4 locals who are making a difference in Birmingham’s Asian-American + Pacific Islanders community

Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) Heritage Month, celebrated in May, pays tribute to Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islander Americans.

Earlier this month, we highlighted AAPI groups in the Magic City. Now, we’re back to feature prominent AAPI leaders who are sharing their culture with Birmingham and beyond.

Gina Sian, Regions

Born and raised in the Philippines, Gina Sian moved to Chicago with her parents as a teenager.

When I spoke to her, Gina told me she had never heard of Birmingham before moving here with her husband in 2018. She attributes the warm welcome and ease with which she made friends to good old Southern hospitality.

As the Senior Vice President of Community Relations at Regions, Gina is passionate about philanthropy and corporate citizenship.

“I love volunteerism and community engagement, so my passion right now is bringing that to our employees.

As a Filipino-American, I appreciate many community organizations hosting festivals and celebrations.”

Gina, Senior VP of Community Relations, Regions

In the short time I met with Gina, I could tell she had a heart for people—specifically individuals in the AAPI community at Regions and Birmingham.

“Regions hosts discussions [about diversity, cultural perspectives, ectc.] and I value that we talk about it.

You can’t just talk about work all the time and not know who people are; part of that is a person’s culture and history. I like that [Regions] has the space to do that and we can celebrate it.

We want an inclusive, prosperous community. We can’t grow if our community’s not growing.”

Gina, Senior VP of Community Relations, Regions

Abhi Sainju, MARO + Abhi Eatery and Bar

Hailing from Nepal, Abhi Sainju has lived in Birmingham since 1997. After graduating from UAB, Abhi quickly made his name known in the Magic City through his natural culinary skills.

You might know Abhi as the brains behind Abhi Eatery and Bar in Mountain Brook Village, and MARO in Lane Parke.

When I spoke to Abhi, he told me that he got into cooking simply because he was a broke college student.

“I never went to any class or culinary school, I just loved cooking. When I was broke I loved to cook everything myself.

My mom used to cook every meal, so I cooked whatever I missed from home.”

Abhi Sainju, owner, Abhi Eatery and Bar + MARO

Taking inspiration from the countries he’s visited, Abhi loves trying new things and incorporating them into the menus at his two Birmingham-area restaurants.

Here are a few must-try items:

Ling Ma, UAB

Ling Ma has been a professor of Chinese at UAB since 2012, but teaching is not the only role she plays in Birmingham.

“I serve as the advisor and sponsor for the annual Lunar Show, which is the flagship event hosted by the Chinese Society at UAB and typically draws over 300 attendees.

Additionally, I contributed to the art exhibition “Four Seasons in Chinese Paintings” at BMA by dedicating a week to translating the introduction, section panels and other written pieces.”

Ling Ma, Professor of Chinese, UAB

When I spoke to Ling, she mentioned how she wants to educate the community about the heritage and contributions of Chinese Americans.

This is part of the reason she began teaching Chinese to students.

“I have a deep appreciation for Chinese language and literature. My own journey from China to the U.S. has taught me valuable lessons, highlighting the diverse perspectives people hold.

As educators, it’s important to foster curiosity in our students about the world and encourage them to explore different cultures and viewpoints.”

Ling Ma, Professor of Chinese, UAB

Helen Kim, Alabama Asian Cultures Foundation

As the president of the Alabama Asian Cultures Foundation (AACF), Helen Kim is dedicated to supporting the AAPI community in Birmingham.

Dr. Kim was born in Seoul, South Korea and emigrated to the United States in 1955 to start elementary school. She quickly established herself as an unstoppable force in more ways than one.

Check out a few of her accomplishments:

• PhD from the University of Virginia
• Host of the Alabama Asian Culture & Food Festival for 10 years straight
• Co-hosted the East Asian Heritage Festival with the Birmingham Museum of Art (where 4,000+ attendees broke records for an indoor event!)
• Has given presentations at multiple federal, academic + private organizations on AAPI Heritage Month + AACF. 
• Participated in arts festivals at area elementary schools
• On a mission to make celebrations more inclusive of the lesser known Asian countries—like Turkey, Kazakhsta, Malaysia + more.
• President of the Alabama Asian Cultures Foundation since 2015

“To talk about AAPI heritage is to talk about a large and complex area of countries that have long histories. Many celebrations have either ignored much of the Asian continent or slighted it—even among Asian communities.

As President of the AACF, I’m proud to say we helped recruit a young lady from Kazakhstan to sing a traditional song from her country at the AAPI Heritage Month celebration hosted by the UAB AAPI faculty association.”

Dr. Helen Kim, President, Alabama Asian Cultures Foundation

AAPI-owned restaurants around Birmingham

Other business + groups to know

How do you honor and celebrate the AAPI community? Let us know @bhamnow!