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9 AAPI Heritage Month Celebrations Around the DC Area

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9 AAPI Heritage Month Celebrations Around the DC Area


May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and there are a number of area events marking the occasion. Check out these festivals, educational talks, performances, and more:

 

IlluminAsia Festival

May 10-12

location_on 1100 Jefferson Dr., SW

To commemorate AAPI Heritage Month, the National Museum of Asian Art is hosting three days of family-friendly arts and culture. This weekend’s IlluminAsia Festival will include an evening of wellness and meditation (guests can journal and make origami), a vendor market, an electronic music performance by artist/activist Madame Gandhi, and Mother’s Day-themed activities for kids (free).

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“Good Fortunes” Open House

May 10

location_on Heurich House Museum

Asian American artist Xena Ni brings an interactive art installation to Heurich House Museum. “Good Fortunes” is the second installment of the We Should Talk series, which invites community members to join visionary Asian American women in imagining the future. You can explore the exhibit (and the biergarten) at the Dupont museum’s Friday open house. In the coming days, there will also be a charm-making craft event, and a lion dance celebration (free).

 

Howard County’s AAPI Festival

May 11

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location_on Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods

Sample ice cream, shaved ice, poke, and barbecue from Asian food trucks at this AAPI Festival in Columbia, Maryland. The third annual community gathering spotlights dishes and cultural goods from up to 100 vendors and exhibitors (free).

 

AAPI Heritage Month Family Day

May 11

location_on Library Congress

May Family Day at the Library of Congress commemorates AAPI month with a mask-making workshop for children, and an author talk with Star Trek actor/activist George Takei about his book, My Lost Freedom: A Japanese American World War II Story ( free, but timed-entry pass required).

 

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White House Forum on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders

May 13

location_on Andrew W Mellon Auditorium

This daylong event marks the 25th anniversary of the creation of the White House Initiative and the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. The “Lasting Legacies” schedule has yet to be released, but last year’s lineup included performances, panels, speeches, and informational sessions led by Vice President Kamala Harris, actor Daniel Dae Kim, poet Rupi Kaur, and more (free, but registration is required).

 

Fiesta Asia

May 18

location_on Pennsylvania Ave., NW, between Third and Sixth streets

The Passport DC festivities continue this month with Fiesta Asia. The celebration of pan-Asian heritage will include over 1,000 performers,  food vendors, and artisans, plus kid-friendly activities, a talent competition, street dancing, and a colorful parade. The fair has been a popular tribute to Asian culture since 2006 (free).

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Asian Festival on Main

May 19

location_on Main St., Fairfax

Take the entire family to this outdoor party in Old Town Fairfax City, which will feature dozens of food options, performances, and vendors, in addition to a cosplay costume contest, and an appearance by the Choy Wun Lion Dance Troupe (free).

 

Trivia Night: AANHPI Heritage Month

May 28

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location_on Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery

Feeling competitive? Test your knowledge by yourself, or join a team, to answer questions and solve puzzles about Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander athletes, activists, entertainers, and engineers from the Portrait Gallery collections (free).

 

Asia on the Creek

June 1

location_on Carroll Creek Park

Visit downtown Frederick to experience traditional Asian art, dance, music, cuisine, and fashion, along with family-friendly activities, a vendor market, and live performances at Carroll Creek Park’s outdoor amphitheater (free).

Briana A. Thomas is a local journalist, historian, and tour guide who specializes in the research of D.C. history and culture. She is the author of the Black history book, Black Broadway in Washington, D.C., a story that was first published in Washingtonian in 2016.

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Washington, D.C

Fight leads to shooting outside Northwest DC nightclub

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Fight leads to shooting outside Northwest DC nightclub


D.C. police are investigating a shooting that happened near a nightclub in Northwest D.C. this week.

One man was shot, and two others were hurt. 

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What we know:

Police are asking for help finding the person who opened fire, shooting a man in the 1100 block of 18th Street, NW.

D.C. police say the trouble started when a large crowd started fighting outside a nearby club around 3:00 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 7, after an argument broke out inside the club.

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Police broke up the fight, dispersing the crowd outside, but moments later, while officers were still on scene, gunshots rang out. 

