Every May — which is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month — the Office of Pluralism and Leadership and a student planning committee plan a series of events throughout the month to celebrate AAPI culture, stories, identity and history.
This year, the theme of the programming is “Folk/Lore,” with “Folk” representing the Dartmouth AAPI community and “Lore” emphasizing the diverse and sweeping stories and mythology of Asian and Pacific Islander history.
The Hopkins Center for the Arts is hosting an “AAPI Heritage Month Film Series” in collaboration with OPAL. The series will feature a range of films from Asian and Asian-American filmmakers, in addition to shorts made by Dartmouth students within the AAPI community. Featured films include “Parasite” director Bong Joon Ho’s new movie “Mickey 17,” Filipino American revenge comedy “Bitter Melon,” Bollywood and Caribbean musical romantic comedy “Bazodee” and Oscar-winning Palestinian-Israeli collective-directed documentary “No Other Land.”
On May 1, the festivities kicked off with Dartmouth’s student-led Pacific Islander organization Hokupa’a held Lei Day in Collis Common Ground, where students had the opportunity to make their own handmade leis. Hōkūpa’a will continue their celebration of heritage with a lū’au on May 11 on Baker Lawn.
Other student groups, including the Thai Student Association and the Korean Student Association, will be hosting events alongside the Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month Student Planning Committee. This week, on May 6 there will be a Fireside Chat with author Zaina Arafat in Collis Common Ground. On May 7, Arafat will host a reading of her book “You Exist Too Much” at Still North Books and Bar.
On May 15 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., The Hood Museum will host an artist talk with Korean contemporary artist Choe U-Ram. U-Ram focuses on the intersections between art and machinery in his creation of kinetic sculptures. According to the Hood’s website, U-Ram’s mechanical art reflects Korea’s rapid industrialization and cultural fixation with technology during the 1970s. His sculptures reflect the narratives of Korean national and personal histories.
On May 23, “Pan Asian Community Culture Night” will take place in Collis Common Ground from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. All students and organizations “who feel connected to Pan Asian culture” are encouraged to perform. The event is inspired by the Dartmouth Asian Organization’s Culture Nights and seeks to illuminate the breadth of Pan Asian culture and performance talent at Dartmouth.
A variety of other events will take place to celebrate AAPI heritage and culture, including a Night Market kickoff event tonight on Massachusetts Row. AAPI programming will end with a karaoke and raffle event with Collis After Dark on May 30.
