Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AA&PI Heritage Month) is a celebration of the Asian American & Pacific Islander communities. While the month is federally recognized in May, U-M celebrates the month from mid-March to mid-April, with a diverse range of events that honor AA&PI histories, heritages, communities, and identities. To celebrate the Pacific Islander (or Oceanian) community, we also host PI Heritage Week dedicated to the histories, heritages, communities, and identities of the Oceanian community.
AA&PI Heritage Month at U-M is led by the Office of Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs' AA&PI Heritage Month Committee, in close partnership with the United Asian American Student Organizations (UAAO) and the Oceanic Student Association (OSA).
Listing of events
This is a campus-wide calendar and organizers/sponsors vary by event. See event links below for details, and contact event organizers with inquiries about specific events.
Screening of Joyland
March 13, 2024 | 7:00 p.m.
Michigan Theater
Sponsored by Center for South Asian Studies, Institute for Research on Women and Gender, International Institute, and Asian Languages and Cultures
Screening of Joyland at the Michigan Theater. Free and open to the public.
The Exemption that Proves the Rule: Reading Law Between the Lines of Medieval South Asian Foundation Charters
March 15, 2024 | 4:00 p.m.
Michigan League, Michigan Room
Sponsored by Center for South Asian Studies, International Institute, and Asian Languages and Cultures
This talk presents examples of how medieval South Asian inscriptions, though created to address quite particular circumstances and to serve immediate purposes, can be analyzed to disclose otherwise unrecorded laws and legal principles that had general validity at the time of their inscribing.
AA&PI Heritage Month Opening Ceremony and Art Fair
March 19, 2024 | 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Michigan Union, Pendleton Ballroom
Sponsored by MESA's Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month Committee
Join us for the Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month opening event, an art fair highlighting AA&PI student art/artists, and readings inspired by this year's heritage month theme! Food provided. [Registration required—see link]
A Teacher Like Me: The Impact of AAPI Leaders in Urban Education
March 28, 2024 | 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Virtual
Sponsored by University Career Center
Join City Teaching Alliance and UCC as they present "A Teacher Like Me: The Impact of AAPI Leaders in Urban Education." This program is an illuminating virtual celebration of the invaluable contributions of AAPI educators in shaping our classrooms and communities.
Family Love Letters
March 26, 2024 | 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
South Quad, YK Lounge
Sponsored by MESA's Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month Committee
A chance for people to write letters to their family expressing their love and care for them, as well as to bond with other people over shared experiences.
Zine Workshop
March 26, 2024 | 7:30 - 9:00 p.m.
South Quad, YK Lounge
Sponsored by MESA's Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month Committee
Join us for the release of "Communal Love: Exploring Social Justice, Asian American Activists, and Love in Action," a zine created through WGS 351 about social justice, diversity, and activism. Enjoy some food as we talk about the zine content, the histories of zine-making, and Asian/Asian American activists. Stick around for a laid-back zine-making workshop where you can share your own stories at the end! Supplies and food will be provided. Bring a friend!
Tea and Game Night
March 27, 2024 | 8:00 - 10:30 p.m.
South Quad, YK Lounge
Sponsored by MESA's Arab Heritage Month and Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Come meet new people and learn cultural games between these communities. Food, fun, competition and laughter for those who come! [Registration required—see link]
Intersectional Identities: A Conversation & Reading with Hieu Minh Nguyen
March 28, 2024 | 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Michigan Union, Pendleton Ballroom
Sponsored by MESA's Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month; Spectrum Center; Rackham Graduate School; Michigan Engineering's Office of Culture, Community and Equity
Join us for a special evening of intersectional dialogue as we welcome acclaimed poet Hieu Minh Nguyen to share his unique perspective on navigating the intersections of queer and Vietnamese-American identities. This event dives into an enlightening and empowering exploration of identity, culture, and self-expression. [Registration required—see link]
13th Annual U-M Pakistan Conference—Undoing Linguistic Hegemony: Rethinking Belonging and Identity Through and Beyond Urdu
March 29, 2024 | 9:00 a.m.
Weiser Hall, 10th floor
Sponsored by Center for South Asian Studies and International Institute
This conference interrogates how studies on language use in Pakistan have been conceptualized and received. With an eye towards native linguistic diversity that has challenged colonial-nationalist notions of monolingualism, the 13th Annual Conference on Pakistan seeks to disentangle the relationships between national, regional, and local languages.