Police quickly found the shooting victim, and they were immediately taken to an area hospital. The victim is expected to be ok. 

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After searching the area, police found two more people who were injured, grazed by bullets.

Local perspective:

The general manager of Talking Tacos restaurant told FOX 5 that he saw the aftermath, and was concerned for his safety and his customers’ safety.

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Police say officers detained some people after the shooting but no official arrests have been made. 

The investigation is ongoing. MPD is asking anyone with information about this shooting to give them a call at 202-727-9099 or text a tip to 50411. 

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DC Attorney General files lawsuit to dismantle alleged real estate fraud scheme

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DC Attorney General files lawsuit to dismantle alleged real estate fraud scheme


The D.C. Attorney General has filed a civil lawsuit aimed at shutting down what officials describe as a sprawling real‑estate fraud scheme that exploits tenants, lenders and District agencies while worsening the city’s affordable‑housing crisis.

What we know:

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Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb alleges that Ali “Sam” Razjooyan, his brother Eimon “Ray” Razjooyan and their mother, Houri Razjooyan, have been running an illegal real‑estate network that controls dozens of apartment buildings across the District.

According to Schwalb’s office, the family has spent the past decade acquiring more than 70 mostly rent‑controlled buildings, 90% of them in Wards 7 and 8.

The lawsuit alleges that, through a Ponzi‑style operation, the Razjooyans use fake financial documents and false renovation promises to secure loans.

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They would then rent them to tenants who receive housing subsidies that are paid by the District agencies and that are above the rent-stabilized amounts, officials said.

Instead of repairing the properties, investigators say the Razjooyans would keep the loan money and use it to pay off earlier debts and buy new buildings to continue the scheme.

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Schwalb’s office says the scheme left hundreds of vulnerable tenants living in dangerous conditions, including infestations, gas leaks, electrical hazards, mold, flooding and piles of trash.

What they’re saying:

The lawsuit accuses the family of defrauding District agencies out of more than $16 million by falsely certifying that their units were safe and habitable, a requirement for receiving housing‑subsidy payments.

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“Today, we’re dismantling the Razjooyan slumlord empire,” Schwalb said in a statement. “DC has a serious housing affordability problem, and slumlords like the Razjooyans make things worse by decreasing the available housing supply and forcing tenants to live in horrific conditions. Their business model, by design, preys on tenants for profit — cheating banks, private lenders, and the DC government along the way. Instead of addressing each building individually, we’re attacking the very foundation of their illegal operation. As the District’s independent Attorney General, I am committed to using the law to put an end to such fraud and exploitation and to protect affordable housing in the District.”

Read the lawsuit here.

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The Source: Information in this article comes from the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia.

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Venerable monks wrap 15-week long Walk for Peace from Texas to DC

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Venerable monks wrap 15-week long Walk for Peace from Texas to DC


A group of Buddhist monks walked from Fort Worth Texas to Washington D.C. finishing their months-long journey on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

Thousands waited on the memorial to welcome them and hear about their journey.

The monks have made many strides but not without challenges along the way including a monk being hit by a car in Texas and Aloka, the peace dog needing surgery during their stop in South Carolina.

Millions have tracked the monks progress through a live map.

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Throughout the eight states, millions of Americans have followed their journey in person or on line.

SEE MORE | Where to see the Monks’ Walk for Peace during last full day in DC

Two friend drove from Indianapolis, Indiana to DC to see the monks.

“I feel like its important. I support the fact that they are bringing attention to world peace and I wanted to be apart of it,” Rhonda Harris told 7News.

“I had been following them some time ago, when thy got to Georgia and my daughter lives in Columbus and I missed them to see them so I’ve been waiting on the opportunity to come and join them, Lasima Packet said.

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Marissa Shea, traveled from Fort Lauderdale Florida, but not without stopping and seeing them in South Carolina first. She drove from Florida to see them in Washington, D.C.

SEE ALSO | Venerable Monks touch hearts during Walk for Peace in Virginia en route to DC

“The message is so needed right now.. and its brought me so much peace.”

Now that the monks have completed their journey, a source tells 7News, the group will take a chartered bus back to Fort Worth, Texas but the message on peace will continue.



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