UToledo Celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

April 6, 2021 | Diversity, Events, News, UToday, Student Affairs
By Staff



Through April, The University of Toledo celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with a slate of virtual events.

“With the increase of anti-Asian hate in our society, April will be a very important time for the UToledo community to learn more about the Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage and participate in a variety of events centered around these identities,” said Bryttani Harris, a graduate assistant in the Office of Multicultural Student Success.

“For example, our community will have the opportunity to participate in dialogues, view artwork and watch movies by Asian American and Pacific Islander artists, and learn from the Asian Americans Advancing Justice organization on how to intervene as a bystander when witnessing anti-Asian/American and xenophobic harassment.”

Events include:

•  Tuesday, April 6, noon to 1 p.m. — “Dialogue on Diversity: Stop Anti-Asian Hate, The Fight to Eliminate Racism in All Forms.” The virtual town hall will feature Dr. An Chung Cheng, professor of Spanish in the UToledo Department of World Languages and Cultures and director of the Asian Studies Program; Dr. Joseph Hara, Distinguished University Lecturer in the UToledo Department of World Languages and Cultures and director of the Japanese program; Hua Liu Sowa, a Ph.D. student in UToledo’s Judith Herb College of Education and former chair of the Chinese Center of Toledo Board of Directors; Carolyn Sowa, Toledo native who is a master’s student in international law at Beijing University and a master’s student in international relations at the London School of Economics; and Xinren Yu, assistant director of the UToledo Center for International Studies and Programs.

•  Tuesday, April 6, 1 to 2 p.m. — AAPI Support Group, immediately following Dialogue on Diversity town hall, hosted by the University Counseling Center, Office of Multicultural Student Success and Center for International Studies and Programs.

•  Tuesday, April 6, 6 to 7 p.m. — “Anti-Asian Violence and LGBTQ Communities: Overlap and Advocacy,” hosted by the University of Michigan. Spectrum Center hosts a panel of queer Asian and non-Asian LGBTQA+ individuals to talk about the increase in anti-Asian violence.

•  Wednesday, April 7, 6 to 7 p.m. — “Shaping Creative Lineage,” a poetry reading plus writing workshop with Asian-American poet and educator Carlina Duan. The event is hosted by the University of Michigan.

•  Wednesday, April 7, 7 p.m. — “AAPI Heritage Month: Paving the Way” features speaker Mitchell Kuga, a journalist living in Honolulu, whose writing has been published in GQ, Time Magazine, The Village Voice and Condé Nast Traveler. The event is hosted by Syracuse University.

•  Friday, April 9, 5 to 6 p.m. — Dewy Apricot Designs: Desi Digital Art Q&A and Logo Tutorial. Dewy Apricot Digital Art is a pandemic project-turned successful art shop that designs Desi American and Asian American-themed pop culture items. Hosted by the University of Michigan.

•  Monday, April 12, through Thursday, April 15 — Holi Toledo. Holi is a Hindu celebration for the arrival of spring, the end of winter and the celebration of colors. Celebrate with a scavenger hunt throughout the Main Campus, with hints revealed on @getinvolved and @iscoutoledo on Instagram.

•  Thursday, April 15 — Commemorative Lecture with Wajahat Ali, a New York Times contributing op-ed writer, TED speaker, CNN commentator and award-winning playwright who will speak on the multifaceted American experience, focusing on our growing need for cultural unity, racial diversity and inclusion to fight forces of hate and division. The event is hosted by Syracuse University.

•  Friday, April 23, 1 and 7 p.m. — Office of Multicultural Student Success Watch Party: “In the Mood for Love,” an acclaimed 2000 drama set in Hong Kong in 1962 that explores the unrequited love between neighbors Chow Mo-wan (Tony Leung Chiu-wai) and Su Li-zhen (Maggie Cheung Man-yuk) who discover their spouses are having an affair with each other.

For more information about Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, go to the Office of Multicultural Student Success website or call 419.530.2261.

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