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Many UA units, centers and student organizations are coordinating diverse events to mark Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

By La Monica Everett-Haynes, University Communications
March 26, 2008

Traditional customs, film screenings, panel discussions and educational workshops are all part of The University of Arizona’s recognition of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

This year also marks the 15th annual Asian Pacific American Student Affairs’ Lotus Laureate Celebration. The event features a formal dinner, recognizing Asian Pacific American students set to graduate in May. It will be held April 26 at 6 p.m. in the South Ballroom of the Student Union Memorial Center.

Also, the “Hepatitis Will Unite Us Walk” is a first. Coordinated by the Vietnamese Students' Association and several other student organizations, the event will be held April 12 on the UA Mall to raise awareness about hepatitis in the Asian Pacific American community.

The schedule of events represents the most comprehensive grouping of activities centered on Asian Pacific Americans in the University’s recent history, said Marc Johnston, director of Asian Pacific American Student Affairs at the UA.

It is critically important to have such events, as there still exists a level of discrimination and ignorance when it comes to issues concerning Asian Pacific Americans, Johnston said.

“In my opinion, often times when multiculturalism and diversity come up, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are overlooked,” he said.

“It is my hope to increase the visibility of the APA (Asian Pacific American) community, to show how diverse the community really is and explore all the issues that come up.”

The heritage month is officially held in May but the UA, like other schools across the nation, hold the event in April because semesters typically conclude during the middle of May, Johnston said.

Events at the UA will be centered on “awareness building,” said Jennifer Hoefle, a senior coordinator for the UA’s Center for Student Involvement and Leadership.

“It was very important to expand the discussion by having multiracial identities being part of the event,” she said.

Sponsors of the month’s events include the UA’s Asian Pacific American Student Affairs, Center for Student Involvement and Leadership and Social Justice Leadership Center. Numerous faculty, staff and students also helped coordinate events for the month.

“I think that especially when we get into heritage months, we can kind of compartmentalize racial identity. But that’s not the purpose,” Hoefle said. “We want people to be aware of the myriad of multiracial identities on campus.”

The month’s events include:

April 1: The opening event, “Taste of Asia,” will be held 5 to 7 p.m., at the UA’s Asian Pacific American Student Affairs center in Room 104 of the Robert L. Nugent Building, 1212 E. University Blvd. The event is all about food, traditional recipes and adapted dishes. Attendees can learn about each entrée and how they are made.

April 5: The Asian Pacific American Student Affairs center’s “Rice Bowl / Field Day” will be held at 10 a.m. at Himmel Park, 1000 N. Tucson Blvd. UA students and staff are expected to attend the event, which will feature games, a football tournament and barbecue.

April 6: Visit the UA Mall from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the “Holi Hai!” Holi is a festival whose origins are in India. All about the celebration of new beginnings and the spring season, festival attendees put colorful powder on the faces of their friends and family. The South Asian Student Cultural Association coordinated the event, which includes games and lunch, which will be served at noon and costs $3 per plate.

April 7: “Hands Across Campus” will be held on the UA Mall 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event, coordinated by the BOARD’s Diversity Initiatives committee, will include a number of performances and activities.

April 8: “The Namesake” will be screened in the Student Union Memorial Center, 1303 E. University Blvd., at the Gallagher Theater. The 5 p.m. showing is about the Ganguli family, who move from Calcutta to New York and must deal with their new cultural identity.

April 9: The Social Justice Leadership Center is coordinating a panel discussion with students, faculty and staff to talk about their experience being of mixed racial heritage. The 5 p.m. discussion, “Oreos, Vanilla Wafers, Apples and Bananas: Mixed Race,” will be held in the Student Union Memorial Center’s Tucson Room.

April 10: At 6 p.m. in Room 205 of the Nugent Building, “Saving Face” will be screened. The film is part of “The Color of Queer: 1st Annual Queer People of Color Film Series” and is about woman who becomes pregnant and moves in with her daughter, who is a lesbian.

April 12: The first “Hepatitis Will Unite Us Walk” will be held on the UA Mall. Registration for the walk begins at 7 a.m., costs $10 and will include entertainment, information booths and a silent auction. The funds will be donated to support liver cancer research and to raise awareness about hepatitis in the Asian Pacific American community. To learn more, or to register, visit http://hepwalk.arizona.edu.

April 12: The Filipino American Student Association will present the 12th annual FASA Fiesta. Members will perform traditional Filipino dances and teach about their culture. Food will be served at the event, which will be held at 6 p.m. at Mansfield Middle School, 1300 E. Sixth Street. The cost is $10 in advance and $15 at the door. To purchase tickets, contact Mathew Schubach at mathews@email.arizona.edu.

April 18: The Asian American Cultural Association's Talent Show will be held at 6 p.m. in Room 350 of the Modern Languages building, 1423 E. University Blvd.

April 21: The Social Justice Leadership Center will screen “The Day My God Died” at 6:30 p.m. in the Student Union Memorial Center’s Gallagher Theater. The documentary is about the exploitation of children and the international sex trade. The screening will include a discussion.

April 23: A workshop examining the "model minority" myth will be held at 4 p.m. in Room 104 of the UA’s Nugent building. Among the topics to be explored include stereotyping, violence, media representation and other issues.

April 23 and 24: The Emancipation Network, which aids survivors of human trafficking, will be selling jewelry, notebooks, handbags and other handicrafts made by survivors from around the world. The sale will be held on the UA Mall from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

April 24: Kelly Jackson, assistant professor at Arizona State University’s School of Social Work will give a talk titled “Rethinking Race: Examining the Multiracial Experience” and will talk about multiracial identities in the context of a society designed to support individuals of a singular racial identity. The lecture will be held 1 to 3 p.m. in the Student Union Memorial Center’s Kiva Room.

April 26: Asian Pacific American Student Affairs will hold its 15th annual Lotus Laureate Celebration at 6 p.m. in the South Ballroom of the Student Union Memorial Center.