Asian, Pacific Islander, Desi American Heritage Month
What is APIDA Heritage Month?
In 1978, Congress passed a Congressional Resolution for Asian and Pacific Islander Americans to be celebrated during the first week in May. It was the anniversary of the first wave of Japanese immigrants to the U.S. as well as the completion of the transcontinental railroad, which was predominantly built by Chinese Americans. In 1992, the celebration was extended through the entire month of May.
Here at the University of Maryland, we hold APIDA Heritage Month (APIDAHM) during April instead of May to ensure that our APIDA community gets a full month to celebrate their culture and heritage before summer break begins. 2024 will mark the 32nd year that APIDAHM has been a nationally recognized month-long affirmation of the experiences and contributions of APIDA communities. Learn more about APIDAHM 2024 as well as our past Heritage Month themes below!
To the Table
For many, food is a touchstone of our Asian, Pacific Islander, and Desi American culture, identity, history, and heritage. As we follow recipes passed down from matriarchs and Youtube tutorials, we make dishes once prepared in phantom kitchens lost in time. Here, a spoonful of comfort, a taste of home.
Food is also a site of resistance – from generations of tilling land, to the prickling sweat of labor over a stove, to boycotting in solidarity with the oppressed workers and people. Some fought for a seat at the table, others sought to turn them. As those who came before us participated in hunger strikes and grew gardens out of impossible places, we must remember what it took for us to enjoy abundance in harvest, in choice, in full.
With every mouth we feed, we build communities born out of compassion and community care. Why don’t you come to the table? There is enough for everyone. So set the table, pass a plate, and eat.
Hosted by MICA
Date & Time: April 2, 7:30 – 9:00 PM
Location: Charles Carroll Room (on the 2nd Floor of Stamp)
Co-Sponsor: Multiracial Student Involvement at MICA
Join Multiracial Student Involvement and APIDA Student Involvement for a crossover event to link our two heritage months! We ask you to bring your sense of agency, action, and autonomy to the table to work in collaboration to build a community together. Learn about creating cross cultural solidarity in community building through modeling with LEGOs.
Date & Time: April 9, 7:00 – 9:00 PM
Location: Grand Ballroom Lounge (Stamp)
From the Delano Grape Strike of the 1960’s to current #SaveChinatown efforts nationwide, food and labor have always been interconnected for the APIDA community. Join us on April 9th to hear from panelists who work and organize at the intersection of food and labor around the DMV! From the anti-displacement efforts of the Viet Place Collective to the labor organizing of Justice For Jollibee Workers, and the unique perspective of organizer + content creator Aparna Raj of @District Delicious, this conversation aims to shed light on the deeper, more political connection APIDA communities have with food.
Date & Time: April 11, 6-7:30 PM
Location: Hoff Theater at STAMP
Co-Sponsor: SEE
MICA's APIDA involvement is partnering with SEE for a special showing of Specially Processed American Me by Jaime Sunwoo. The film is a "surreal autobiographical performance that uses SPAM, the canned meat, as a portal into [Sunwoo's] Asian American upbringing and her family's experiences of the Korean War. It investigates SPAM's legacy in the military, its significance in the Asia-Pacific, and its influence on Asian cuisine through music, shadowplay, and cooking. Oscillating wildly between absurd humor and sober tragedy, Specially Processed American Me is a thought-provoking exploration of one of America's most misunderstood foods." A facilitated discussion on the film will follow.
Date & Time: April 17, 6:00 – 8:00 PM
Location: MICA Cozy Corner
Co-Sponsor: South West Asian North African (SWANA) Student Involvement at MICA
In collaboration with SWANA (South West Asian North African) student involvement, MICA is leading a migration stories workshop where we will discuss the experiences of our diasporic communities that have shaped our sense of home, culture, and community. Coffee and light refreshments will be served.
Date & Time: April 18, 6:00-8:00 PM
Location: Cozy Corner
Kat Chow, journalist and author of Seeing Ghosts: A Memoir, is hosting a workshop on how food shapes nostalgia and memory in narratives. All are welcome to learn more about writing fiction, non-fiction, creative non-fiction, and prose forms of writing.
Date & Time: April 21, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Location: Grand Ballroom
Co-Sponsor: Asian American Student Union (AASU)
This year’s Unity Gala theme, “Voices in Bloom,” serves as a powerful homage to the richness of Asian narratives, emphasizing the importance of preserving, celebrating, and sharing diverse stories within the community. Alongside APIDA Heritage Month’s theme of “To the Table,” we are recognizing the Asian American communities’ abilities to gather around a table to engage in important discourse while savoring and celebrating our cultural foods and similarities. It extends the metaphorical table from the physical space of dining to a symbolic centerpiece for the blossoming of narratives within the community.
