high school in South Philadelphia — the cause finds you.

🎯 On sustaining this work, the panel agreed that knowing your goals (personal or organizational) and channeling your time toward what aligns with both your passions and your mission makes the work last. Boundaries, the ability to say no, and taking care of yourself were named as essential — not optional.

The panel closed on a hopeful note, with every speaker expressing genuine optimism about the future — especially the young people they mentor and organize alongside.

This is exactly the kind of leadership pipeline MUVPA hopes to support: rooted in community, education, and advocacy.

Thank you NAAAP for hosting this important discussion — it clearly resonated with so many as we continued the conversation the rest of the day.

07/14/2026

MUVPA Director Kenneth Hong joined Cascade of History for a conversation about Chinese-American history and why preserving these stories matters. Access to records is access to history, and preserving these materials helps ensure that AAPI stories remain visible, accessible, and part of our shared public memory.

🎧 Listen to the July 13, 2026 bonus episode on your favorite podcast app.

07/01/2026

📚 𝐀𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲

With the U.S. Supreme Court’s latest decision on birthright citizenship, it’s worth remembering the many people behind the scenes who helped shape this constitutional protection.

Nearly 150 years ago, during the Chinese Exclusion era, Chinese Americans brought more than 10,000 lawsuits challenging exclusion and discriminatory policies between 1882 and the early 1900s, including the landmark 𝑼𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒗. 𝑾𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝑲𝒊𝒎 𝑨𝒓𝒌 case. Their efforts helped ensure that people born in the United States are recognized as citizens under the 14th Amendment.

Hard‑won rights are almost never secured by a single heroic moment. They depend on unglamorous, often anonymous work: building support networks, developing specialized legal and historical knowledge, and sustaining challenges to unjust laws and policies over many years.

When students learn this history, they see that defending constitutional rights today also requires long‑term, collective effort—not just headlines—and that Asian American stories are central to our shared understanding of citizenship and belonging.

⚖️ Asian American history belongs in every classroom.

05/30/2026

📚 For years, MUVPA Director Kenneth Hong’s family knew that his great-grandfather, Hong Yin Ming, had to go to federal court in the 1888 to prove his U.S. citizenship. What once felt like a small family story is now being recognized as part of the legal pathway that helped secure birthright citizenship for millions of Americans.

⚖️ After the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, Chinese Americans fought back through the courts. Cases like Look Tin Sing’s 1884 challenge and the 1898 Supreme Court decision in United States v. Wong Kim Ark affirmed that the 14th Amendment protects citizenship for nearly everyone born on U.S. soil. In all, Chinese Americans filed more than 10,000 lawsuits resisting discriminatory laws in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

🧾 These are stories about Asian Americans shaping the meaning of citizenship, rights, and belonging in the United States. Our students deserve to learn them.

Support Pennsylvania's AAPI History Inclusion Act. 📚

[Learn more about Hong Yin Ming and Look Tin Sing in the KPFA APEX Express episode on Wong Kim Ark and Chinese American legal history (March 20, 2025).]

05/27/2026

🌟 Next generation of advocates is ready!

MUVPA co-founder Denise Kim Hellenbrand and her daughter Siri—a recent Lower Moreland High School graduate—visited the LMHS Asian Culture Club to share how students can advocate for AAPI history, literature, and contributions in Pennsylvania’s K-12 classrooms. 📚💪

Over after-school snacks, these incredible students put their passion into action by writing postcards directly to their state legislators—making their voices heard in the most direct way possible. From the classroom to the Capitol, change starts here! ✉️🏛️

A huge thank you to the Lower Moreland Asian Culture Club for your enthusiasm, energy, and commitment to making AAPI history visible in your school and beyond. Siri’s journey from LMHS student to MUVPA advocate is a powerful reminder that our movement is growing—one school, one student at a time. 🌱

Want to bring MUVPA to your school or club? Send us a DM! 📩

05/18/2026

MUVPA had an amazing time at the 𝐀𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐚𝐭 𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐨𝐧 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 yesterday! 🎉🌏

We loved meeting students, families, and community members as we celebrated the richness and diversity of Asian cultures—from food and performances to student-led displays and activities. Our conversations at our table focused on how AAPI history, stories, and literature can be better represented in Pennsylvania classrooms so every student can see themselves in what they learn.

Huge thanks to the 𝗪𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗦𝗔 & 𝗔𝗖𝗖 for hosting such a welcoming, joyful event and for inviting us to be part of it. Events like this remind us how vibrant and diverse our local communities are, and how important it is to create spaces where Asian American cultures can be celebrated and shared. 💪

Swipe through to see some highlights from the day! 👉📸