Celebrating the University's APIDA communities, culture and contributions
Learn all the ways you can celebrate APIDA Heritage month with the University community.
The University will once again celebrate Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Heritage Month in April rather than May to ensure the communities can be honored while more students, faculty and staff are on campus.
The term APIDA is pan-ethnic and includes South Asians. The word "desi" is used to describe the people and cultures of the Indian subcontinent.
Merchandise featuring the cultural logo created by the University for APIDA Heritage Month is available at the BookStores and on the University's Amazon site. A portion of the sales from both sites will go to Asian Pacific American Student Affairs to benefit students.
University Libraries will feature images from Special Collection archives documenting the contributions and experiences of APIDA communities in Tucson and beyond on its Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts throughout the month.
You can explore some of Special Collections' archives relating to local and national APIDA communities below:
- United States War Relocation Authority Papers: This collection includes publications, reports, manuals, correspondence, photographs and other materials relating mainly to the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.
- Collection of Chinese Documents From Tucson, Arizona: This collection contains personal papers, business records and related materials from a Chinese community, the Ying On Merchants and Labor Benevolent Association of Tucson, dating back as far as 1913.
University Libraries and the University of Arizona Press have also curated a reading list featuring books by APIDA authors.
Arizona Athletics will share APIDA student-athlete and employee profiles and interviews on its main Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts beginning in May.
The University is involved in several events to commemorate APIDA Heritage Month. They include:
Inter-Generational Trauma Workshop | April 7, 1-2 p.m., Student Union Memorial Center, Room 409A
Join an open conversation on "the family curse," or intergenerational trauma. APASA's embedded counselor, Max Lim, will facilitate an open conversation on intergenerational trauma, how it impacts family and what you can do about it. Food will be served. For more information, contact Lim, maxlim1993@arizona.edu.
Henna Night | Monday, April 10, 5-6 p.m., Student Union Memorial Center, Rooms 409J/K
Learn about henna cultural practices and artforms during this celebration. There will be live henna demonstrations, and food will be provided.
APIDA Queer Luncheon | April 19, 12-1:30 p.m., Student Union Memorial Center, Room 409A
Food will be provided at this free luncheon, which encourages queer Asian and Asian Pacific Islander Desi American undergraduate and graduate students to find a support network, bring the community together and discuss their unique experiences on campus. For more information, contact Tam Li-Vidal, tlividal@arizona.edu.
Sustainable Cooking Discussion | April 20, 12-2 p.m., Student Union Memorial Center, Room 409
This discussion about sustainable cooking and environmental justice is co-hosted by the Associated Students of the University of Arizona's Students for Sustainability and Asian Pacific American Student Affairs. .
Heritage Healing Practices Speaker Series: "Chinese Herbalism as American Medicine: A History of Chinese Doctors in the United States" | April 21, 10-11 a.m., Health Sciences Innovation Building, Room 305
In this talk, Tamara Venit-Shelton, professor of history at Claremont McKenna College, will discuss portions of her recent book, "Herbs and Roots: A History of Chinese Doctors in the American Medical Marketplace," which chronicles roughly 200 years of Chinese medicine as a dynamic system brought to the United States and transformed by Chinese immigrants, doctors and patients, as well as missionaries, scientists and merchants.
Heritage Healing Practices Speaker Series: "Chinese Medicine: An Ancient and Holistic Medicine" | April 25, 9:30-11 a.m., Health Sciences Innovation Building Forum
Hong Jin, a professor at the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine, will give an overview of Chinese medicine, including a brief history, and will discuss techniques used in the practice, such as acupuncture, moxibustion and adjunct therapies like herbal medicine and cupping therapy.
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