Together, these themes create a tapestry that celebrates the unity, diversity, and resilience embedded in Asian cultures. “Voices in Bloom” represents the space where voices bloom, narratives intertwine, and a sense of togetherness prevails.
This aligns with our mission of advocacy, encouraging collective action, and amplifying diverse voices within the APIDA community.
Date & Time: April 30, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Location: Grand Ballroom Lounge
Calendar of Events
Short Film Screening + Performance/Technology Workshop with Dr. Van Tran Nguyen
Date & Time: April 3, 6:00 – 7:30 PM
Location: Susquehanna Hall (SQH) 1120
Host: Asian American Studies Program (@aastumd)
Dr. Van Tran Nguyen (Visiting Professor, Theatre Scholarship and Performance Studies) will be screening her short film, ERIE COUNTY SMILE (PBS, 2021), a production made with green-screen processing. There will be a Q and A to follow and Dr. Tran Nguyen will lead a hands-on video editing and green-screen workshop showcasing green-screen as a digital narrative form. She will discuss her own video practice, highlighting her use of green-screen as a medium for diasporic folklore. Beginner video editors are welcome to attend! Come as early as 5:30pm for dinner served from Manila Mart!
Register at go.umd.edu/greenscreen.
Ending the Korean War: Political Education and Permanent War
Date & Time: April 4, 4:00 – 8:00 PM
Location: Shoemaker Building (SHM) 2102
Host: Ending the Korean War Teaching Collective (EKW)
In the eighth decade of the unending Korean War, a catastrophic war of U.S. intervention that has yet to come to an end, the Ending the Korean War Teaching Collective (EKW) has organized a series of events that explore the necessity of political education as an anti-imperialist tool against permanent war within militarized geographies that span Korea and the Pacific. Instead of understanding the unresolved Korean War as a narrowly defined discrete event in the past specific solely to Korea and Koreans, our sessions generate scrutiny of far-reaching structural consequences across the Pacific that are seldom identified with the war itself. The first session introduces the design of the EKW public syllabus and explores its uses in and beyond the classroom. After a light reception, a second session focusing on the intersection of scholarship and politics will follow. Members of EKW will join activists from two anti-imperialist activist organizations, ANSWER coalition and Nodutdol. The discussion will center on the praxis of political education and draw connections between the experiences of scholars, students, and activists. The two sessions will help set the stage for a rally on the National Mall on April 5th. The rally takes the form of an anti-imperialist walking tour of World War II, Vietnam, MLK, and Korean War memorials. Details about the political action will be provided at the session and are available HERE.
Co-sponsored by Nathan and Jeanette Miller Center for Historical Studies; Center for Global Migration Studies; Asian American Studies Program; History Department; Center for East Asian Studies; Harriet Tubman Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; American Studies Department
Mr. Wiffleball
Date & Time: April 6, 7:00 – 10:00 PM
Location: Hoff Theater
Host: Taiwanese American Student Association (@umcptasa)
Mr. Wiffleball is UMCP TASA’s annual male beauty pageant charity event. We bring in contestants from different APIDA orgs to compete and show off their talents and charisma, all while pooling in funds to donate to the Asian American Legal Defense & Education Fund, which works to protect Asian Americans through the law. Mr. Wiffleball is one of the largest Asian organization mixers on campus and is a display of the unique and rich cultures that we have here at UMD. Come out to cheer for your favorite contestant as we bring the real life pageant experience to you!
Film Screening of A Long March with Major General Antonio Taguba
Date & Time: April 9, 6:00 – 8:00 PM
NEW Location: Shoemaker Building (SHM) 2102
Host: Center for Global Migration Studies (@globalmigration)
Please join CGMS for a screening of A Long March, a documentary which “follows Filipino-American veterans as they emotionally trace their paths from war to erasure by the U.S. Government, marching from an obscured history to the Federal courts, right up to the steps of Congress in search of promises denied.” (Los Angeles Pacific Film Festival) The event will also feature a Q&A session with US Army Major General Antonio Taguba. The event will be in-person in SHM 2101 on April 9, 2024.
Co-sponsored by the Department of History and the Asian American Studies Program
Our Relationship to Food: Something sacred and something hard
Date & Time: April 11, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Location: MICA Cozy Corner
Host: Counseling Center (@umdcounseling)
Food is a language of our ancestors for love, laughter, and survival. For so many, it is also a very hard experience. Come join us to discuss your relationship with food within the APIDA community.
