On Saturday, April 1, the University kicked off its annual celebration of Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. Various AAPI clubs on campus and the Office of Equity and Inclusion have come together to curate events, talks, and performances occurring from now through Saturday, May 6. The month, which is centered on the theme of “ReclaimASIAN,” was planned by a committee of students, faculty, and staff.

AAPI Heritage Month is nationally celebrated in May, as officially recognized by President Barack Obama in 2009; however, the University observes the month in April because the academic year ends in May. Director of the Resource Center Demetrius Colvin spoke to The Argus about the history of celebrating AAPI heritage on campus.

“At least since the 80s and 90s…the Asian-American Coalition has been very active on campus,” Colvin said. “I do remember seeing programs and archives [from the] late 80s. Nationally, it’s kind of surprising how recently it’s been officially recognized, and we’ve been doing it under that banner [since 2009]. But there were other types of Asian heritage recognition weeks and months that have been going on since the late 80s.”

Colvin highlighted the strong presence of Asian-American activism at the University across decades.

“We have a long history of Asian-American students at Wesleyan and, particularly, a strong community coming together, celebrating each other, celebrating their culture, background, but also their future—where they want to go,” Colvin said. “But I think there’s also been a strong history of Asian-American activism on this campus trying to combat racism in many different forms [and] raise political consciousness amongst Asian Americans around some of the challenges they face in the American context.”

The Asian American Student Collective (AASC) opened the month with its annual convocation on Saturday, April 1, featuring speeches given by Asian and Asian-American students, faculty, and alumni addressing this year’s theme of reclaiming one’s Asian or Asian-American identity. In an email to The Argus, AASC Secretary Sarah Valentiner ’25 shared her enthusiasm about the kickoff event.

“[The] Convocation is always my favorite because it’s an opportunity to hear the perspectives of fellow AAPI students, alumni, and professors,” Valentiner wrote. “These perspectives, although all unique, are always somehow relatable or relevant to my personal experience—and this feeling of shared experience really gives me a comforting sense of community.”

So far, the month has featured a comedy show on Friday, April 7; an alumni networking event on Sunday, April 9; and a workshop led by the Asian American Studies Working Group on Wednesday, April 12. Other highlights to come include a food sale at Espwesso on Friday, April 14; a night market outside Usdan organized by various AAPI clubs on Friday, April 21; a Korean culture festival on Saturday, April 22; and various film screenings throughout the month at the Jeanine Basinger Center for Film Studies. On Friday, April 21, the Resource Center will also hold a vigil to mourn lives that have been lost to violence against Asian Americans in recent months. The month will culminate with the celebration of Holi, the Hindu festival of colors celebrated worldwide in March, and a Gamelan performance in Olin Library on Saturday, May 6.

Colvin emphasized the importance of offering a wide range of programming, from formal events such as the alumni meeting to more casual ones like the night market, where students can try new foods. 

“[We’ve] got some awesome stuff,” Colvin said. “I think it’s just great to bring the community together. It can be enlivening, like they had their comedy show last Friday—that was really, really fun. It can [also] be enlightening, like our program collaboration with the Asian American Studies Working Group about ethnic studies on campus. So there’s something for everyone. Even if you just want to eat fun food and play out on the lawn, [you can do it at] the AASC Night Market.”

Swaraj Rai ’25, who is a member of the board of Shakti, a student group that promotes awareness of South Asian culture, also commented on how the different types of programming reflect the diversity within the AAPI community on campus.

“These events allow students to be enlightened about cultures that they may not have recognized before coming to campus,” Rai wrote. “The variety of events underlines the importance for students to not only see a reflection of themselves but also see the true diversity that is present. It was an intention to make this month feel widely representative of all Asian voices on campus.”

Similarly, Valentier shared how important the power of visibility is to her.

“As someone who shied away from acknowledging my Chinese American identity up until college, I find that…the events throughout AAPI [Heritage] Month foster a sense of pride for my Asian American identity,” Valentiner wrote. “I think this is because our events offer an opportunity to mingle with other AAPI students. There’s something about being physically proximate to people [whom] you admire and [whom] you can see a bit of your identity in (the Asian-ness), that makes it easier to appreciate that part of shared identity in yourself.”

Colvin also stressed the importance of marginalized groups being visible and occupying spaces on campus. 

“Especially if they’ve been educated in the dominant American educational system, they maybe really didn’t see that many reflections of themselves in their own textbooks, classes, or even schools,” Colvin said. “So these heritage months are an important facet of how we actually express and make visible the diversity of our community, and invitations for underrepresented students to pick up more space than they typically have on campus—visually, emotionally, financially. This is the moment where concerted time, energy, money and attention [are] put towards elevating those narratives and those experiences.”

Echoing these sentiments, Rai explained the continued value of the events to the AAPI community on campus.

“I can say AAPI [Heritage] Month is a time where Shakti wants to promote a broader sense of community amongst all AAPI ethnic groups and understand the value of connection to heritage whilst embracing all the other wonderful Asian ethnic groups,” Rai wrote. 

Associate Director for the Office of Student Involvement Jen Cheng, who sat on the planning committee, emphasized the amount of careful thought and planning that went into making this month the best that it can be.

“We were able to work closely with students and student groups to coordinate the month of events, making sure that people were not overlapping in efforts, spreading out the events to fill the month, and providing each other helpful feedback,” Cheng wrote in an email to The Argus. “It also gave me an opportunity to double-check if everything was all set for their events. I always enjoy seeing students’ ideas come to fruition! Especially as someone who identifies as Asian American, it’s inspiring to be in the same space as the next generation who share in my own identities and learning about their approaches for empowering the community.”

Colvin highlighted that students who do not identify as Asian, Asian-American, or Pacific Islander should still participate in the month’s event to show support and learn more about the experiences of their fellow students.

“I think [AAPI Heritage Month] really brings in a sense of pride and connection for the folks who are seeing themselves on campus at least more regularly and consistently in complexity,” Colvin said. “And I think for the campus as a whole, it impacts them by allowing them to see the diversity of campus and also maybe hear from [a] perspective they didn’t know about before.” 

Valentiner also expressed hope that students will continue supporting the University’s AAPI community beyond this month. 

“Show up! Participate! Take initiative! We want you here! Join AASC through WesNest or contact svalentiner@wesleyan.edu to get added to the mailing list!” Valentiner wrote. “Encourage your friends to come through and attend even just one event throughout the month. I am looking forward to seeing a multitude of different students and attending it will bring pride and connection to yourself to other students on campus.”

Ultimately, according to Colvin, the goal of AAPI Heritage Month is to both celebrate Asian and Asian-American identities and confront the racist reality of American society.

“It is the importance of being visible, taking up space, being proud of where you come from and where you’re going, but also to acknowledge the challenges and conflicts that have come with being in that group in the American context,” Colvin said.

The event calendar for AAPI Heritage Month 2023 can be found on the Resource Center’s Instagram, the University’s website, or on WesNest.

Sida Chu contributed reporting.

Sulan Bailey contributed reporting.

Aris Dashiell can be reached at adashiell@wesleyan.edu.