May is National Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, which recognizes the influence and achievements of Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans (AAPI) to United States culture.
According to Ohio University’s Multicultural Center, AAPI Heritage month began in 1978, to commemorate “the first immigrants from Japan (that) arrived on May 7, 1843.”
Winsome Chunnu, director of the Multicultural Center, said the celebration of the month allows for acknowledgement of both the contributions and the tribulations experienced by the Asian and Pacific Islander heritages.
“It's an opportunity to highlight all the achievements within that specific culture as well as highlight the challenges that still exist within that culture and within the broader society,” Chunnu said. “It gives an opportunity to highlight where these disparities are still happening and have a broader conversation about why it's problematic.”
Aside from the month dedicated to the heritage of Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans, a group of OU students decided to create a new organization for the upcoming 2021-22 school year: the Asian American and Pacific Islander Student Union (AAPISU).
Gracyn Kent, a senior studying special education, is the upcoming president of the organization. Kent said the purpose of the organization is to offer a specific space for AAPI students to connect with one another.
“Our mission will be to create this safe atmosphere where students can feel included within the Asian/Pacific Islander community specifically,” Kent said. “We are striving to have it be a place where students are able to be mindful and to connect through the different, diverse AAPI backgrounds and identities that comprise this community and the different social issues that affect the AAPI community as a whole.”
Jake Boyk, a senior studying communication studies and integrated media, will be the secretary of the organization. Boyk noted that another component of the organization is to educate OU students on the historical experiences of AAPI individuals, a history that is often overlooked.
“Being an Asian American and growing up in a predominantly Caucasian area of the United States, you really don't learn a lot about Asian history and Asian American history and the AAPI experience and how Asian Americans were huge contributors to the Civil Rights Movement and to everything that is played into where we are right now as a society,” Boyk said. “And I think that's a problem because that’s the key to especially dismantling stereotypes and microaggressions and negative labeling. You can help change that through education. And when you don't learn about our community and our people, there is bound to be no more changes at all. So another intent of this org is to educate our fellow bobcats about the AAPI experience, specifically in Athens and OU.”
The formation of the organization was also to broaden the scope of the multicultural and international student organization options on campus. Megan Rose, a senior studying history education, will be the vice president of the AAPISU. Rose said her reason for wanting to be a part of the union was to feel more connected to her identity.
“So for me, I am adopted from China,” Rose said. “And one thing that I was really hesitant about was actually joining the Chinese organizations on campus, because I was like, ‘Okay, I don't speak the language. I have lived in America my entire life.’ I needed a space for people who identify in the AAPI community who don't necessarily want to be in their specific groups. And I think that in general is how it is at Ohio University right now. We have a lot of separate groups, but there's not a really overarching branch of an organization. And I think this is going to be a place where International students come together, but also Asian American students come together.”
Katie Hall, a sophomore studying marketing, will be the treasurer of the AAPISU. Hall echoed the similar sentiment as Rose, as she said that her identity as an adopted person made it a challenge for her to relate to the more specific cultural groups on campus.
“I wanted to find a more general Asian American group,” Hall said. “I'm adopted from China and I didn't feel exactly comfortable identifying with just Chinese Americans, because I didn't have that connection with immigrant parents, and I didn't have that cultural connection, because I have never been really immersed in it. So to have a more general Asian American group at OU is really amazing and really great to be part of.”
For Boyk, his decision to join the organization was impacted heavily by the recent hate crimes against Asian Americans across the United States.
“I felt more obligated to join because making the decision whether to stand with my community, or to be complacent with my daily life was a huge (determining factor) in my character,” Boyk said. “And so that was the moment that changed my life, being a part of this organization. And that passion that drives me to continue to work with this organization. I can only hope that that will rub off on the new members that join. Because for me personally, being a part of this organization is so much more than just putting something on your resume. Especially with the timing of everything happening right now. We need representation, especially on a campus where we don't have a lot of representation.”
These recent hate crimes against Asian Americans, Rose said, have amplified the importance of recognizing AAPI heritage month, as well as creating more opportunities for cultural education.
“Understanding that Black History Month, Asian American History Month, Hispanic History Month is not one thing, you don't just celebrate that one culture for one month, (but rather) that education needs to go throughout K through 12 and within higher education,” Rose said. “And I think that's what we're trying to do. We're trying to teach that and understand that multicultural education is super important.”
With the dedication of May to the celebration of AAPI heritage and the formation of the AAPISU at OU, Kent said she hopes they will both further underscore the continuous need to learn about and understand other cultures.
“For me, especially with everything that's been going on, and as I'm continuing to grow as a person, I think there's always ways that we can continue to recognize and learn about our culture, our history, as well as within other AAPI, history and cultures,” Kent said. “And so I think it's just always a good continuing discussion to have as well as to keep the community alive and going and keeping that history going and carrying on those stories and experiences.”