APIDA Identities in The Multiracial Community MBSA's GBM
Date & Time: April 11, 7:00 – 8:30 PM
Location: MICA Cozy Corner
Host: Multiracial Biracial Student Association (@mbsa.umcp)
Join MBSA to celebrate APIDA Heritage Month! We will engage in conversations surrounding multiethnic and multiracial identities within the APIDA community.
Philippine Culture Night (PCN)
Date & Time: April 13, 5:00 – 10:00 PM
Location: STAMP Grand Ballroom
Host: Filipino Cultural Association (@fca_umcp)
Philippine Culture Night, or PCN, is known as the culmination of all things FCA. This event combines all the separate aspects of our organization into one large production that is written, directed, and performed by our very own members. Focusing on topics that relate to us as Filipino Americans, this play showcases our experiences through our own personal lenses. With both cultural and modern dance performances weaved in as well, this event truly encapsulates all of the pieces that make up FCA.
APIDA Affinity Climb
Date & Time: April 14, 2:00 – 4:00 PM
Location: Eppley Recreation Center Climbing Wall
Host: RecWell Adventure Program (@umdadventure)
This Affinity Climb will be a space for people who identify as APIDA to come together to connect with each other while being active in the outdoors. This is a new climber-friendly environment with experienced RecWell Adventure Program staff on hand to help. No equipment or registration needed. We hope to see you there!
Cook-ins: A taste of home and history from Amritsar, Indonesia, and Myanmar
Date & Time: April 16 (Sikh), 2-3:30 PM | April 23 (Burmese), 1-2:30 PM | April 30 (Indonesian), 2-3:30 PM
Location: Teaching Kitchen at the Campus Pantry
Host: Contemplative Learning and Living (GSO), Sikh Student Association (@umdssa)
Join us to celebrate the rich history and culture of some of the traditionally marginalized voices in India and Southeast Asia! This cook-in series has three separate sessions where student chefs demonstrate how to cook a representative dish from their hometown that is significant to their history and culture, namely Sikh, Burmese, and Indonesian. Through these sessions, student chefs will tell stories related to the dish or the main ingredient, food culture at home, etc. while having an intercultural dialogue with participants.
Journey as an Asian American in Policy
Date & Time: April 17, TBD
Location: Thurgood Marshall Hall (TMH) TBD
Host: Asian American Policy Union (@umdaapu)
Maryland Delegate Sarah Wolek will share her expertise in disability policy and share her journey as an Asian American in the policy world.
Pathways to Public Service: Federal Careers for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Students
Date & Time: April 19, 12:00 – 2:15 PM
Location: ESJ 2204
Host: Asian American Studies Program (@aastumd) & Mid-Atlantic Region for the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (@whitehouseaapnhpi)
Join the Mid-Atlantic Region for the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders & the Asian American Studies Program to hear from agency representatives about how to make an impact through a career in government. After welcoming remarks, we will have a panel of federal employees describing their path to federal service from 12:20pm to 12:50pm, followed by federal agency tables providing resources for college students from 1:15pm to 2:15pm, and an interactive activity to elicit feedback from AANHPI college students about their experience.
Night Market
Date & Time: April 20, 6:00 – 10:00 PM
Location: McKeldin Mall
Host: Taiwanese American Student Association (@umcptasa)
Every year, TASA hosts our annual spring event, Night Market. This year our Night Market is on April 20th, 2024 from 6-10 on the McKeldin Mall! Night Market is inspired by Taiwanese Night Markets and we host a variety of food stalls, games, performances, and lights! Our event mimics authentic Taiwanese Night Markets, so come out to our annual spring event and immerse yourself in Taiwanese street culture!
Contemporary Art Collection Tour
Date & Time: April 23, 5:00 – 6:00 PM
Location: Stamp Gallery
Host: Stamp Gallery (@stampgalleryumd) and the Contemporary Art Purchasing Program (@umd.capp)
Join Stamp Gallery staff on a tour of the STAMP’s own student-lead art collection, the CAPP Collection, on the fourth Tuesday of every month from 5-5:30 pm, followed by refreshments in the Stamp Gallery! In April, the tour will highlight SWANA (Southwest Asian and North African) and AAPIDA (Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Desi American) artists in the CAPP Collection in conjunction with SWANA and AAPIDA Heritage Months. More info here.
Hand and Hearth: Seeding APIDA Futures (A Gardening Workshop)
Date & Time: April 23, 4:30 – 6:00 PM
Location: Susquehanna Hall (SQH) 3105
Host: Asian American Foodways (AAST298G)
This open workshop honors the APIDA agricultural workers whose laboring hands and histories are often forgotten. As acts of care and memorialization, guests are invited to plant Asian vegetable and herb seeds in mini pots that can be taken home or shared with others.
