North Shore AAPI Coalition
The North Shore AAPI Coalition is an inclusive, multicultural organization promoting education, community engagement, and grassroots advocacy for the AAPI community in Salem and the broader North Shore region of Massachusetts.
NorthShore AAPI was formed to amplify AAPI issues, concerns, and increase representation. It serves to create space for Asians and blended Asians and their families to meet others that look like them, share stories, learn, support, and advocate to positively impact our community.
Past Events
September 9th, 2025
It was a crisp fall night at the North Shore Community Development Center for our second annual community potluck! This year we got to know some of our Latinx and BIPOC neighbors against the beautiful backdrop of the Punto Urban murals and their permanent installation, Casa de Abuela.
Thanks to everyone who came to share their food and conversation! This event marked our first year as a community organization.
August 9th, 2025
On Saturday, August 9th our boat building crew participated in the Great Salem Maritime Cardboard Boat Regatta for Salem’s Maritime Festival. Our boat, the Totoro/ Miyazaki themed Botoro, steered by Miyabe and Paul won the Minnow Award for Most Courageous Crew and the Most Artistic Boat Award!
It was such a fun group activity, and we can’t wait to do more of them next year.
June 28th, 2025
The North Shore AAPI Coalition gathered to celebrate Pride Month at the North Shore Pride Parade and Festival in Salem!
May 18th, 2025
On Sunday, May 18th we hosted our Spring Festival at Salem’s Forest River Park Recreation Center to celebrate AAPI Heritage Month with food, crafts, and music on a beautiful, windy spring day.
We provided a kite making and decorating workshop with Rachel TonThat and ukulele lessons with Miyabe Shields. We also had a wonderful selection food, some of it homemade by members of our community.
We want to thank everyone who attended or assisted us with setting up the event, and give special thanks to Salem Public Art and Salem’s Parks and Recreation for helping us make this happen!
May 15th, 2025
Our third annual flag raising came with an acknowledgement by Salem’s mayor, Dominic Pangallo, of the challenges and racism that the AAPI community faces. He prepared an official document announcing that May was AAPI Heritage month in Salem.
February 1, 2024
On Sat, February 1st we hosted our first ever Lunar New Year Celebration at Salem’s Old Town Hall to ring in the Year of the Snake in a vibrant community event filled with a cultural activities and delicious Asian food.
Annie Lin and her daughter Loren Liu from Koto Restaurant and Annie’s Asian Mart gave a beautiful Gu Zheng performance. Following the music, artist Rachel TonThat led a contemporary calligraphy workshop, where participants learned the basics of calligraphy and crafted their own lucky door signs, or chunlian, which are often displayed during Lunar New Year to invite good fortune.
Thanks to our local sponsors including Koto Sushi restaurant, Annie’s Asian Mart, Kokeshi Asian Fusion restaurant, Northey Street House B&B, City of Salem Arts & Culture, Human Rights Coalition, Mental Health Together, and the New England Foundation of the Arts!
August 31, 2024
Our first AAPI Social was a pot luck success! We had 24 attendees in total and lots of tasty Asian food. We were so social that we took very few pictures and almost forgot to take photos of the food. We had people from age 8 to 78, with a range of backgrounds such as Chinese from China & Hong Kong, Vietnamese, Japanese, Phillippino, Indonesian, Indian, Cambodian, and Korean.
May 23, 2024
On May 23rd, Salem held its 3rd Annual AAPI Flag Raising at Reily Plaza. In attendance was Mayor Dominick Pangallo, State Representative Manny Cruz, and city councilors Jeff Cohen, Alice Merkl, Andy Verela, Caroline Watson-Felt, and Ty Hapworth. Flora Tonthat spoke on the history of the Salem City Seal and why there is a need to update or redesign it. Miyabe Shields spoke on her personal lived experience as a child of Japanese Americans who suffered at the internment camps and also why we need to update our City Seal.
May 20, 2023
Our very first flag raising, initiated by our Coalition members had quite a few attendees and was the first gathering of AAPI in Salem to celebrate AAPI Heritage Month.
