For the first time in its history, the city of Wichita will be led by an Asian-American woman — a milestone that’s exciting for the Asian community in Wichita. It’s also exciting for the Wichita Asian Association (WAA), an organization near to the heart of incoming Mayor Lily Wu.

“Lily is counted among the many hardworking and passionate people who have helped with the Wichita Asian Association in the 43 years that it has been uniting Asian cultural groups in the city,” said WAA incoming president Sonalli Kurlekar. Best known in the community for its popular Wichita Asian Festival, WAA focuses on sharing and promoting Asian culture, heritage, businesses and artisanship from across the continent of Asia with the Wichita community. 

Wu, the daughter of Chinese-born immigrant parents, defeated incumbent Mayor Brandon Whipple and will be sworn in on January 8. Kurlekar said Wu has always supported and empowered local Asian women through her work with WAA. “It’s an exhilarating and proud feeling seeing one of us there as the mayor,” said Kurlekar, an epidemiologist originally from India. 

Wu’s Chinese heritage led to her interest and involvement with WAA, including two years as its president. “I didn’t set out to inspire,” Wu said of her November 2023 victory, “but I hope that this inspires people to see that anything is possible.”

The Wichita Asian Festival is held every October featuring performances, food and an academic and cultural scholarship pageant. Wu has volunteered her time for the past 20 years, including serving as emcee and planning and executing the festival, particularly the pageant. “We have a lot of young people who have Asian heritage who don’t speak the language,” Wu said, “or they don’t know how to connect to their ethnic heritage, and it’s been my passion to help people celebrate where they came from.”

Thousands of people attend the festival every year and have done so for more than four decades. “Most of us come from different countries as a parent and we’re passing down that legacy,” Kurlekar said. “Asia has a very rich cultural history, and we want to pass that down to the next generation.”

Founded in 1981, WAA hosts and participates in other cultural events in partnership with several local community organizations throughout Wichita. The organization has multiple boards dedicated to planning volunteer and outreach work for WAA members. Kurlekar says she wants to focus her efforts as president of WAA on strengthening collaboration within Asian communities, growing the outreach and education of Asian cultures, both within the Asian community in Wichita and outside of it. 

“I think we need that advocacy now to make sure that Asian voices are heard throughout our community,” Kurlekar said. 

If you’re interested in becoming part of WAA, you can find information on the Facebook page or on their website, wichitaasianassociation.com.