RSVP here!
Pani Puri by CPC
Date & Time: April 24, 6:00 – 8:00 PM
Location: Yahentamitsi Dining Hall Courtyard
Host: College Park Curry (@cpcurry_umd)
CPC is selling one of the most popular street foods in India - Pani Puri. Come enjoy this classic dish at extremely low prices, which is an explosion of flavor. Experience this street food and enjoy the authentic taste crafted by their amazing chefs.
UMD PSA Presents: Mock Shaadi - Dawat E Ishq
Date & Time: April 26, 7:00 – 11:00 PM
Location: Stamp Grand Ballroom
Host: Pakistani Student Association (@umdpsa)
Join PSA as they celebrate Pakistani heritage and culture! Wear your favorite traditional attire, eat your favorite cultural snacks, and dance the night away to your favorite Desi songs with your friends!
Sea My Culture Game Fair @ Maryland Day
Date & Time: April 27, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Location: Do Good Plaza, outside Thurgood Marshall Hall
Host: Sea My Culture (@sea.my.culture) and Do Good Institute (@dogoodatumd)
Bringing your family to Maryland Day? Bring them out for a day of fun and games at the Sea My Culture table in Do Good Plaza! Sea My Culture is a groundbreaking children’s board game created at the University of Maryland (by a team of APIDA graduate students!) to nurture multicultural understanding and foster inclusive learning. Families will partake in live demonstrations of the Sea My Culture board game, where players venture through new worlds, pooling their wisdom and cultural insights to conquer a menacing monster wreaking havoc in their homelands. Traverse through islands like Bao Bay and Samosa Summit while getting to know more about your peers’ diverse lived experiences! *While Sea My Culture is targeted for children aged 8-13, adults and kids of all ages are welcome to play at our game fair! Learn more about the game on Instagram: @sea.my.culture
Radical Reflections: Bursting the Bubble of Boba Liberalism
Date & Time: April 30, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Location: MICA Cozy Corner
Host: Diversity Training and Education, Office of Diversity and Inclusion (@diverseterps)
Did you know that the term “Asian American” was actually coined by college activists in the 1960s’ social movements? What is often left behind in the mainstream narrative of Asian Americans is the activist history of the term “Asian American” and our critical role in anti-war and ethnic studies social movements. Boba liberalism is an emerging term in APIDA discourse that refers to the idea that Asian Americans are united by superficial ideas of supposed “shared cultural values” and foods. This workshop unpacks how boba liberalism removes our community from the critical histories of oppression that unite us, while ultimately re-imagining an Asian American identity that is grounded in its founding, radical principles. This is the first event of DTE’s upcoming Radical Reflections series, a new initiative in which we unpack and disrupt the everyday norms that are often rooted in white supremacy and systemic violence against marginalized groups.
APIDA Literary Open Mic Night
Date & Time: May 2, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Location: MICA Cozy Corner
Host: AAPI Literature and Media Club, Department of English
Join us for a cozy evening of storytelling and community at our APIDA Literary Open Mic Night & Book Swap! Whether you're an aspiring writer, poetry enthusiast, or simply want to read more, this event is for you. Bring your own creative writing or favorite passages from Asian American literature to share in an intimate, supportive environment. Whether it's an original piece or a cherished excerpt from a beloved author, your words are welcome here. In addition to the open mic, we'll also be hosting a book swap/exchange! Bring along any books from your personal collection that you'd like to share with others. They don't have to be Asian American works—bring any books that have inspired you, brought you joy, or touched your heart. This is a wonderful opportunity to discover new reads and expand your literary horizons.
SASA Spring Formal
Date & Time: May 3, 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Location: Riggs Alumni Center
Host: South Asian Student Association (@sasaumd)
The South Asian Student Association is hosting our annual spring formal! We will have a great night full of dances, food, and celebration. The event is ticketed and requires purchase for entrance!
APIDA Heritage Month Movie Nights
Date: All April
Location: 251 North Dining Hall
Host: Dining Services (@umddining)
Join us for APIDA Heritage Month themed movie nights at 251 North all through April! Vote for your favorite movies celebrating APIDA Heritage by going to 251 North or voting on our Instagram @umddining
APIDA Heritage Month Tabling Events in the Dining Halls
Date: All April
Location: Yahentamitsi Dining Hall, 251 North Dining Hall, South Campus Dining Hall
Host: Dining Services (@umddining)
Show off your knowledge about food & APIDA Heritage by participating in various events and quizzes in the dining halls this month, and get a chance to win prizes and be featured on our Instagram! Visit dining.umd.edu/table-tent to know more.