The South Los Angeles community came together Thursday to celebrate the life and work of a community leader who for decades provided resources and prevention education to people struggling with mental illness and substance abuse issues.
Michael Watanabe, founder and former president of the Asian American Substance Abuse Program (AADAP), passed away in November after nearly half a century of working with the organization, which provided substance abuse prevention education and mental health treatment in South Los Angeles.
The ceremony, held at Holman United Methodist Church, began with a Hawaiian procession highlighting the natives’ cultural roots.
“His legacy is trying to help people who are trying to break free from drug addiction. He did a lot for the community,” said Dean Nakanishi, the organization’s current CEO. “Mainly educating people that treatment and services are needed for everyone, including the Asian American Pacific Islander community.”
According to the foundation’s website, the nonprofit was founded in the 1970s to educate the Asian American community about substance abuse after 31 Asian American youth died of drug overdoses. Nearly 50 years later, AADAP remains one of the few programs in the country that exclusively provides substance abuse and mental health support to Asian Pacific Islanders.
Coaching Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass
While Watanabe collaborated with other ethnic groups in South Los Angeles, he also worked closely with Black and brown communities.
In the ’80s, he began working with then-community activist Karen Bass, who described Watanabe as “a bridge, a guide and a mentor.”
“I wanted to start an organization but didn’t know anything about addiction other than the devastating impact it had on communities,” Bass said at the ceremony, describing how the cocaine epidemic had had a devastating effect on communities in South Los Angeles in the ’80s. “Mike patted me on the back. In his gentle, humble manner, he pointed me in the right direction and told me what to do.”
Combating mental health stigma
When AADAP first started, it was difficult to convince Asian Americans that they or their families had mental health issues and needed treatment, recalled Nakanishi, who has worked with Watanabe almost daily for more than 30 years.
“The Asian community is very proud of who we are. We are expected to be professionals and live stable lives with our families. Anything that deviates from that is very humiliating for the family,” Nakanishi explained. “Many families are not willing to talk openly about their issues.”
The current CEO of AADAP said that while progress has been made over the years, stigma surrounding mental health issues appears to persist among Asian and Pacific Islander people.
“When I see a leaflet about addiction on the table, [at events]”They just keep their heads down and keep on going,” Nakanishi said. “They don’t want to address the issues. They don’t even want to talk about the issues.”
Carrying on Watanabe’s legacy
Despite Watanabe’s death, staff at the Asian American Substance Abuse Program remain committed to providing life-changing services to the South Los Angeles and AANHPI communities.
The group hosts seminars in a variety of languages, including Thai and Japanese, aimed at educating Asian groups about addiction.
The group will hold a Korean language seminar on Wednesday, June 12, featuring an expert panel of doctors and medical professionals.
“When we hold this event, problems often arise because of shame and stigma. People don’t show up,” Nakanishi says.
But the group hopes to work with the South Korean consulate to educate more South Koreans about addiction and drug abuse.
