The Rise of the Unseen: South Florida’s Month to Remember for AAPI Heritage
By Asiana Post Newsroom
South Florida did not ease into May. It arrived with force — not loud, but deliberate. For too long, Asian American and Pacific Islander contributions have lived in the seams of this region’s story — present but rarely acknowledged. This past May, that silence broke. AAPI Heritage Month was no longer a sidebar. It became a statement
Eleanor “Wokstar” Hoh is no stranger to blazing new trails. Her entrepreneurial adventure began with opening a retail store in Key West alongside her sister. When Eleanor moved to Santa Monica, her sister took the reins locally, launching a Chinese cooking school that helped hundreds overcome their fear of frying. This traditional “hands-on,” chop-and-chat format introduced students to authentic recipes — but Eleanor soon realized many stopped there. To push boundaries, she developed a “roadmap” to inspire creativity beyond the recipe, encouraging cooks to invent and explore.
At the AAPI Festival hosted by Smorgasburg Miami, Eleanor was not just a guest. She was a symbol of resilience and the often-unseen women who built Miami’s Asian culinary roots from scratch — one wok at a time. Asiana Post honored her not for showmanship, but for what she represents: legacy, innovation, and the quiet power of food as culture.
Across town, something quieter — but no less powerful — was in motion. A cultural bus tour, organized by the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, traced a route not just across the city, but through time. Orchestrated by Senior Vice President Connie Kinnard, the tour was more than logistics. It was strategy. It was remembrance. Stops included the Jewish Museum of Florida FIU, the historic Chinese Merchants Association, Bhakti Yoga Center, and the Ichimura Japan Garden — each location unearthing stories buried beneath tourism brochures.
On May 10, 2025, the Coral Springs Chinese Cultural Association marked the close of the school year with its annual end-of-school show. This event showcased the talents and traditions of local youth, bringing the community together in celebration of heritage and continuity. Through performances and cultural presentations, the association reaffirmed the importance of passing down stories and values to the next generation.
For the first time, the City of North Miami issued a formal proclamation recognizing AAPI Heritage Month. It was presented to Omilani Alarcon, an artist with many talents. The gesture marked a new chapter — not just symbolic, but a step toward long-overdue recognition.
Still, while others delivered remarks, Commissioner Lynn Su — North Miami’s first elected Asian American official — was already in motion. She did not wait for ceremony. She brought music to public libraries, art to city corners, and cultural programming to families who had never seen their stories reflected on municipal walls. Her leadership wasn’t announced. It was enacted.
Outside the calendar of city-led events, sacred observances continued on their own terms. On May 12th, Tu Viện Hương Hải Monastery in Davie hosted a Buddhist ceremony — unlisted, unpublicized, but deeply rooted. Its presence reminded us that AAPI identity in South Florida isn’t centralized. It lives in pockets, in silence, in sanctuaries that rarely seek recognition.
In Coral Springs, tradition took form through touch, not words. At a kamayan feast hosted by Satori Matabuena, president of AREAA Greater Miami, plates were set aside. Food was shared by hand over banana leaves — no barriers, no utensils, only shared history laid open.
The month concluded with quiet diplomacy and official recognition at the residence of the Consul General of Japan in Miami. There, members of the Asian American Advisory Board were honored. Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava addressed the Consul General directly, offering words that underscored unity, gratitude, and a shared vision for inclusion.
In South Florida this May, visibility was not the goal. Truth was, and for once, it stood boldly in the open.
