Celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month at UCI ♥ ★
Dear campus community,
UCI students, staff, faculty and community members are invited to celebrate the diverse and impactful contributions of individuals of Asian and Asian American descent through a variety of offerings at UCI and beyond this May. These activities also highlight the need for vigilance and allyship to stem a wave of over 3,700 anti-Asian incidents reported so far during the current pandemic (https://stopaapihate.org/2020-2021-national-report/).
Since its origins in 1978 and with its passage as an officially designated month of celebration in 1992, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month has recognized the diversity and influences of more than 22.9 million Americans in the United States of Asian or Pacific Islander descent.
The COVID-19 crisis may be turning a corner with optimism surrounding an upsurge in vaccinations allowing many across the county to return to closer to normal daily activities. However, I encourage all of us to dedicate ourselves particularly at this moment to the type of broad education and allyship needed to promote community as we confront anti-Asian bias. Particularly at this time when community and consideration are so important to furthering inclusion in our learning and work environments, I invite members to participate in our ongoing courses provided through the Inclusive Excellence Certificate Program, among the other activities listed below.
Please join me in dedicating your activities during and beyond May to increased learning and collaborations to explore Asian American and Pacific Islander experiences.
Continuing through May: Inclusive Excellence Certificate Program courses, with postings soon for fall at: https://inclusion.uci.edu/inclusive-excellence-certificate-program/
April 29, 12 p.m. PT – NADOHE Community Connection against racially-motivated hate. This town hall discussion is free and open to the public. RSVP at: https://ufl.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEqde2gpjojGNHYZbKEMvZ4Of9VVbFJ1yz3
Weeks 5-7, 1 p.m. PT – Cross-Cultural Center REAL Talk. Weekly dialogues on social justice topics. Details at: https://ccc.uci.edu
May 7, 2 p.m. PT – Transnational Frames: Rearticulating Asian American Knowledges – conversations with UCI faculty authors Jane Hong, Susie Woo and Dorothy Fujita-Rony about their recently published books on Asian American transnational migration. RSVP at: http://bit.ly/TransnationalFrames
May 10, 12 p.m. PT – UCI Great Big Read: Do More – dialogue to address anti-Asian racism during COVID-19. Panelists include Wenbo Li (The Ohio State University) speaking about his research and strategies to counter anti-Asian racism, Associate Vice Chancellor Marcelle Hayashida, speaking about care resources at UCI, and curator from the Southeast Asian Archive Thuy Vo Dang, speaking about applicable resources and guide to understand the experiences of Asian Americans and opportunities for UCI allyship during the current pandemic. Details and RSVP at: https://inclusion.uci.edu/uci-great-big-read/
May 12, 1 p.m. PT – Cross-Cultural Center hosts activist Brittany Packnett Cunningham – The co-founder of Ground Zero – a data-informed platform to examine policy and present strategies related to police reform – and host of the current podcast, Undistracted with Brittany Packnett Cunningham, shares insights about contemporary topics and events. Details are forthcoming at: https://ccc.uci.edu
May 19, 12 p.m. PT – UCI Great Big Read Presents – Save the date and check soon for event details for Interior Chinatown at: https://inclusion.uci.edu/uci-great-big-read
May 19, 12 p.m. PT – UCI Humanities Center presents Chinese American Contributions to the Fabric of America. Discussion on the “From Foundations to Frontiers” landmark study about the enduring contributions of Chinese Americans to American society from the 1800s to today. RSVP at: http://bit.ly/UCICA100
May 25, 12 p.m. PT – UCI Humanities Center presents Learning from Our Asian American and Pacific Islander Leaders – Roundtable discussion with members and community partners from the project of the same name. Hosted by the Department of Asian American Studies and UCI Libraries. Presenters include: Audrey Kawaiopua Alo, president of Pacific Islander Health Partnership, Zainab Syeda, community outreach manager at South Asian Network, and Jennifer Wang, chief operating officer at Asian American Senior Citizens Service Center. Register at: https://bit.ly/OCAAPILeaders
I look forward to your involvement in these events.
Sincerely,
Douglas M. Haynes, Ph.D. (Pronouns: he/him/his)
Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Chief Diversity Officer
Director, ADVANCE Program
Professor of History