May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPIHM), and Cal State LA is celebrating and honoring AAPIHM from April through May this year. The AAPIHM Planning Committee, comprised of staff and faculty from various departments across Academic Affairs and Student Life, is proud to share our second annual campus-wide community calendar! The theme for 2024 is Flourishing Together: Celebrating Empowerment, Resilience, and Community. The events we’ve curated this year engage the University in conversations on our community’s resilience and empower us to come together in the community to honor our stories, recognize the histories and important contributions of AAPI people and communities, and celebrate AAPI cultures at Cal State LA.
Visit the AAPI Heritage Month website for our calendar of programs, and please scroll down below to catch a preview of two exciting programs coming up tomorrow and Thursday!
AAPIHM Library Display
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) have played pivotal roles in shaping the nation. Their cultural heritage is deeply woven into the fabric of United States history and culture. Within the Cal State LA community, they constitute a vibrant and diverse component. The University Library boasts extensive resources and collections spanning history, literature, art, and more, featuring the AAPI community and works authored by AAPI individuals. We are delighted to announce an AAPI Heritage Month book display located on the 2nd Floor of Library North, commencing April 15th and continuing through May 2024. This display showcases a diverse selection of books exploring various facets of AAPI experiences, including history, literature, and art, highlighting the richness and diversity of these narratives.
AAPIHM Virtual Display
The collection includes books, ebooks, graphic novels, and electronic resources that showcase the AAPI community or are written by AAPI authors, covering a range of subjects such as history, literature, and art. In celebration of the rich histories and cultures of the AAPI community, we are featuring some of these collections during the month of May and throughout the year.
Exhibit - Herstory: the Legal History of Chinese American Women
This exhibit will be showcased at the University Library to honor Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. This exhibit, curated by author and legal expert Chang C. Chen, delves into the historical battles Chinese women faced to achieve citizenship, dignity, and legal recognition in the United States. The first Chinese women began arriving in the United States in 1785 as domestic workers and merchants' brides. Over the next 200 years, Chinese American women were part of a complex, often painful legal tradition as they worked to secure their civil rights in the United States. Blending multimedia artwork, historical documents, and bilingual text, Herstory documents these stories and gives voice to the women whose struggles paved the way for more equal treatment today. All Cal State LA students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members are welcome.
The book Herstory: The Legal History of Chinese American Women is available for check out.