EPISODE #34 Celebrating Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month with Mai Du

Conversations With Carole

May is Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and we end this month with the second of two terrific guests from the Asian American community. Today's guest is Mai Du (pronounced My-Dew) who entered the United States as a Vietnamese (and ethnic Chinese) refugee and has become one of the leading social justice advocates in Metro Boston. She owns the Way Lum Kung Fu & Tai Chi Academy, which has two locations in Metro Boston. She is also passionate about the Asian American community and has collaborated with others to receive $1 million in seed funding from Congress (Rep. Katherine Clark), which will kick off a capital campaign to create Malden (Mass) 's first Asian American Community Center.

Mai is an inspiration and an example of why AANHPI is such a special month for many in the Asian American community and beyond

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ABOUT MAI DU
Mai Du, named as one of Get Konnected! Boston's 50 Most Influential Asian-American Pacific Islanders in January 2023, has been a community advocate and activist since the early 1990s. As a youth leader, Mai took part in co-founding the Coalition for Asian Pacific American Youth (CAPAY), which engaged AAPI youth across Massachusetts to give voice and visibility to the Asian Pacific American youth experiences and to work towards positive social change.

Throughout her undergraduate and graduate studies at Tufts University, where she earned a Masters in Education focusing on Racial Ethnic Studies and School and Community Collaborations, Mai continued to commit to community organizing and grassroots advocacy throughout the Greater Boston area. Formerly serving as the Director of Volunteer Resources, Youth Programs, and International Social Services for the American Red Cross of Massachusetts Bay, and a Kumon Math and Reading Instructor and Franchisee, Mai founded Wah Lum Kung Fu & Tai Chi Academy in 2006, now with a strong presence in Malden and Quincy. In March 2024, Wah Lum Malden and Quincy were recognized as one of Boston's Most Influential Community Organizations by Get Connected (www.wahlumacademy.com).

Mai Du is the co-founder and board member of the Greater Malden Asian American Community Coalition (GMAACC) and the United States Dragon and Lion Dance Federation, board member of the South Cove Community Health Center, and the Asian Community Development Corporation (ACDC). In 2020, Mai co-founded the Coalition for Anti-Racism and Equity (CARE). She currently serves as its founding president and continues to champion the statewide effort to advance MA legislation to promote racially inclusive curriculum for K-12 public education. Mai also serves on the GBH Community Advisory Board.
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Here's a recent Boston Globe article about GMAACC and their work in Malden:

https://bit.ly/453eMvX