(NAN News, February 22, 2025)
The Asian American Coalition of Chicago (AACC)2025 Annual lunar new year celebration was held grandly at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in North Chicago, with thousands of guests celebrating the New Year.
The celebration started from 4:30 pm to 10 pm and lasted for more than 5 hours. There were cocktail parties, fashion shows, artistic performances and other programs before the opening ceremony at 6 pm.
Members of Asian Americans from the greater Chicago area, Illinois officials , well-known media, and othe guests from Chicago attend event.
Guests who attended the celebration and delivered speeches included Congressman Raja, Congressman Tammy Duckworth, Illinois Treasurer , Cook County Chairman Toni, etc. In their speeches, they congratulated the Chicago Asian American Alliance on the grand annual conference, congratulated Asian Americans on their achievements, and praised their contribution to Chicago’s multiculturalism.
Chinese representatives attending the celebration included Illinois state representative Teres Ma, Chicago 11th district alderwoman Necole Lee, Asian American Alliance Board Director Keen Teen , MAHA execute Director Liu Hong, members of ACSE, and representatives of the Chinatown coalition.
Consul General of China Chicago Wang Baodong attended the celebration and greeting with guests.
The celebration open ceremony started at 6pm, thousands of guests stood up for the American national anthem. Afterwards, ABC 7 Chicago, Fox 32 Chicago and other media held celebratory opening shows.
2024-2025 Asian American Coalition President Martino and 19 other board directors show on stage and delivered speeches, including Chinese Kim Tee, Catherine wang, and Anne Shaw.
The celebration held awards events such as the 2025 ping tom Memorial Award and the Asian American Oktaka Memorial Award to honor Asian Americans with outstanding achievements and contributions.
The celebration also held the 2025 Outstanding Community Service Award, among which the Chinese winner was Johnny Zheng , Chairman of the US-China Restaurant Association. Other recipients of the Community Service Award were students from various middle schools and universities.
The celebration included a dinner and Asian cultural performances. Beautiful Asian dances on the stage.
At the end of the celebration, there was a handover ceremony for the host of the 2026 Asian American Coalition Annual Conference. This year’s host, the Indonesian American Community, handed over next year’s host to the Chinese American community.
