AANHPI Heritage Month brings campus and community events to Tacoma and Seattle
Campus celebrations and community gatherings will highlight Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander stories, food, art and history throughout the month.
By M.J. Cameron
May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a time to recognize their histories, experiences and contributions. UW Tacoma, Seattle and Tacoma will host several campus and community events throughout the month to celebrate.
UW Campus Events
UW Tacoma YMCA will host Multicultural Night: Rediscovering Roots from 6 to 8:30 p.m. May 9 in rooms 303/304. Jan Parker Cookery will cater the event, and it will also include performances by student and community groups. The event is free for students, and registration is available through Jotform.
Ribbon Lei Making will take place from 5 to 6 p.m. May 4 at the YMCA Student Center. According to the registration form, a Hawaiian lei symbolizes the aloha spirit. Historically, leis signified status and divine connection. Today, they are often given to celebrate milestones such as graduations and weddings, or to show respect, gratitude and hospitality.
AAPI THRIVE will host a study table from noon to 2:30 p.m. on May 11 in Snoqualmie 150 (SNO). The SNO 150 Kitchen will also host a candy lei-making event with Kiko Salas, a university academic adviser for first-year and pre-major students, from 12:30 to 2 p.m. on May 28.
City Events
Asian Counseling and Referral Service will host its Walk for Rice event from 9 a.m. to noon May 16 at Seward Park in Seattle. The event brings communities together to support the ACRS Food Bank in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District and raises awareness about food insecurity in Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities. Participants can create a fundraising team or join an existing one through the website.
The Washington State History Museum will host its 9th Annual South Sound Day of Remembrance: A Gathering of Japanese American Stories from 4 to 8 p.m. May 21. The event marks 84 years since the forced removal of Japanese Americans from South Puget Sound in May 1942, according to the museum’s event details.
Curated by Tamiko Nimura, the event will feature a book fair and readings from authors sharing Japanese American stories. Featured authors include Kiik Araki Kawaguchi, Kelly Goto and Sharon Hashimoto. The event will also include a procession from the museum to Union Station.
Together, the events offer students and community members several ways to celebrate AANHPI Heritage Month, from cultural performances and lei-making activities to community service and historical remembrance. Through food, storytelling and shared traditions, the month’s programming highlights the diversity and ongoing contributions of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities across the South Sound and Seattle.
