Every May, Lawrence celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. The month, as stated on the Lawrence University Pan-Asian Organization (PAO) Instagram, is a time to reflect on the many AAPI cultures and achievements.
PAO and Lawrence International (LI) have hosted events to educate Lawrentians on the importance of AAPI Month. PAO president junior Nex Haynes said that although May is the designated month of celebration, PAO has tried to make it clear that embracing of Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage is yearlong, citing their Diwali event in Fall Term and Lunar New Year in Winter Term as non-May opportunities to do this. Later this month, PAO will also be hosting a stole ceremony for those graduating.
PAO recently hosted their yearly trip to Chicago’s Chinatown and a collaboration event with the Black Student Union (BSU) for a cultural game night event. LI and PAO also plan to introduce the Lawrence community to cultural foods, such as Filipino rice cakes and Korean drink Hwachae, at Zoo Days, according to LI publicist junior Nikki Kim.
Logos of Pan-Asian Organization and Lawrence International.
Photos provided by PAO and LI.
Kim believes that understanding the importance of AAPI Month is imperative to the Lawrence community, as she recognized that Lawrence is home to many different cultures and identities.
“AAPI [Month] is necessary to the Lawrence community to help showcase the diverse Asian identities that exist on campus and worldwide,” Kim said. “There’s so much contribution from these vibrant cultures in media, food, music, arts and so on.”
In addition to celebration, Kim continued by saying AAPI Month is also a chance to spread awareness of Anti-Asian racism. The sense of unsatisfaction with the lack of support from many people who identify under AAPI isn’t just specific to Kim. Haynes shared the feeling, explaining that AAPI Month and the events hosted should receive more attention overall, including from Lawrence administration.
“PAO holds a special place in my heart, because a lot of the Asian Americans [who ran the club have] made it a safe place to just become who I am currently — a lot of them were good role models,” Haynes said. “PAO holds a very close connection with my identity as an Asian American who has been adopted by white parents from China. So, [more recognition] would be very important because [AAPI Month] celebrates other people and it’s also celebrating our connections that we hold with other clubs on a whole too.”