ABOUT
ESEA Heritage Month

besea.n are proud to announce that this year we will be launching our fourth year of ESEA Heritage Month - a month long programme of events in September dedicated to East and South East Asian heritage, culture, history and everything in between.

It will be a chance to celebrate, acknowledge and learn about the incredible ways in which our communities have helped to shape the UK.

Our goals

  • Recognised officially by the UK Government and public institutions

  • Nationwide reach of events and communications to support new and existing communities for ESEA people

  • Raise awareness about the contributions of the ESEA community in the UK

  • Raise funds for charities and organisations working with ESEA communities.

Photographer: Tim Chung @iamtimchung

ESEA Heritage Month is focused on providing positive and inclusive content.  It will uplift and champion ESEA communities in the UK, and the vital contributions they make to society.

The campaign has been set up to raise awareness of ESEA communities, and the uniqueness varying identities bring. It will also promote ESEA businesses, organisations and individuals, providing the broad representation we currently lack.

Ultimately, ESEA Heritage Month will be a celebration of our communities - their cultures, their histories and their futures.

Through a shared passion, effective communication and collaboration, we will ensure that ESEA Heritage Month is a successful, yearly campaign and will act as a springboard for change.

Credit: Josie Tang

Photographer: Josie Tang @presentedbyjo

Since the start of the pandemic we have seen a sharp spike in anti-ESEA hate crime. According to the Met Police reported incidents in Q1 2020 were 146% up on the previous quarter, with March 2020 alone accounting for more cases that the last four months of 2019 combined.

Through this, and the increase in media-reported cases such as the Atlanta murders, the ESEA community in the UK has taken a stand and is demanding more protection, acknowledgement and awareness.

Riding on the back of the success of AAPI Heritage Month in the US, we launched the first ever similar event in the UK to raise much-needed awareness of the huge positive impact the ESEA community has in the UK.

We have strategically chosen September as it does not coincide with any other major national awareness month. We also know that September is a good month for events and publicity, which will help us gain widespread coverage and reach.

N.B. We are aware that the US have AAPI Heritage Month but we decided not to observe  the same month in recognition of our different contextual nuances and out of respect for AAPI identities.

PRESS

ESEA Heritage Month Mayor of London City Blog

The Mayor of London, City Hall Blog