A Chinese martial artist performs at the Jade International Night Market held at Portland Community College campus in Southeast Portland, Ore., on Aug. 19, 2023. This year’s night market will be held at the same venue Saturday from 3-10 p.m.
Courtesy of Nico Lim
Kien Truong and his family have been living in Southeast Portland for nearly a decade. He recalls how, as new immigrants from Vietnam, his parents were too busy adjusting to their new life in the United States and didn’t speak English well enough to participate in community events.
One summer, though, Truong and his siblings discovered a weekend activity their parents could enjoy.
“We tried to bring them to events like the Jade Night Market. My mom went to one and she loved it,” he said. “It enhanced our feeling of just being part of the community…(you) see a lot of yourself and your culture in that.”
Truong is now a Portland Community College board member, overseeing its Southeast Portland campus where he studied part of his associate degree. On Saturday, he will return to the campus for the annual Jade International Night Market, a free event that will run from 3-10 p.m. and feature dozens of multicultural vendors and performers from the Jade District and beyond.
The Jade District is a diverse commercial area predominantly populated by Vietnamese- and Chinese-speaking residents and small business owners, spanning 10 blocks around Southeast 82nd Avenue and Division Street. It is one of seven “Neighborhood Prosperity Network” commercial districts, part of a city-funded initiative to support underserved communities with high numbers of people of color, unemployed individuals and low-income residents.
Jade District is one of the seven Neighborhood Prosperity Network commercial districts funded by the city of Portland.
Winston Szeto / OPB
The Jade International Night Market, a flagship event for the district, was one of the first of its kind in Portland when it debuted at Fubonn Shopping Center in the summer of 2014. Since 2015, it has been held at PCC’s Southeast Campus at 2305 Southeast 82nd Avenue, attracting up to 20,000 attendees annually before a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2022.
The night market is organized by the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon, a Portland-based nonprofit that also manages the Jade District. APANO frequently assists small businesses in the district, provides affordable housing for residents and advocates for improved public transit services.
APANO’s community manager Alisa Kajikawa said the nonprofit conceived the idea of an annual night market a decade ago to quickly showcase local businesses and cultures to people beyond East Portland, an area that has suffered from a negative reputation due to past media coverage of crime.
“(Eighty-second Avenue) is still a part of Portland that people don’t naturally think about when they think about big events, festivals and celebrations, especially in the evening times,” she said. “It’s really important to show…that this community matters, that we want to do wonderful things for the community, in the community and with the community.”
A lion dancer mingles with the audience at the Jade International Night Market held at Portland Community College campus in Southeast Portland, Ore., on Aug. 19, 2023.
Courtesy of Nico Lim
Kajikawa notes that APANO also aims to use the night market to draw small business owners and residents back to the Jade District, from which they have been displaced by rapid gentrification in the years leading up to the pandemic.
APANO estimated that 8,000 people attended last summer’s event after the pandemic hiatus. While this was lower than the historical high, Kajikawa was pleased with the turnout, noting that it showed the event still holds a special place in people’s hearts.
“Watching attendees start to come in and interact with the vendors and sit on the grass and eat their meals and watch the performances…all I saw was smiles,” she said. “I’m not exaggerating that — and that felt so good to me.”
Viewers raise their hands to cheer performers on stage at the Jade International Night Market held at Portland Community College campus in Southeast Portland, Ore., on Aug. 19, 2023.
Courtesy of Nico Lim
Kajikawa expects at least 10,000 people to attend this year’s night market, and PCC board member Truong shares the excitement about seeing people return.
For Truong, the night market represents more than just a celebration of multiculturalism.
After earning his associate degree from PCC in 2018 and a bachelor’s degree in global studies from Drexel University in Philadelphia three years later, Truong now serves as chief of staff for Oregon Sen. Kayse Jama, D-East Portland.
Truong envisions the Jade International Night Market as a platform to demonstrate how PCC can help build a successful future for people like him, who come from low-income immigrant families with limited English skills. He cites English for Speakers of Other Languages, or ESOL, programs and a learning center with high-speed internet as examples.
“It is more than just hosting one event on campus, but (also) how can we keep building that connection and how can we support the work done by the community,” he said.
To limit costs, this year’s night market will be held for only one day, compared to multiple days before the pandemic. However, Kajikawa emphasizes that the organization strives to provide affordable entry fees and subsidies, hoping to grow and diversify the night market vendors in the future, including new business owners looking to test the waters.
Vendors organize Chinese delicacies at a food stand of the Jade International Night Market held in Portland Community College campus in Southeast Portland, Ore., on Aug. 19, 2023.
Courtesy of Nico Lim