CLEVELAND — Final preparations are underway for the Cleveland Asian Festival.
George Kwan worked in his backyard the morning before the Asian Festival kicked off.
“These are two columns that are going to be put upright and then, on my driveway, I got the toppers that are going to give it an Asian flare,” he said.
Kwan is hand making a giant gateway that will welcome guests coming into the Asian Festival.
He spent countless hours, but said this year, it’s more important than ever to celebrate his culture.
“Race, issues, cultural issues here in Cleveland,” he said.
As Kwan assembled the 10 foot archway for the festival, he said in recent years, the Asian community has seen some negative energy toward their culture and race. Kwan said he experienced it firsthand.
“A little bit, you know, a lot of people think they can joke about things like that, about race, and that is not comfortable for folks who are a target of that,” he said
FBI data has shown that hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have gone up since 2020.
Kwan said he is trying to stay positive by embracing his culture and making sure his kids can pass it onto the next generation.
“To have some type of roots, that sense of belonging,” he said.
Kwan and his family will perform the lion dance again at this year’s Asian Festival, something Kwan has been doing with his dad since he was 13-years-old.
