Excerpt from the Fairborn Daily Herald
When people think of Asian American communities, Chinatowns such as in San Francisco or New York come to mind. But the Midwest, Ohio in general and Dayton in particular also have pockets of Asian Americans who might go unnoticed or be misperceived.
Now, though, individual stories about those of Asian descent, including several from Wright State University, are coming to light through a special project called “Asian in Ohio” produced by Midstory, a Toledo-based nonprofit media group.
Nicolyn Woodcock, Ph.D., assistant director of Wright State’s Asian and Native American Center, coordinated a group of students and staff to meet on campus with representatives of Midstory last February.
Ruth Chang, a co-founder of the nonprofit, said Midstory’s mission is to “progress the narrative of the Midwest through storytelling and research and by working with young people to envision our future here.”
“Asian in Ohio” is an interactive gallery available at midstory.org/asian-in-ohio that includes maps, data and information in addition to the individual interviews.
Chang, her brother Sam Chang and his wife, Logan Sander, the other co-founders of Midstory, reached out to Asian Americans in Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Akron, Toledo and Dayton. The goal was to provide a window into what life is like for Asian Americans in Ohio, Ruth Chang said.
