Identity festival returns, bringing Asian-owned business, culture from the shadows to the pitch

A celebration of often-overlooked heritage and culture is scoring its biggest match yet: a showcase this weekend at CPKC Stadium — where intentional diversity and inclusivity have a home field advantage, said Jackie Nguyen.

“It’s our first time partnering with such a big venue,” said Nguyen, founder of the annual AANHPI (Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander) Identity festival. “With the help of the community and my friends, it started growing and growing, and now it’s gotten huge.” 

Saturday’s celebration at the home of the Kansas City Current — the first purpose-built womens soccer stadium — is expected to boast 60-plus businesses and organizations, double the number featured last year, she added.

Click here for tickets to AANHPI Identity.

More than 90 percent of vendors are AANHPI-owned, including MADE MOBB, Tips N Toes, NAAAP-KC, and others. The festival also highlights contemporary and traditional AANHPI performances to get the party started, and food from different cultures from Korean to Thai.

Additionally, informational booths from organizations like Big Brothers and Sisters, and MOCSA will offer community resources.

Nguyen, who also owns Vietnamese coffee shop Cafe Cà Phê, said she noticed a lack of representation for the AANHPI community in Kansas City when she moved to the Midwest from San Diego during the pandemic.

“There’s an entire community of people of color who are left to just figure out their resources on their own or fight for their representation,” she said. “So, that’s why I try to do a lot in the public eye to show that ‘Hey, we exist.’” 

Jackie Nguyen, Cafe Cà Phê, 2024; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

Ready to be seen, empowering AANPHI voices

Nguyen acknowledges how supportive Kansas City’s Asian small business community is of its own members, but she doesn’t think they get enough love or recognition from the broader public.

“Being an Asian in the Midwest is really tough. There’s a lack of representation, and it makes us feel very othered,” said Nguyen. “There’s an invisibility factor there, because we don’t get exposure. But that doesn’t mean that we don’t experience racism, and less resources.”

As a first-generation Vietnamese American, Nguyen’s journey is deeply intertwined with her cultural heritage and the struggle for visibility.

“In our culture, it’s disrespectful to speak up. We’re supposed to be disciplined and under the radar,” she said. 

Nguyen, however, sees the opposite attitude among millennials and Gen Z — people who are increasingly aware of how their voice matters, using social media to address representation issues, she said. 

Through her own active social media presence promoting the events she organizes and as well as the issues AANHPI community members face, she wants others to follow suit in being vocal, honest and transparent.

Festival-goers enjoy a traditional performance by members of the Pho Hien Lion Dance Troupe during a May 2022 AAPI celebration organized by Jackie Nguyen at Columbus Park in Kansas City; photo by Channa Steinmetz, Startland News

Preserving culture for future generations

Nguyen also organizes the Lunar New Year and Autumn Moon Festival in Kansas City. In the fall, the Autumn Moon Festival blends traditional Asian celebrations with education. 

Singers entertain a crowd gathered at Columbus Park during a May 2022 AAPI celebration organized by Jackie Nguyen; photo by Channa Steinmetz, Startland News

These events aim to affirm the Asian community’s presence in Kansas City and preserve cultural traditions for future generations, bridging the gap between the old and the new, she said.

“I want kids here to grow up with our celebrations,” Nguyen said, adding her hope that the festivals will do their part in creating a sense of belonging. “I want them to feel proud of their culture.”

Nguyen’s efforts aren’t without their challenges, she said, as fundraising and event planning demand considerable time and resources alongside her responsibilities at Cafe Cà Phê. She’s currently seeking a person who shares her passion for community activism to add to her team.

With AANHPI Identity, Nguyen hopes attendees and vendors truly see what the local Asian community has to offer Kansas City, she said.

“I want people who are going to open their minds up to the community, and I hope that our Asian attendants just feel so recognized and celebrated, because it’s all about them,” Nguyen said.