Vanderbilt celebrated Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Heritage Month through student organization-hosted events honoring the tradition of recognizing and celebrating APIDAs’ history, culture and contributions.
While APIDA Heritage Month is nationally recognized during May, Vanderbilt observes this celebration in October. Throughout the month, the Asian American Student Association hosted three main events under this year’s theme of flowers.
“As we were preparing for these three events, we chose our main theme as ‘flowers.’ We loved the idea of representing each country through its national flower, symbolizing the unique beauty and heritage of each culture within APIDA,” AASA’s APIDA Month committee said. “This theme allowed us to explore and appreciate the rich cultural significance each flower holds in its respective country.”
On Oct. 5, the Night Market, one of AASA’s signature events, featured student organization-run booths that allowed students to experience the diversity of various cultures while earning Asian snacks and prizes.
AASA hosted its second event, Fables & Florals, on Oct. 19. Students shared cultural stories and floral crafts over boba and spam musubi. Through storytelling, AASA aimed to create a connection between this year’s floral theme and traditional stories from various Asian cultures, according to AASA’s APIDA Month committee.
The third and final event was Taste of Asia, a sold-out ticketed event held in the Student Life Center on Oct. 27. Students were served various cultural dishes from across the Asian continent.
“Taste of Asia was very successful. It was great seeing so many people come together to explore and enjoy Asian foods and performances from a variety of backgrounds,” first-year Diva Saxena said.
As APIDA Heritage Month falls in the same month as Filipinx American History Month, the Philippine Intercultural Student Organization hosted events to jointly celebrate APIDA and Filipino heritage.
“This year, our leadership is focused on highlighting the diversity within the Filipino diaspora, particularly emphasizing the Pacific ties that many of our board members share,” senior Kee Dotimas, president of PISO, said.
PISO kicked off its celebrations with the Kadayawan festival, which originated from the Davao region in the Philippines and honors harvest, life and culture. PISO also participated in Feast Fest on Sept. 22, a celebration of global foods and cuisines, and was one of the participating booths at AASA’s Night Market, hosting the Talong Relay event.
PISO’s main event to honor both APIDA Heritage Month and Filipinx American History Month was co-creating Fido Bahay printed posters with Heather Moulder, Filipina-American print-making artist and Vanderbilt art professor. The showcase, hosted at the Bahay Art Show on Oct. 1, celebrated Filipino artists from the middle Tennessee area.
