Asian American Institute (AAI), a member of the Asian American Center for

Asian American Institute (AAI), a member of the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice, hosted its 14th annual Milestone Awards at Harold Washington Library on Tuesday April 17.

The event, both a fundraiser and a celebration of AAI’s 20th anniversary drew attendees from both the public and private sector, including Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.
The program, emceed by local Fox news reporter Joanie Lum included an address from Helen Zia, activist and former editor of Ms. Magazine, a speech from Executive Director Tuyet Le, and an awards presentation to 12 community partners; all members of the Pan Asian Voter Empowerment group (PAVE).

The awardees were: Alliance of Filipinos for Immigrant Rights and Empowerment, Cambodian Association of Illinois, Chinese American Service League, Chinese Mutual Aid Association, Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community, Hamdard Center, Indo-American Center, Korean American Community Services, Korean American Resource and Cultural Center, Lao American Community Services, Lao American Organization of Elgin and Muslim Women Resource Center. This year PAVE actively organized its membership for Springfield Advocacy day on February 29 presenting an Asian American legislative agenda to elected officials.

The second half of the event included a reception in the Winter Garden where local band Funkadesi performed and raffle prizes were awarded. The Milestone Awards represent AAI’s largest annual fundraising event, and this year, an opportunity to showcase its major accomplishments and partners from the last 20 years.