Grossmont College marking Asian Pacific Islander month

Posted on: Apr 29, 2019 12:00:00 AM
In: Grossmont, District
Arts and Culture, Featured
Contact: Della Elliott della.elliott@gcccd.edu

May marks national Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and Grossmont College is hosting a series of events starting with a May 1 campus mixer and continuing through May 16 with lectures, dance, food trucks and more.

This marks the second year that Grossmont College, with a nearly 10 percent enrollment of Asians and Pacific Islanders, is paying homage to the generations who have added to the nation’s rich tapestry and continue to contribute to its multicultural success. The events are coordinated by the API Student Club and API Committee, and sponsored by the World Arts and Cultures Committee and Student Affairs. The events are free and open to the public.

Wednesday, May 1:

• 1-3 p.m.: A kickoff mixer for API students, faculty and staff  in the Student Center Common Ground, Bldg. 60, Room 206

Monday, May 13:

• 9:30-10:45 a.m.: “The Model Minority Myth” lecture and discussion by May Fu, Ph.D., chair and associate professor of Ethnic Studies at University of San Diego, in Griffin Gate, Bldg. 60

Tuesday, May 14:

• 9:30-10:45 a.m.: “The Things We Don’t Talk About: API Identity, Roots, Celebrations and Struggles,” by Kirin Macapugay, assistant professor of Human Services at San Diego City College and founder of the local nonprofit Asian Pacific Islander Community Actions, in Griffin Gate, Bldg. 60
• Noon-12:45 p.m.: Japanese Fashion Show and Dance by the San Diego Kimono Club in the Main Quad
• 2-3 p.m.: Buddhism talk with Interfaith Chaplain Noriko Kawai in Griffin Gate, Bldg. 60

Wednesday, May 15:

• 10-11 a.m.: Tinikling Dance, the traditional Philippine folk dance utilizing bamboo poles, by Boone Elementary School in the Main Quad
• 11 a.m.-noon: Indian dance by Rudraprasad Swain  in the Main Quad
• 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: API food trucks and vendors in the Main Quad

Thursday, May 16:

• 9:30-10:45 a.m.: “Mental Health and Racial Micro-aggressions in the API Community” panel discussion led by Judy Patacsil, professor/counselor and international education coordinator at Miramar College, co-author of “Filipinos in San Diego” and immediate past president of the Filipino American National Historical Society, in Griffin Gate, Bldg. 60

The commemoration of API Heritage originally began in 1978 when a joint resolution signed by President Jimmy Carter designated the first 10 days of May as Asian/Pacific Heritage Week. These dates were chosen to mark two important anniversaries: the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants in the United States on May 7, 1843, and the completion of the transcontinental railroad in part by Chinese laborers on May 10, 1869.  In 1990 President George H. W. Bush expanded the commemoration to the entire month.

Grossmont College is “Transforming Lives Through Education” and has served the diverse educational needs of San Diego’s East County since 1961. With more than 150 certificate and associate degree programs, Grossmont College provides workforce training, career development and transferable college-level coursework to its nearly 19,000 students.