We want to end the week with a recap of Chinatown Matriarch’s Day this past Sunday, May 12. It started off with a beautiful Uyghur traditional dance by the Adalat Dance Academy.
Surrounding the dance floor, there was a seniors market featuring handmade arts and crafts from elders, palm reading, on-the-spot tailoring, and the library of late community elder and activist William Lim. Thank you to everyone who visited the booths or bought something from the elders—they were so happy for your support!
While we handed out treats sourced from local Chinatown bakeries, an elder dropped by for a spontaneous harmonica performance of the classic Chinese children song 世上只有媽媽好 (“Mother is the best in the world”). Local artist, @shyegg led a floral crafts workshop enjoyed by all ages.
Then we learned how to do Uyghur traditional dance taught by Ada herself. Everyone picked it up so quickly and was in sync in 1.5 hours! It was wonderful to see young and old dance with joy together.
To close off the event, the Carnegie Dance Troupe with Swallow Zhou performed a touching poetry recitation and dance tribute to late community activist and elder William Lim for William’s family. Set to background music of harmonica and guitar, the performance moved everyone to tears.
And to our surprise, the event was featured on OMNI TV! Take a look:
Overall, Chinatown Matriarch’s Day was a fun and joyful afternoon of community celebration of women, femme, culture, and community.
Culture is resistance. Collective joy is resistance.
Help us continue this work to the end of the year by donating to our cultural fund (we’re just shy of our goal!).