Mountains to Mingling: How this Western North Carolina affinity group continues to uplift Asian voices, outdoor community
By Olivia Hall | Photos courtesy of WNC AAPI Members
In the core of the Blue Ridge Mountains, WNC AAPI — short for Western North Carolina Asian American Pacific Islanders — extends beyond community. It’s a shared heritage circle that centers connection, culture, and collective care. What began as an intimate, grief-rooted gathering in response to the March 2021 Atlanta spa shootings has since blossomed into one of the most dynamic Asian American community networks in Asheville and the greater WNC region. Originally formed by a small circle of Filipinx-identifying organizers, WNC AAPI first came together to grieve, reflect, and reclaim joy amidst the rise in anti-Asian hate. By May 2022, the group hosted its first official AANHPI (Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander) Heritage Month celebration. By late 2022, this needed affinity group launched its Instagram (@wncaapi) to expand visibility and local engagement.
Today, the group has grown to more than 115 members, representing a range of Asian and Pacific Islander backgrounds who gather both online and in person. Members hail from Asheville proper to far corners of Western North Carolina. All bound together by a shared desire for belonging, grounded identity, and joy. As is common for folks who choose to live in this area of North Carolina, members all have their own special connection with the outdoors. Some rooted in cherished childhood memories of foraging with family. Others meet up with local Cyclists of Color to mountain bike. Then, there are those who relish short walks to listen, sit, and just be in nature. Each has their own way of showing up for themselves and their communities.
WNC AAPI’s events blend cultural celebration and outdoor connection, with everything from Asian pear picking and lantern-making to potlucks and community gardening. And the collection just doesn’t stop at gatherings. It’s designed to care for one another through grassroots mutual aid. After Hurricane Helene, the group received funding through North Carolina Asian Americans Together (NCAAT) to assist members directly facing income loss, home damage, or urgent supply needs. While it recognizes the complexity and limitations of terms like “AAPI” — which can unintentionally overlook Native Hawaiians, Desi Americans, and Asians who don’t identify as Asian American — the group remains committed to inclusive gathering and cross-cultural solidarity. Having grown from its Filipinix-strong origins, some of the heritages among WNC AAPI ranks include Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese. The collective is currently in a development phase, but the commitment to community-building hasn’t paused. Next up? Its AANHPI Heritage Month potluck this May to celebrate heritage, food, and friendship under the Southern sky.
Affinity groups like WNC AAPI are nourishing for the individual members and collective whole alike. They provide a space for folks to feel seen, safe, and supported by each other. No group is a monolith by any means, and even within heritage hubs, there’s of course diversity and difference. But their importance lies in their shared commitment to community and broad-based shared experiences. They mean less time spent explaining oneself and one’s history. More time to connect, collaborate, and just be. In our special Color My Outdoors feature, five members share their stories, reflecting on what WNC AAPI means to them, their relationship with nature, and how they envision the group’s impact for years to come:
Marie Cayabyab
Connection to the collective: I’m one of the co-organizers and was honored to serve as one of the group’s first co-facilitators. We started gathering not just in mourning, but in joy — sharing potlucks, planning meetups, and keeping in touch through group chats. What began as a way to support one another became an ongoing connection. I continue to serve on the WNC AAPI treasury team and will keep supporting our financial organizing however I’m able.
Favorite nature activity: Nature has always been a meaningful part of my life and something I turn to daily in both small and big ways. My love of hiking started in the Pacific Northwest and has continued to be a grounding practice for me here in WNC. It’s how I connect to myself and find balance. At 40, I went on my first-ever camping trip — solo. Since then, solo camping and with friends has become something I look forward to regularly. More recently, I picked up mountain biking. Now, I hit the trails at least once a week.
Plans to help advance the collective: I hope to plan a group hike in 2025. Nature offers such an impactful way to connect with the area and with one another. Advancing the mission means continuing to build to hold space and to take up space, especially in places where People of Color are often unseen, whether in professional settings or the outdoors. In other words, I strongly feel my existence is resistance, and that’s how I plan to keep showing up.
Stephanie Harper
Connection to the collective: I supported the group’s inception alongside a few other members and have since stepped back due to my rigorous schedule (completing my undergrad in psychology and social justice). Originally from the Bay Area, I was yearning for a connection to different People of Color. This group allowed us to build a community — by us, for us. However, we individually translate our identity in a group setting; we are all welcome.
