Thousands gathered around Peterboro Street and Cass Avenue to celebrate the second annual Chinatown Block Party on Saturday, July 25.
Over 50 food vendors and merchants sold a variety of things, from paintings, jewelry and candles to food (including skewers, kimchi fries, dumplings, bubble tea, ube milk and matcha mochi on a stick).
Detroit artist, muralist and curator Anthony Lee sold paintings, shirts with his artwork, tea from his family’s Chinese herbal pharmacy and more under a tent Saturday afternoon. He said he enjoys making art with a science fiction theme, as well as art that celebrates his culture.
“A lot of times, there’s a lot of hate and ignorance and prejudice because people just aren’t exposed to that or they don’t have an Asian
friend, so I try and make it more normal or accessible so they can find the connection in, a gateway to seeing our similarities and shared values,” Lee said.
Art can make that connection and so can events like Saturday's party. It's also a way to bring people within the community together and back into Detroit, Lee said.
"There was a lot of trauma and healing that was required, so naturally it's fair that they went to the suburbs," Lee said. "But this [block party] is a really good opportunity because it shows that there's a pulse still, and there's a desire to connect and show love for this area."
Detroit Chinatown Vision Committee (DCVC) planned the block party. The DCVC was formed after the demolition of the previous Chinese Merchants Association building, among the last remnants of Detroit's previous Chinatown.
Detroit’s first Chinatown was established around 1890 at Third Avenue and Porter Street. Today, that area holds surface parking lots and freeways, with the previous Chinese American community largely departed amid hate crimes of the 1970s and 1980s.
"There was a lot of trauma and healing that was required, so naturally it's fair that they went to the suburbs," Lee said. "But this [block party] is a really good opportunity because it shows that there's a pulse still and there's a desire to connect and show love for this area."
Saturday's party featured screenings of Asian American films as well as cultural performances, such as a dragon dance.
Angela Willis, 38, of Novi, came with her family for the second year in a row. She said they returned because they love any excuse to get together and get outside. She said its also a good way to keep her son in touch with his Chinese roots.
“There really isn’t a boring moment,” she said.
She said the event grew from last year and that she hopes to see it continue to expand in the coming years. She said she also hopes there’s continued community engagement as the Chinatown space is created.
“It’s a really welcoming event,” Willis said. “I would imagine that the actual Chinatown, once it’s built, is also going to be hugely welcoming."
Lee said he hopes the block party continues to grow, that investment continues to be made into Chinatown and that there’s clear communication with the community as it all happens.
"The fact that this can happen means that anything can happen now," Lee said. "The potential [for Chinatown's revival] is infinite now because you've broken a 50-year precedent that nothing could be done here."
Free Press High School Journalism Apprentice Salem Dinh contributed to this reporting.
Contact Natalie Davies at ndavies@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Chinatown Block Party draws thousands
