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Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Contact

Institutional Equity
651-696-6211
equity@​macalester.edu

*Due to how the academic calendar is structured, Macalester College recognizes AAPI Heritage Month during the month of April. 

Efforts to commemorate AAPI Heritage Month began in 1976 with Jeanie Jew, a 4th-generation Chinese American and former Capitol Hill staff member. The month of May was selected to recognize the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants (May 7, 1843) and the completion of the first transcontinental railroad, built by the labor of Chinese workers (May 10, 1869). In 1992, the U.S. federal government designated May Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. 

Macalester College encourages our campus community to engage in meaningful dialogue and space with our AAPI communities and continue learning from the diverse voices and experiences of AAPI stories. 

If you would like to have your event and/or program featured please submit it via our online form.

Please note that the events below are organized by different organizations and departments at Macalester. Use the links below for further information, or directly contact the event host with questions.

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Community Luncheon

Thu., Apr. 3 | 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. | Kagin Ballroom
RSVP Form
Hosted by: Institutional Equity | equity@macalester.edu

Institutional Equity invites our campus community to join us for our annual AAPI Heritage Month Community Luncheon centering the stories and experiences of Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) students, staff, faculty, and alumni. While sharing a meal together, we will have the opportunity to build connections across campus through conversations about how food and meals have been an anchor in building community and cultivating connections.

To attend, please RSVP.

APIDA by Night Gala

Sat., Apr. 5 | 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. | Kagin Ballroom
RSVP Form
Hosted by: Asian Pacific Islander Desi Americans | apida@macalester.edu

Dialogue and Dinner about Subversive Storytelling with May Lee-Yang

Tue., Apr. 8 | 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. | The Loch
RSVP Form
Hosted by: Institutional Equity | equity@macalester.edu

Creating community through comedy and creativity.

Institutional Equity invites our campus community to join us for a dialogue and dinner with May Lee-Yang (she/her), a writer, performer, filmmaker, and educator. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of MN, where she also currently teaches. During our time with May, we will learn about her story as a performing artist, playwright, comedian, and founder of Mayhem Games. 

Her theater-based works include: The Korean Drama Addict’s Guide to Losing Your Virginity; Confessions of a Lazy Hmong Woman; and Ten Reasons Why I’d Be a Bad Porn Star. Along with her husband, she wrote and produced a comedic web series called Hmong Organization. She is a co-founder of Funny Asian Women Kollective (FAWK), a group that uses comedy to combat the dehumanization of Asian women. 

Artist Statement: My experience as a Hmong American has deeply influenced my approach to art. I came of age in the nineties, a time when most text about the Hmong were written by non-Hmong people. This was simply because the Hmong were an orally-based culture and literacy was still new. I grew up under the mentorship of Mai Neng Moua who has been hailed by The New York Times as “midwife of the literary arts movement.” She created spaces for Hmong people to write their own stories. Therefore, I never take it for granted that I have the capacity to write in my own voice. For a time, it was trendy for artists to say they wanted to be “a voice for the voiceless”. I hate this idea because it assumes that someone like who have all the trappings of marginalization—woman, Person of Color, former refugee who grew up in a low-income background—should have my voice mediated by someone else. Instead, this has transformed the way I do work: I assume that everyone has capacity to create art, if only give the chance, the platform, the tools, and the guidance. (lazyhmongwoman.com) 

Night Market

Fri. Apr., 11 | 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. | Janet Wallace (1st and 2nd Floor)
Hosted by: Asian Pacific Islander Desi Americans | apida@macalester.edu

In collaboration with the Asian-identifying organizations and Asian-identifying student groups on campus, APIDA will be transforming JWall into a bustling night market, much like those seen across Asia. This will be an evening of fun, festivities, and food from the various Asian identities here at Mac!

Previous Events & Programs