Treasurer Maria Pappas Honors AANHPI Heritage Month by Recognizing Community Leaders with Live Music and Dance Celebration

Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas will celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month by recognizing community leaders, cultural advocates and business owners whose contributions strengthen Cook County and the greater Chicagoland region.

The event will take place at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, May 21, 2026, following the noontime Daley Plaza Heritage Month events.

Immediately after activities wrap up outside, the public is invited across the street to the Treasurer’s Office, 118 N. Clark St., Room 112, in downtown Chicago.

Once attendees gather inside, Treasurer Pappas will showcaseChinese Lion Dancers, Ancient Folk Dancers and a Mongolian Throat Singer after presenting Certificates of Excellence to community leaders and cultural performers.

“The more than 300,000 Asian Americans in Cook County tremendously enrich the place we call home,” Pappas said.

“From vibrant business corridors and thriving educational and religious institutions to internationally recognized restaurants, healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs and civic leaders, the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander community has helped turn Chicago into one of the world’s greatest cities.”

Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders represent one of the fastest-growing populations in the Chicago metropolitan area and have made lasting contributions across the cultural and business landscape of Cook County.

Communities throughout Chicagoland — including Chinatown, Devon Avenue, Albany Park, Uptown, Morton Grove, and Skokie — reflect the rich international traditions and entrepreneurial spirit of their residents.

Honorees represent a wide cross-section of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander community, including leaders in business, healthcare, law, faith organizations and community service.

They include: Annie Chen, vice president, Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management; Elizabeth Jia, Chicago Symphony Orchestra women’s board; Ye Liu, president, Chicago Chinese Culture & Arts Society; Rosie Ni, president, Greater Chicago Chinese American Women Chamber of Commerce; Guang Situ, president, Fung Lun Association; Kuen How Chow, president, Association of Chinese Americans; Yin Fai Fong, president, Association of Chinese Americans, Wuyi Association; Dr. Vasavi Chakka, provost, The Global Eye International Institute of Leadership; Santosh Kumar, executive director, Metropolitan Asian Family Services; Sohum Mehrotra, director, Divine Peace Foundation; Dr. Vijay G. Prabhakar, founder, American Multi Ethnic Commission; Anwar Sadatullah, national chairman, Indian American Business Coalition; Marcelle Benedicta, vice president, Greenheart International and Indonesian Diaspora Network; Mike Tanimura, chairman, Chicago Japanese American Council; Swee Cheng, vice president, Malaysian Club of Chicago; Tong Altangerel, president, Silkroad Global Inc.; Otgonbaatar Bat-Ochir, artist; Sharad Raj Aran, acting ambassador, Embassy of Nepal; Dr. Nuzhat Chalisa, founder and president, The Kisat Diabetes Organization; Qing Chen, president, US-Hakka Association; Salim Jamal, insurance consultant; Jaeguan Park, community advocate.

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Ray Hanania is an award-winning opinion columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.

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