Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month!
What is AAPI Heritage Month?
Curious about this annual celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage?Check back soon for more information on our 2024 events!
What Is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month?
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month – a celebration of Asians, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States.
A rather broad term, Asian Pacific encompasses all of the Asian continent and the Pacific islands of Melanesia (New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji and the Solomon Islands), Micronesia (Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru and the Federated States of Micronesia) and Polynesia (New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, French Polynesia and Easter Island).
The month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants.
Learn more about the history of AAPI Heritage Month.
Previous Activities for 2023:
May 18: Boba Tea Break
Join us to learn about AAPI Heritage Month and the Asian American and Asian Studies (ASAM) program at De Anza. Enjoy a complimentary drink (one per person) and enter free prize drawings at 3 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. (You must be present to win.)
May 18 and 25: Leadership Series With Mer Curry Nuñez
These online sessions are for anyone – students, faculty or staff – who would like to gain a better understanding of their own leadership style and strengths, as well as tips on how to lead effectively and compassionately. Meredith "Mer" Curry Nuñez is an experienced nonprofit executive and leadership consultant.
This series is sponsored by APASA, the Office of Equity, and the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Center, with funding from De Anza Student Government (DASG). Questions about this series can be directed to Karen Chow at chowkaren@deanza.edu.
May 19: "Everything, Everywhere, All at Once" (Employee Screening)
APASA is offering 40 free tickets to Foothill-De Anza district employees for a private screening, followed by a discussion, of this new hit film starring Michelle Yeoh in a blend of action, comedy, science fiction and drama.
Previous Activities for 2022:
A Taste of History: Metamorphosis
A special event co-hosted by the California History Center and the Euphrat Museum of Art, featuring the renowned jazz pianist, composer and bandleader, Jon Jang. For complete details, visit the A Taste of History website.
Jang, a Palo Alto native, has a unique musical style that combines elements of jazz with traditional Asian forms inspired by both Asian American social justice struggles and the Black Arts Movement. He has performed in major concert halls and music festivals in Europe, China, Canada and the United States.
Planetarium Show: Wayfinders – Waves, Winds & Stars
In celebration of the Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, APASA is sponsoring up to 15 tickets to this planetarium show.
This live-action fulldome program puts you on the deck of the voyaging canoe Hokule'a as you explore traditional Polynesian navigation. Learn how to read the stars and interpret the winds and waves to navigate without modern instruments. The film tells the story of the Polynesian Voyaging Society and the recovery of the nearly lost art and science of traditional, non-instrument navigation in Hawaii.