Redwood City’s 14th annual celebration, relocated indoors due to rain, drew a large crowd to the San Mateo County History Museum on Saturday. The Lunar New Year has been observed for generations, but it was not until 2022 that the state officially recognized it as a holiday underAssembly Bill 2596.
Amid the rhythmic beats of drums, families and visitors filled the museum, trying their hand atcalligraphy, Mahjong and dumpling making, while performers engaged the crowd with martial arts and classical music.For generations, Lunar New Year has been a cornerstone of cultural heritage for Asian American communities in California. It has persisted through waves of immigration, the enactment of exclusionary policies, and ongoing struggles for representation.
The Bay Area, home to one of the oldest Chinese immigrant populations in the United States, has long been a focal point for these celebrations, where the holiday is both a reflection of ancestral ties and an assertion of belonging.As celebrations unfold across the Bay Area in vibrant displays of heritage and community through mid-February, families come together to honor the past, embrace the present, and keep the light of tradition shining for future generations.
Rebecca double majored in Human Biology and Communication as an undergraduate at Stanford University. Hailing from Trinidad and Tobago, she sought to tell stories from the Caribbean and those of the diaspora in the United States. Over the past summer, she worked on the California Reporting Project's Community Law Enforcement Accountability Network. She hopes to broaden the scope of her journalism skills and subjects she covers during her time in the coterminal journalism master's program. Rebecca is excited to dive deeper into multimedia journalism. On campus, she is a part of Cardinal Calypso, a steelpan ensemble and the Caribbean Students Association.
Originally from Almaty, Kazakhstan, Nina graduated from New York University with a B.A. in International Relations, where her academic focus spanned global conflicts, economic policy and climate change. She held editorial roles in her high school newspaper and yearbook, and continued to collaborate closely with the newsroom following graduation. Nina built international experience in strategic communications for leading companies in data analytics, financial services, medical research and media. Growing up across three continents, Nina developed an early passion for languages, pursuing French, Mandarin, Turkish, and now focusing on Arabic. As an aspiring foreign correspondent, she is interested in covering geopolitical developments, human interest stories and diplomatic affairs. Nina is also an avid tennis player and painter.