Anti-Racism Teach-In
April 4, 2024 | 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Michigan Union, MESA (suite 3000)
Sponsored by MESA
This MESA Anti-Racism Teach-in is peer-led and tailored to the Asian American & Pacific Islander community, offering a space for attendees to communicate with each other, discuss their own perceptions and worldviews about race and privilege, and engage in productive dialogue that will create more equitable and accessible spaces. Our hope is to raise critical consciousness and understand opportunities for action. [Registration required—see link]
MAASU Spring Conference
April 5-7, 2024 | All day
University of Michigan
Sponsored by MESA, United Asian American Organizations, Spectrum Center, Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives, Rackham Graduate School, National Center for Institutional Diversity, Department of American Culture, Barger Leadership Institute, Ford School Center for Racial Justice, The Song Foundation, APIAVote, UMMA, Michigan MAPAAC, MCASA, ASA, and Central Student Government.
This spring, we invite the collegiate APIDA community to join in a 3-day conference composed of interactive workshops, networking, team-building activities, entertainment, and more! The first 100 U-M students to register will receive 100% reimbursement through UAAO. Please connect with them via [email protected]. [Registration required—see link]
Workshop: Detroit Activism
April 6, 2024 | 11:00 a.m.
Location TBA
Sponsored by LSA American Cultures
What Asian American Activism looks like: Detroit style.
A Night for Nostalgia—Community Mural & Childhood Movie Night
April 10, 2024 | 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
School of Social Work ECC
Sponsored by MESA's Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month Committee and The Program on Intergroup Relations
A night where we connect to our childhood memories via community art, sharing our experiences over a nostalgic AA&PI movie and food. Prompts will be scattered around the mural paper relating to AA&PI childhood experiences: feelings of disconnect or connect to our culture, familial expectations, etc.
Culture in the Courtyard: South Asia
April 10, 2024 | 6:00 p.m.
Michigan Union, Courtyard
Sponsored by Center for Campus Involvement
Celebrate South Asian culture at the Michigan Union. Come enjoy free food, performances, trivia, and different students organizations with a focus on South Asian culture!
Pasifika Film & Discussion
April 12, 2024 | 5:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Haven Hall, Room 3512
Sponsored by MESA's Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month Committee
OSA extends a warm welcome to all who enjoy learning about the Pacific and invites you to join us for a special screening and discussion of Next Goal Win. Let us immerse you in the world of Pacific film and snacks!
Nesian Game Night
April 13, 2024 | 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Michigan Union, MESA (3000)
Sponsored by MESA's Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month Committee
Join us for a special game night in Pasifika style! Games include "Smash or Pass", "CHamoru Bingo", and "Pusoy Dos"! We look forward to a great night filled with "typhoon games" and refreshments!
Japan Culture Festival
April 14, 2024 | 12:00 p.m.
Mason Hall Posting Wall
Sponsored by Japan Student Association
The Japan Culture Festival is an immersive celebration that aims to transport attendees into the vibrant world of Japanese culture. The festival is an opportunity to feel the joy of Japanese culture by opening up four game booths, additional two booths providing traditional Japanese food, and performances.
Learn to Make Kimbap!
April 15, 2024 | 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Location TBA
Sponsored by MESA's Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month Committee
An interactive event that invites people to learn how to make kimbap, and enjoy their food afterwards, while also learning about the cultural significance behind it.
Block Printing Event
April 16, 2024 | 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Mason Hall, Room 3411
Sponsored by MESA's Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month Committee
Join us for a block printing workshop where you can create your own wall hanging in CHamoru patterns! All supplies will be provided! [Registration required—see link]
Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month Gala
April 18, 2024 | 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
University of Michigan Museum of Art
Sponsored by MESA's Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month Committee
Celebrate the conclusion of AA&PI Heritage Month with an unforgettable evening featuring performances by our talented student organizations. [Registration required—see link]
PI Karaoke Night
April 19, 2024 | 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Haven Hall, Room 3512
Sponsored by MESA's Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month Committee
Ready to get your JBoog on? Join OSA for a Jawaiian and Pasifika Karaoke Night where we'll share our favourite island jamz. We welcome all who would like to share a song, a form of release and community that is common to all Pasifika gatherings!
Reading and discussion with author Putsata Reang — Stories Hold the Cure
April 22, 2024 | 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
UMMA, Helmut Stern Auditorium
Sponsored by UMMA and MESA
Putsata Reang is co-presented by UMMA and Multi Ethnic Student Affairs on the occasion of the UMMA exhibition Angkor Complex: Cultural Heritage and Post-Genocide Memory in Cambodia and Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
HERITAGE MONTHS
Submit an event to the AA&PI Heritage Month calendar
Help us co-create this calendar to receive a commemorative U-M AA&PI Heritage Month badge you can add to your marketing materials.