Carolina is celebrating Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month this April with several campus-wide events, including panels, performances and the creation of a cookbook.
The celebration is spearheaded by the UNC Asian American Center, which was founded in 2020 and whose mission is to cultivate a critical understanding of Asian American peoples, cultures and histories. Through education, organizing and advocacy, the center engages and empowers Asian American students, faculty and staff.
The monthlong celebration aims to do just that.
“Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month is an opportunity to highlight the diverse histories and cultures of this large and understudied community,” said Heidi Kim, the director of the UNC Asian American Center and an associate professor in the English and comparative literature department in the College of Arts & Sciences. “It’s an especially important celebration this year in the wake of tragedy. Asian Americans need and deserve this celebration, and so do Pacific Islander Americans. Both communities have been hit hard by COVID in different ways. There’s already been such positive attention after the [March 16] Atlanta shootings, so I hope the Carolina community will come out to learn more. We’re showcasing amazing art, performance, scholarship and community work.”