Atlanta is home to so many festivals, concerts, arts and cultural events, it is almost hard to keep track. Regardless, if you have never been to TEA Walk, it is safe to say you are missing out.
TEA Walk has been hosted by CPACS, the Center for Pan Asian Community Services Inc., for 10 years and is still the largest empowerment walk of its kind in the South. The event draws thousands of Georgians to celebrate the rich diversity of our state and to walk in unity to celebrate that diversity. It is a two-mile empowerment walk along Buford Highway, home to Atlanta’s most diverse businesses and restaurants. It is a fun, free family event with entertainment, international food, a community fair and event T-shirts.
The walk provides a critical voice to the immigrant and refugee communities of Georgia and encourages us to be educated about issues that affect us — to be empowered to shape our communitiesand to mobilize for positive change. The theme of this year’s walk is “Count Me In,” because Atlanta’s diverse communities count. Our vote counts, our contributions count, and we all play a role making Atlanta the wonderful city it is.
This is an historic year for TEA Walk and CPACS because we have changed the name from “Together Empowering Asian Americans” to “Together Empowering All.” This is inspired in part by the growth of Pan Asian Community Services. The agency was founded 35 years ago to provide services and support to empower individuals and families toward self-sufficiency. It serves clients in more than 17 languages including Spanish, French, Korean, Chinese Mandarin, Chinese Cantonese, Vietnamese, Hindi, Nepali, Burmese, Karen, Chinand Karenni.
These services include the CPACS Cosmo Health Center, a federally qualified facility in Norcross. It offers in-person benefits assistance; assistance with health insurance marketplace enrollment; youth programs; community-based health promotion and disease prevention; adult education; transportation assistance, and comprehensive health and social services.
The CPACS mission is to provide and advocate for culturally and linguistically appropriate services. It creates access for individuals, families and communities that most likely would not have it otherwise.
TEA Walk is core to this mission. It allows families to walk with pride and represent their cultural identities. It brings visibility to the invisible. It affirms that we all have a part to play in shaping our communities.
The 11th annual TEA Walk is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, beginning at CPACS’ main building, 3510 Shallowford Rd. NE, Atlanta.
Can we count you in?
Karuna Ramachandran is health programs director at the Center for Pan Asian Community Services Inc.
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