Original article from ABC7News
BySuzanne Phan 
Wednesday, February 1, 2023 3:50PM
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — While recent mass shootings have saddened many of our communities, a new public art project has brought together Chinese and Latino immigrant women designers.
Sixteen unique flags-that share stories of resilience and strength–will debut during San Francisco’s Lunar New Year parade this weekend.
Afterwards, they’ll be on display in San Francisco’s Chinatown at the Chinese Culture Center.
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The city of San Francisco is ushering in the Lunar New Year and its much-loved traditions. This weekend’s parade will include 16 Chinese and Latino immigrant women marching with special flags they personally created. Those women include Selena Low and Lupita Iraheta.
It’s all part of a special cross cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-lingual art project called “How I Keep Looking Up.”
Lead artist Christine Wong Yap, a visual artist and a social practitioner who focuses on mental health and belonging, worked closely with the immigrant women from Chinatown and the Mission District. The women are from the Chinese and Latino communities.
“By creating this space, I hope to share with the platform of the parade with our communities, with this whole city, not just our fear, our tragedy, our pain, our grief, but our joy, our love, our connection, our community, and our cultural pride,” said Wong Yap.
“These beautiful artworks give us so much hope,” said Jenny Leung, Executive Director of Chinese Culture Center in San Francisco.
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It’s hope at a time when the community is heartbroken because of the tragedies in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay.
Organizers say these immigrant designers and the flags they created offer healing and hope.
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“It’s about hope, resilience, joys during this time. We want to be able to share these stories. All these flags have such beautiful stories behind them. We didn’t want to just share them in times of tragedy but also together in times of hope, joy, and celebration,” said Leung.
“It makes me feel hopeful and it’s a true testament to the resilience of our community and our immigrant communities because we always continue to look up– no matter what the obstacle,” said Susana Rojas with Calle 24 Latino Cultural District.