The Center for Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity Education hosted a lively kickoff event for Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month on Wednesday, April 3.
The rain held off just long enough for food, fellowship and sunshine during the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) Heritage Month kickoff event held Wednesday, April 3, at Medallion Plaza and hosted by the Center for Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity Education (CREDE).
Nationally recognized during May to commemorate the arrival of the first immigrants from Japan to the United States in May 1843, Elon celebrates the heritage month in April. This year’s theme, “Identities in Bloom, Identities Taking Root,” focuses on the various and diverse ways in which members of the API diaspora have built community, fostered resiliency and created their own path to “blossom” where they’ve been planted.
“The kickoff is really a time for people to learn not just about the API community, but also the way that the community has really thrived and the stories behind that,” said George Dou, assistant director of the CREDE.
Sttendees checked in and received a zine with information about the API community, events throughout the month and other learning resources such as literature, art and poetry recommendations. The zine also served as a map for attendees to visit stations featuring various organizations, centers and departments.
As attendees navigated the event, they could learn how the API community has grounded itself through the intersectionality of the Asian experience with other racial identities from the Black Student Union (BSU) and Latinx-Hispanic Union, as well as about the queer and trans API communities from the Gender and LGBTQIA Center (GLC).
Continuing on the map, explored how professionals in the API community display their work by business displaying and selling crafts and jewelry, learning about influential API women from Kappa Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc., and stopping by the Belk Library pop-up display.
“My hope for the Belk Library display during the kickoff is to uplift API authors and get the students reading some more diverse stories,” Alison Van Norman, outreach and marketing librarian and assistant librarian at Belk Library, said.
Attendees could also learn about different cultural traditions and practices, such as taste-testing Indian-inspired snacks from The Fox Snacks and learning about traditional clothing from the Chinese club.
As attendees had the opportunity to explore and learn more about various aspects of the API community, they also shared their reflections on the impact of the API kickoff event and their hopes for its broader influence on cultural diversity awareness and engagement.
“I hope this event brings a lot of awareness to cultural diversity and brings more people out to Asian student union events,” said Bella Pelini ‘27.
Similarly, Elizabeth Shum ‘27 shared that she hopes the event increased awareness of different aspects within the API community and shed light on the communities’ relevance today. “I think I would like for students to take away the different work that they see Asian communities build within different industries such as food and education, and its history; thinking about the different impacts of other Asians coming into the country,” Shum said.
The API community’s heritage will continue to be celebrated throughout April with various events and programs hosted by the CREDE and Asian-Pacific Student Association (APSA). Upcoming API Heritage Month events include Food For Thought: India with Kappa Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc., Rainbow Boba by APSA and the GLC, and Pacific Islander & Environmental Justice.