It is undeniable that Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities have played key roles in shaping the institutions, cultures, and histories of the United States. Today, AAPI communities comprise a significant portion of the United States, growing in prominence and power. However, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders still face multiple forms of misunderstandings, misrepresentations, and discrimination which attempt to stifle collective voices and erase self-determined histories. In a tense political climate where the importance of race and ethnicity are continually denied, we must remind ourselves that contentious figures such as Alexandra Wallace, Pete Hoekstra, and the perpetrators of Danny Chen’s suicide occurred only within the last two years alongside the rise of inspirational figures such as Jeremy Lin.
It is in these multi-faceted experiences of being Asian American and Pacific Islander today that we invite you to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM) during May. We call upon our community to reflect upon and engage in what it means to (Re)Claim our AAPI identities alongside our multiple intersecting identities. Throughout May, we invite you to join the Asian Pacific Coalition at UCLA in partnership with our member organizations and the Office of Residential Life to our events to remember and reflect upon our homes, heritage, and histories, both in the United States and elsewhere.
To kick off our month, Office of Residential Life and Asian Pacific Coalition will be hosting Dinner with 12 AAPI Strangers on May 1st in Covel Grand Horizon Room from 6P – 8P. This event is an opportunity to break bread with community leaders and alumni while dialoguing about the state of our communities.
RSVP NOW! Spots are limited!: https://www.orl.ucla.edu/signup/ywak
For the full list of events, check out the attached images or our website at http://apcla.org/
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