LEXINGTON, Ky. — Nikki Milburn was once just a child who loved her family’s favorite meals.
“Growing up with a Japanese grandmother ... the experiences that I had, the foods that I ate, like dried squid, seaweed, nori, growing up, you just kind of assume that everyone has these kinds of experiences,” Milburn said.
Milburn said she didn’t know then how different it was from some of her peers. It’s part of her lineage that she is now sharing with others as the executive director of Get HAAPI, a Lexington group celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
The group started in 2023, when community members, including vice mayor Dan Wu, envisioned a celebration for the month after a lack of such initiatives in the city.
Events have included performances at the Moondance Amphitheater and movie showings at the Kentucky Theater, such as "Mississippi Masala," directed by Spike Lee.
“These events are not only for the Asian-American community members to see themselves, but it's for people in the larger community to kind of see us not just in terms of what our cultures are from our home countries, but we're featuring artists and musicians and poets that are right here in central Kentucky,” Wu said.
Milburn said last year, they were joined by dozens of community members and will host Poetry and Tea May 28 at the Carnegie Center.
“We're just excited to be able to bring in this next generation as they share their real experiences and their identity as AAPI folks growing up in Lexington,” she said.“We're just excited to be able to bring in this next generation as they share their real experiences and their identity as AAPI folks growing up in Lexington,” she said.
Milburn said as a leader, she and her team enjoy sharing their connections, skills and real-life experiences with others.
The group will also host a community book discussion on Saturday, May 31, at the Central Lexington Public Library with bestselling author Angie Kim.
