Celebrating a melting pot

A festival in the United States is exploring how Asian and Latino groups in the country have interacted and influenced each other. Kelly Chung Dawson reports from New York.

This month the Smithsonian Institute presents a festival devoted to the cultural links between Asian and Latino communities. Featuring public events, an interactive social media campaign and a private gathering of academics and artists, the monthlong activity will cover a variety of topics including food and art.

"The Asian-American and Latino communities are the two fastest-growing populations in the US, and it's really important for us to think about the experiences of each community, while recognizing that they don't exist in isolation," says Lawrence-Minh Davis, initiative coordinator at the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center. "They have a long history of overlap, with the communities interfacing and influencing each other, through music, food and various forms of culture. We're hoping to explore the many dimensions of those intersections."