Although May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Athens and Ohio University have just concluded their first AAPI Heritage Week.
From April 11 to April 15, the Asian American/Pacific Islander Student Union, or AAPISU, the Asian American and Pacific Islanders: Leadership, Education, Advocacy, and Development, or AAPI-LEAD and the Athens Asian American Alliance, or AAAA, curated five events focused on AAPI culture.
The events included an AAPI mixer, a showing of the movie Minari, keynote speaker Sahra Nguyen, an Express Yourself open mic and an AAPI panel event. While a week may not be enough time to showcase all the Asian excellence at OU, it’s a stepping stone toward more recognition for the AAPI community in Athens and on campus.
There is a lack of diversity at the university; AAPI students are only about 2% of the main campus population. Founded in May 2021, AAPISU is OU’s first-ever Asian American/Pacific Islander organization. Two other organizations were founded in 2021: AAAA, with a focus on the Athens community, and AAPI-LEAD, with the intent to foster connections between AAPI faculty and staff.
OU and Athens are working to become more equitable and inclusive and the small amount of diversity that exists has a strong backing community behind it. All three organizations work closely to help AAPI students connect with AAPI community members. The homecoming parade in October 2021 was one of the first events where the AAPISU, AAAA and AAPI-LEAD worked together to show solidarity with AAPI people in Athens.
Members of the three groups held a large dragon puppet for the duration of the parade, taking in cheers and smiles from the crowd. For Lunar New Year in January, the groups held a celebration to ring in the new year at Walter Rotunda. The dragon made an appearance again, along with performances from community members, origami and games.
As an Asian American from a small, rich and white suburb near Columbus, having these organizations and events in college allows me to embrace my identity further. Seeing familiar faces that look like me on campus, even if very few and far between, has uplifted my confidence and security in who I am as a person of color on a predominately white campus.
Through all the hardships and challenges that AAPI people face in the U.S., we’re still here and visible. We won’t stop raising our voices, sharing our experiences and celebrating all we’ve accomplished and achieved.
Mimi Calhoun is a freshman studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Have something to say? Email Mimi at mc300120@ohio.edu or tweet her @mimi_calhoun.
