May: Focus on AA/PI Heritage Month

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders heritage month

March through May, Yale celebrates Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders within our community. Explore the many groups, events, media, and other opportunities that celebrate our colleagues and classmates.

Community members may celebrate other cultural and religious observances in May. Have we missed something? Please let us know.

Engagement Opportunities

Arts

at home Artists in Conversation, Yale Center for British Art

Rina Banerjee
Born in Kolkata, India, Banerjee grew up in London; Manchester, England; Philadelphia; and New York. She began her career as a polymer research chemist and later earned a master’s degree in fine art (painting) from Yale in 1995. After graduating, she taught classes in studio practice, art theory, and feminist art. Banerjee has exclusively practiced her studio art now for over twenty years. She has lent two works for display in the Center’s upcoming exhibition Art in Focus: Women From the Center that tie together themes explored in the exhibition and capture the essence of all art-making: the human imagination.

An-My Lê
Watch a conversation held with An-My Lê, is a Vietnamese American photographer who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. Born in Vietnam in 1960, she and her family fled Vietnam in 1975, the final year of the Vietnam War, and settled in the United States as political refugees. Her photographs and films look at the impact, consequences, and representation of war, often framing a tension between the natural landscape and its violent transformation into battlegrounds.

Native American Cultural Center

HUI - A Native Hawaiian Art Exhibit, April 8, 2023 - May 7, 2023

HUI, located on the third level of the Native American Cultural Center, showcases Native Hawaiian art through the beginning of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Books and Library Resources

Yale University Library
Yale University Library has an extensive collection of books, electronic resources, and special collections manuscripts related to the Asian American and Pacific Islander experience across many different topics and disciplines. These materials may be found across the Yale Library system by searching the library’s catalog and archival collections using combinations of terms such as “Asian American literature” or specific Asian ethnicities. Additionally, you may search the library’s catalog for “Pacific islands literature” or “Pacific Islander Americans.” Additional resources include:

Gary Okihiro Library, Asian American Cultural Center
The Gary Okihiro Library collection includes over 2,000 books, donated by Gary Okihiro, and dedicated to Asian American Studies.

Courses

Council on East Asian Studies, Yale MacMillan Center
The Council on East Asian Studies (CEAS) offers both a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree and a terminal Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in East Asian Studies. Learn about these programs, as well as information on East Asian-related courses, fellowships administered by CEAS, study abroad opportunities, and the Council’s postdoctoral program.

Council on Southeast Asian Studies
The Council on Southeast Asian Studies at Yale University oversees a multifaceted interdisciplinary program promoting education, research, and intellectual exchange on the cultures, politics, history and economies of Southeast Asia. Yale currently maintains one of the most extensive Southeast Asia library collections in the United States.

South Asian Studies Council
The South Asian Studies Council at Yale is committed to promoting a comprehensive understanding of historical and contemporary South Asia, encompassing Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

Native American and Indigenous Studies
Access a list of resources for Indigenous research and study developed by the Native American Cultural Center.

LinkedIn Learning
Explore free courses on LinkedIn Learning, including courses on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Events

Wonderful Books and Where to Find Them!, Saturday May 6, 2023, 11 am
The New Haven Free Public Library, in partnership with the Yale Affinity Groups, is excited to bring you this book club for families focusing on topics of social importance! This month we focus on Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with a sharing of American Desi by Jyoti Rajan Gopal. Come for the reading, stay for the discussion! Also, please enjoy the following resources associated with this event:

Asian Network @ Yale (ANY) Events, May 2023
ANY is hosting a series of events in honor of AA/PI Heritage Month. Visit their calendar for upcoming opportunities this May.

Films and TV Series

Asian American Cultural Center (AACC) YouTube Channel
Watch videos developed by the AACC on topics ranging from “On Asian Diasporic Pop Artists and Cultural World Building” to “The Latinos of Asia: How Filipino Americans Break the Rules of Race,” and more.

Asian Film Online
Asian film online features a selection of narrative feature films, documentaries and shorts curated by film scholars and critics. The collection offers perspectives and insights onto themes relevant across Asia, including modernity, globalization, female agency, social and political unrest, and cultural and sexual identity.

Yale in Hollywood – Asian-American Filmmakers (2021)
Watch a recap of a discussion hosted in 2021 with Yalie Asian-American Filmmakers to celebrate AAPI Heritage Month in 2021. Speakers discussed their paths from Yale to Hollywood, AAPI representation in Hollywood, and what attendees can do to help improve AAPI representation in Hollywood. Oscar/Emmy winning speakers have worked on Fosse/Verdon, Disney Pixar’s Soul, Grey’s Anatomy, Jerry Maguire, West Wing, Supergirl, Superman Returns, Warrior, White Frog and more. Speakers included Chris Lee, Jessica Yu, Quentin Lee, Paula Yoo, Rich Ting, and Esther Chae.

