During the recognition ceremony, the Embrace premiered the Living Histories of Color AAPI Legacy Series banner exhibit, curated by Marcia Kimm-Jackson. (Courtesy Office of Senator Vanna Howard).

Senator Vanna Howard (D-Lowell) was recently recognized as one of seven changemakers during the inaugural Embrace Honors Harry Hom Dow AAPI Legacy Series for her resilience, courage, advocacy, and life in public service.

“I am deeply honored to be named one of seven changemakers for the inaugural Embrace Honors Harry Hom Dow AAPI Legacy Series,” Senator Howard said. “Carrying forward Harry Hom Dow’s pioneering legacy of advocacy and justice is both a privilege and a profound responsibility. To be recognized alongside fellow AANHPI leaders committed to civic progress is truly humbling. Thank you to the Host Committee and Embrace Boston for celebrating our stories and our shared future.”

Senator Howard was honored alongside Frederick Hom Dow, Helen Chin Schlichte, Nick Chau, Paul Lee, Suzanne Lee, and Tina Zhu Xi Caruso during an event that took place at the Embrace monument in Boston Common on May 21.

During the recognition ceremony, the Embrace premiered the Living Histories of Color AAPI Legacy Series banner exhibit, curated by Marcia Kimm-Jackson. Senator Howard and the other honorees are featured on these banners.

The inaugural series is dedicated to the legacy of Harry Hom Dow, who was the first Chinese American admitted to the Massachusetts Bar Association.

Throughout his career he assisted new immigrants in New York City and fought against the Chinese Exclusion Act, before serving in World War II and the Korean War. He is one of 69 Freedom Heroes memorialized at the 1965 Freedom Plaza beneath the Embrace monument.

Senator Howard was selected by the committee who wrote, “You have been chosen because your life and work exemplify the values at the heart of this event: resilience, advocacy, and the courage to put forward the strengths of our community.”

In reflecting on her own journey leading up to the recognition, Senator Howard remembered life under the shadow of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia between 1975 and 1979.

Starvation and sickness claimed the lives of her three younger siblings before they turned five, as well as the lives of her grandparents. Her father was executed in front of her. Those memories have shaped Senator Howard throughout her life and career, through which she has shown resilience.

“Before I could read, I spoke the language of survival. My accomplishments are not solitary milestones; they are coalitions of resilience. I am driven to translate lived pain into policy that protects, designing trauma-informed supports that recognize invisible scars, and turning personal narrative into systemic reform,” Senator Howard said. “I believe resilience is a collective practice, one that strengthens families, schools, and neighborhoods from the ground up.”

Senator Howard feels that her own legacy rests on the pillars of integrity and compassion. She said she chooses what is right over what is easy.

“I have learned that true influence grows not from pursuing prestige, but from empowering others through active listening. Ultimately, I am driven by a simple mandate: Do something for the greater good, do not just be somebody, but do something,” Senator Howard said.

The Embrace Honors Harry Hom Dow AAPI Legacy Series is organized by the Embrace Honors Harry Hom Dow Host Committee, which features multiple organizations committed to AAPI civic life including Embrace Boston, the Dow Fund, the Asian Community Fund, the Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts, Coalition for Anti-racism and Equity (CARE), and the Chinese Historical Society of New England, among others.