Favorite nature activity: Hiking and camping (reading while hammocking is a close second). My connection to nature began when my mom would take us camping on the Russian River in California. This resonated when I had kids on my own. We raised them outside: camping, hiking, and running races together. My partner and I saw the positive effects of this early on, so we just continued to make being outside a family practice. My older kids are adults now. They go camping and hiking independently with their friends, so I can say firsthand that exposing young children to the outdoors makes an impact.
Plans to help advance the collective: I’m no longer involved in organizing with AAPI, but I’d say that we are a true collective. We continue to reach newcomers and those of us who have been here a while to connect through food and other activities. There are growing pains with any group where collective trauma exists, and we have seen our fair share. It remains a space for support, resources, care, and community building no matter who is at the heart of organizing.
Rich Enuol
Connection to the collective: It began more recently. Despite living in the United States for more than two decades, I never knew there was a community like this — one that celebrated and embraced our unique cultural backgrounds. It wasn’t until a friend told me about it that I discovered its existence. I’ve now lived in Asheville for nearly four years, and finding the WNC AAPI community felt like a breath of fresh air. I was relieved and excited to meet people with shared experiences, and since then, I’ve made lifelong friends. For the first time, I feel like I truly belong.
Favorite nature activity: Hiking, mushroom foraging, and wild berry picking remain some of my favorite ways to connect with the earth. These activities keep me grounded and bring back vivid memories of my childhood in the rainforest. I remember my grandmother taking me and my two siblings into the rainforest to forage for wild edibles. She taught us how to identify and collect wild mushrooms, fruits, and edible leaves. We would follow her from before sunrise until sunset, searching for food among the trees, rivers, and hidden trails. Through these journeys, I learned that nature is both a sanctuary for wildlife and a generous provider of nourishment for all creatures living within it.
Plans to help advance the collective: As a storyteller, it’s my mission to sound the alarm on the rapid disappearance of rainforests, jungles, and wildlife habitats — not only in my homeland but across the globe. It’s critically important that we live in harmony with nature and commit ourselves to preserving it. Nature is our lifeline. Individually and within the WNC AAPI community, I strive to share my story to raise awareness, inspire action, and encourage others to reconnect with the natural world before it’s too late.
Evelyn Chiang
Connection to the collective: I have been involved with WNC AAPI for about a year and a half. After living in Asheville for almost 16 years with very little AAPI community, it has been incredible to meet people with shared heritage, experiences, and background. I grew up in Florida and never went hiking until I moved to Asheville. WNC has so many beautiful trails, and I also love kayaking in the region.
Favorite nature activity: I love hiking and kayaking. Since the storm [Hurricane Helene], we are still learning what trails are accessible and open. I deeply appreciate all the efforts that folks are making to open trails back up again. Unlike in Florida, there’s no need to worry about alligators. Over the past few years, I’ve been fortunate to be able to hike in different places, including Idaho, Scotland, and Montana. Last summer, we went to Glacier National Park.
Plans to help advance the collective: Asheville’s population is about 2% AAPI (and less than 5% multiracial). WNC AAPI is instrumental in building community and supporting connections. I have been part of the organizing committee and enjoy helping host events. One of my favorite events is coming together to pick Asian pears every summer.
Sherly Moore
Connection to the collective: After spending eight years in Asheville, I became involved with WNC AAPI as both an organizer and community member in March 2023. Since then, I have helped host events of all sizes, each one deepening my connection to the community. Finding this community has been a turning point for me.
Favorite nature activity: Sightseeing. As someone who has a disability that causes my energy and physical capabilities to wax and wane, the easiest way for me to get my outside time is taking a short walk, finding somewhere to sit, and listening to the wildlife as I take in my surroundings. There is something beautiful in the simplicity of it. Nature lets you show up exactly the way you are. However, my connection with nature is uncomplicated. For a long time, I felt like I had to experience it in a certain way — that I wasn’t allowed to truly enjoy nature unless I was doing something intense (hiking steep trails or biking through the wilderness). Over time, I understood that my relationship with nature doesn’t have to fit anyone else’s mold. It doesn’t ask for performance, only presence.
Plans to help advance the collective: Three days after Hurricane Helene swept through Asheville in September 2024, I found out I was pregnant. A moment of clarity in the aftermath of chaos. That realization gently reshaped my path, and by December, I moved to Raleigh. As I settle into my new surroundings and embark on this chapter of life, I look forward to advancing WNC AAPI’s mission of creating space for celebration, exploration, healing, and solidarity on a community level.
Keep up to date with WNC AAPI by following the collective @wncaapi on Instagram. Local folks in the Asian community can email wncaapi@gmail.com to learn about upcoming events to connect in person.
