How Baltimore's Asian community fostered a union during a period of social isolation
The founding members of the Baltimore chapter of the National Association of Asian American Professionals, or NAAAP, set out to build a sense of community for Asian people.
Four years after NAAAP Baltimore was founded, the group has 100 members, and the majority of members actively participate in events.
NAAAP Baltimore formed during COVID pandemic
Official membership for NAAAP Baltimore started in May of 2021, but the idea was born during the pandemic.
"A group of us got together during the pandemic in 2020 when we really felt a sense of social isolation," said co-founding team member Robbin Lee. "A time when everyone was kind of evaluating the relationships in their lives, and also a time when there's a rise in xenophobia and also in Asian hate."
Lee said the goal was to build a sense of community for Asian people in Baltimore. It took a year of listening, talking to the community, and figuring out what Asian people want from an organization like NAAAP Baltimore.
"Interestingly enough, I know Asian professionals is in our title, but what we actually saw what people wanted was community building at the top of the list," said Lee.
Nasif Ahmed is a part of the leadership team for NAAAP Baltimore and was involved in those initial conversations.
"Asian Americans of Baltimore were basically just looking for other Asian Americans of Baltimore, and everyone was just interested in finding out how to make friends as an adult," said Ahmed.
Building community in Baltimore
The group's longest-standing event is called Second Thursdays. For almost four years, every second Thursday of the month, they get together at a different AAPI-owned and operated business. The flagship event draws 20 to 50 people every month.
"It's just a great way to try out new places. We all love to eat. We all love to connect over food, and we try to really hit up a diverse array of businesses in the area," said NAAAP Baltimore leadership team member Brittany Denovellis.
Denovellis first got involved with NAAAP after attending a Second Thursday event, and a year later, in 2023, she joined the leadership team. She moved to Baltimore from Southern California, where there is a larger Asian population.
"Coming to Baltimore was a bit of a culture shock," she said. "If you're not, maybe in a field where there's a lot of Asians and Asian Americans, then you're sort of like, where, where are my people?"
In Baltimore City, the Asian population is less than 3%, according to U.S. Census data.
"We often feel like we are the one of one in any rooms," said Lee.
Creating the group was a way to help members of the Asian community find each other, according to co-founding team member Lee.
Now, along with the monthly meetups, members are branching out and self-organizing by creating other niche groups. Members have access to Slack, a communication platform and app, where they can connect over shared interests and initiate meetups. There are groups for board game enthusiasts, plant lovers, hikers, and parents to connect.
"...we are more than our resumes"
"It's been a really cool evolution of just seeing people self-organize based around interests, because we are more than our resumes, and those are the pieces of us that really make us whole and human," said Lee.
NAAAP Baltimore is open to allies, too. Anyone interested in joining NAAAP's programs can learn more here.
The group's next event is a speaker series called "Leading Unapologetically: AAPI Women Redefining Power," on Tuesday, May 27, at 6 p.m. at Everyman Theatre.
The speakers are Head Chef of The Duchess Kiko Fejarang, Editor in Chief of The Baltimore Banner Kimi Yoshino, and Executive Director of Asian American LEAD and Vice Chair of the Governor's Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs Siu Cheung Rossmark.
For more information and tickets, click here.
