The university will offer a wide array of events and activities throughout the month of April in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage.
April marks the start of Elon University’s celebration of Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Please join members of the Elon community in celebrating and honoring Asian and Pacific Islander heritage and history with a wide range of events and activities hosted by the Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education (CREDE).
First conceived and introduced into Congress in the 1970s as “Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage Week,” the recognition was later expanded into “Asian Pacific American Month” in 1991. Traditionally honored in May to commemorate the migration of the first immigrants from Japan, Elon celebrates Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month in April. This year’s celebrations focus on the theme of “unity and community.”
With the Black Power & Civil Rights movements, the 1960s marked an inflection point for Asian communities in the United States: the birth of the Asian American movement. Students from UC-Berkeley are said to be the first to utilize the term “Asian American” and did so to create a rallying point for the Asian diaspora. Since then, the Asian American movement has continued to evolve, and the enduring use of “Asian American” can be thought of as a legacy from previous Asian American activists who endured to create a better and more just society. This year’s Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month will honor this part of Asian history and identity.
We hope that all in the Elon community will join in celebrating the month at Elon. Two fantastic opportunities are the API Heritage Month Kickoff celebration on Monday, April 4 at 5:30 p.m. and a guest lecture from Zhihong Chen from Guilford College on April 6 at 5 p.m. Chen will be speaking on her recent work examining Asian and Black relations in the U.S. and the necessity to talk about race from a multifaceted lens in order to better understand racial oppression and injustice.
If you have any questions about the events taking place, please email George Dou at gdou@elon.edu.
Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month events at Elon
Kickoff Celebration
Tuesday, April 4 | 5:30 p.m.
Medallion Plaza
Guest Speaker: Asian-Black Connections, Past & Present
Thursday, April 6 | 5:30 p.m.
Moseley 215
Boba Bar
Friday, April 7 | 5 p.m.
Moseley Kitchen
Cultural Fashion Show
Wednesday, April 12 | 7-9 p.m.
McKinnon 128, inside Moseley
Basil Pot Decorating
Monday, April 17 | 7 p.m.
Moseley 215
Food for Thought w/ Friends
Tuesday, April 18 | 5:30 p.m.
CREDE (Moseley 221)
Chinese Painting Workshop
Wednesday, April 19 | 6 p.m.
Carlton Commons
Closing Speaker: PAVE NC
Thursday, April 20 | 5 p.m.
Oaks 212 (McCoy Commons)
Food Workshop: Spring Rolls
Friday, April 21 | 5 p.m.
Moseley Kitchen
The Missing (PI)ece: Pacific Islanders & Environmental Justice
Monday, April 24 | 6 p.m.
CREDE (Moseley 221)
History of Henna
Thursday, April 27
Spence Pavilion 201
The full calendar, including various movie screenings and registration forms for certain events, and descriptions for event can be found on the CREDE website.