The Montgomery County Council celebrated Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month this week.
Council President Evan Glass and Councilmember Kristin Mink hosted a commemoration Tuesday.
Mink is the first Asian American councilmember.
When she first entered the race, she was quite shocked to learn she would be the first councilmember from the AAPI community if she won.
She said she remembers as hate against the AAPI community increased throughout the pandemic, councilmembers and county leaders stood in solidarity with the community to say, “I am so sorry that this is happening to you, we will work to prevent this, we will work to combat this.”
“And it was so meaningful to hear that. But it also struck me that there was nobody who could say, I am so sorry that this is happening to us. That really matters,” Mink said.
The celebration included a video highlighting AAPI community members and leaders. In the video, Mink said she is very proud of the Chinese heritage she brings from her mother’s side.
The theme this year is “Advancing Leaders Through Opportunity.”
