The IU Asian Culture Center will be celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month throughout April. The ACC will sponsor events all centered around the theme of “belonging.”
“Belonging is when your presence is valued and your voice is heard,” ACC Director Melanie Castillo-Cullather said.
To kick off the month, the center will be co-sponsoring a reception with the Mathers Museums of World Cultures at 5 p.m. Tuesday at the museum. The reception will showcase student, staff and faculty work, including paintings, books, poems and more. Sarah Stamey, the program associate at the ACC, said this event will set the tone for the rest of the month.
Popo Fan, a film director and an LGBT advocate, will be a special guest at the reception Tuesday. Fan’s talk about his work will start to explore the theme of the month, belonging. The theme is intended for students and staff to consider what belonging means to them and how it affects their communities, according to a handout provided by the ACC.
“We wanted something that was thought-provoking and inclusive,” Stamey said. “Especially with all of the political unrest in the past year, we wanted something that could be unifying for everyone to think about.”
However, not every event will be directly focused on this idea of belonging. Stamey said the center just wants people to have the overarching idea in their minds throughout the month. For example, the Community and Leadership Development Center will be having a workshop April 7 centered around a strong community.
Though nationally celebrated in May, AAPIHM takes place a month early on campus so students can be more involved in the festivities. Stamey said she has been part of the center for six years, and the early celebration has always been the case to allow for student, staff and faculty engagement.
The ACC will also be collaborating with the IU Arts and Humanities Council at the First Thursdays Festival on April 6. There they will have a tent with games, giveaways and time to answer any questions about Asian American and Pacific Islanders.
Other planned events include discussions, speakers, film series and more.
“I think it’s important to recognize the contributions of the Asian-American and Pacific Islander students on campus,” Stamey said. “It’s sometimes hard for other students to distinguish AAPIs on campus, so this is an opportunity to give them a voice.”
The ACC is a division of the Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs and will be working with student groups throughout the month, Stamey said.
All the events will be free and open to the public. Stamey encouraged everyone to come out and consider the theme of belonging.
“Asian-Americans are also a part of the fabric of our country,” Stamey said. “It’s nice to just take the time to recognize and celebrate them.”
The event is free and open to the public, but an RSVP to acc@indiana.edu or museumed@indiana.edu is encouraged.