Organizations, Offices, and Centers of Engagement

Association of Asian American Yale Alumni (AAAYA)
The Association of Asian American Yale Alumni (AAAYA) is a volunteer-run, membership based, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that provides a vehicle for Yale University alumni to promote the civic participation, leadership and service of Asian Americans and Asians at Yale and in the broader society.

Asian American Cultural Center
The Asian American Cultural Center (AACC) plays a key role in ensuring the development and enhancement of Yale University’s commitment to the Asian and Asian American community. The AACC seeks to build a dynamic Asian and Asian American presence at Yale, support student exploration of identity development, and empower them to take an active role in shaping their learning experiences. The AACC is committed to engaging the Asian and Asian American student body, Yale University, and the greater New Haven community in the learning and celebration of cultures, traditions, and issues related to the varied experiences of the Asian diaspora.

Also, be sure to check out the AACC’s extensive list of affiliate organizations, entirely led by students.

Asian Network @ Yale
ANY’s mission is to connect, inspire, and empower the community of Asian Heritage professionals, supporting Yale’s ability to excel in an increasingly complex, competitive and diverse world.

External Organizations
Review a list of external organizations developed by the Asian Network @ Yale.

Intercultural Affairs Council
The Intercultural Affairs Council (IAC) is dedicated to creating cultural awareness and inclusivity on campus by providing student advocacy and support to registered student organizations in their sponsorship of events that promote intercultural dialogue and understanding.

Native American Cultural Center
Established in 1993, the Native American Cultural Center (NACC) promotes and supports Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, First Nations, and other Indigenous cultures and communities. The center hopes to support the Native/Indigenous community, as well as the greater Yale community, to Indigenous issues and culture by bringing programming to campus that includes events such as speakers, artist talks and installations, and conversations with leading Indigenous intellectuals. NACC also has many undergraduate student organizations that are committed to establishing and perpetuating a Indigenous presence at Yale.

Native American Yale Alumni (NAYA)
Established in 2002, NAYA’S goals include providing communal and financial support for current Native undergraduate and graduate students at Yale, establishing a political presence supporting Native American issues in academia, and facilitating a supportive alumni network.

Office of Diversity and Inclusion
The Office of Diversity & Inclusion (ODI) collaborates with departments and individuals across the Yale campus to promote a respectful, accessible and inclusive community for all Yale employees.

Office of Institutional Equity and Accessibility
The Office of Institutional Equity and Accessibility (OIEA) is responsible for ensuring Yale’s commitment to equitable and inclusive working and learning environments. This includes administering Yale’s Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment.

Yale-China Association
Yale-China (雅礼协会) bridges American and Chinese cultures by creating lasting, transformative partnerships and experiences in education, health, and the arts.

Yale Group for the Study of Native America (YGSNA)
The Yale Group for the Study of Native America (YGSNA) began in 2003 as an interdisciplinary working group interested in topics relating to Native America. It has become Yale’s overarching graduate student as well as scholarly working group dedicated to study of Native American and Indigenous peoples.

Social Media Channels

Additional Resources

Amplifying AAPI Voices 2022, Yale Daily News
Review the Yale Daily News’ special issue celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander communities! Explore a mix of reported content and thoughtful personal essays as well as multimedia and artwork.

Asian American Cultural Center Satoda Scholars Program
The Asian American Cultural Center Satoda Scholars Program awards research grants to undergraduate, graduate, and professional school students to conduct original research related to the mass forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II and/or Incarceration Studies more broadly.

Asian American Racial Justice Toolkit
Promoted by the Asian Network @ Yale, this toolkit is a project of love from the grassroots, from and by Asian American communities.

AAPI Addiction and Mental Health Resources
Promoted by the Asian Network @ Yale, list of mental health and substance abuse resources specifically for AAPI community.

Yale NUS College
Established in 2011, through a partnership between Yale University and the National University of Singapore, Yale-NUS College is a leading liberal arts and sciences college in Asia, with a residential program that integrates living and learning. Drawing on the resources and traditions of its founding universities, a Yale-NUS education promotes broad-based interdisciplinary learning across the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities complemented by depth of expertise in one’s major.

Yale and the World
Yale’s reach is both local and international. The University partners with its hometown of New Haven, Connecticut and engages with people and institutions across the globe in the quest to promote cultural understanding, improve the human condition, delve deeper into the secrets of the universe, and train the next generation of world leaders. Learn about Yale’s partnerships in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and more.