Asian Pacific Heritage Month Begins April 7 at Cal State Fullerton

Asian Pacific Heritage Month will be celebrated April 7-May 2 at Cal State Fullerton, where activities will include film screenings, poetry readings, lectures and evenings designed to sample Asian cultural offerings.

The theme for the month is “Fusion,” and all events are open to the public.

To kick off the celebration Wednesday, April 7, Cindy Tran, County of Orange Social Services, will present “Vietnamese Boat People: One Woman’s Journey to the U.S.” at noon in Langsdorf Hall, Room 308. That evening, Trangdai Tranguyen, Vietnamese Americans Project manager for the university’s Center for Oral and Public History, will present “Vietnamese American Oral History: Methodology and Discourse” at 5 p.m. in Humanities-Social Sciences Building, Room 124.

The India International Club will hold a culture night titled “Masti Bhaari Raat” from 6-10 p.m. Saturday, April 10, in Pacific Auditorium at Hope International University (2500 E. Nutwood Ave., Fullerton). Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. The event is free to CSUF students with their TitanCard.
A delegation of 15 scholars from Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh will answer questions about Islam from noon-1 p.m. in the Titan Student Union’s Gabrielino Room on Monday, April 12.

An “International Symposium on Multi-Cultural Counseling” will be held Tuesday, April 13, in the Titan Student Union’s Alvarado Room from 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. The symposium will feature panel discussions and lectures by administrators and faculty members from De La Salle University, University of the Philippines and Ateneo de Manila University, as well as Cal State Fullerton. Also that evening, two screenings of the film “Whale Rider” will be held at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. in the Titan Student Union’s Titan Theatre.

“The Awakening,” a human rights festival and resource fair, will be held in the Cypress Building of the Cobb Residence Halls from 3-6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 14.

On Thursday, April 15, a film screening and discussion of “The Friendship Village” with filmmaker Michelle Manson, will be held from 2:30-4:45 p.m. in Pollak Library, Room 363. Also on April 15, from 3-5 p.m. Amir Abdul Malik, a former Black Panther, will speak on “Islam and the African American Community” in the Titan Student Union’s Titan Theatre.

The photo exhibit “Faceless Wounds: Nameless Peace,” a film screening of “Running in Tall Grasses” and poetry readings are on the dock for Saturday, April 17, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Nguoi Viet Daily News’ Community Room (14771 Morgan St., Westminster). That evening the Chinese Student Association will present its culture night show, “Chinese Singing and Dancing” at 6:30 p.m. at the China Press Hall (2121 W. Mission Road, Alhambra). Tickets are $10 and $5 for CSUF students with their TitanCard.

On Tuesday, April 20 at 8:30 a.m., Asian American Studies will host a film screening of “Charlotte Sometimes” in McCarthy Hall, Room 238. Also on April 20, “It’s a Family Affair: Family Labor and Daughters of Filipina/o American Immigrant Navy Families” will be presented by Jocelyn Pacleb, lecturer in Asian American studies, at noon in University Hall, Room 205.

A discussion of the film “Charlotte Sometimes,” with co-author and director Eric Byler, will take place Thursday, April 22, at 8:30 a.m. in the Pollak Library, Room 360. Also on April 22, Kiran Ahuja, national director of National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, will speak at 10 a.m. on “A South Asian Woman in the Justice Department” in the Ruby Gerontology Center’s Mackey Auditorium. At 1 p.m. Ahuja will speak on “Economic Justice Issues Affecting Asian and Pacific American Women” in McCarthy Hall, Room 513. In addition, Ahuja will present “Growing Up as a South Asian Women in the South” in Langsdorf Hall, Room 307 at 4 p.m. Finally, from 7-10 p.m. the same evening, a show titled “Bootilicious: Breaking Through Gender Barriers” will be hosted by the Lesbian, Gay Bisexual Alliance in the Titan Student Union’s Portola Pavilion.

On Friday, April 23, Asian American Studies and the Intercultural Development Center are hosting a field trip from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. to Garden Grove. Participants will visit the Cao Dai Temple and Korea Town with host Son Kim Vo, coordinator of the university’s Intercultural Development Center.

Registration for the tour is required; call 657-278-3400. The Japanese Student Association will host a tea ceremony April 23, from 1-4 p.m. in the Titan Student Union’s Portola Pavilion. Tickets are $5 in advance and $7 at the door. From 6-9 p.m. that evening, the Vietnamese Catholic Student Association will host “Black April Commemoration,” which will feature lectures, video and a candlelight vigil to mark the events leading up to the fall of Saigon, at a location to be determined.

“Leadership 101” is a two-day leadership training workshop beginning April 23, designed for Asian and Pacific Islander college students. The event is presented by the Organization of Chinese Americans and sponsored by State Farm Insurance Co. For additional information on this event visit http://www.ocanatl.org.

Eliza Noh, assistant professor of Asian American studies, will discuss “Interdisciplinary Approaches to Analyzing Asian American Women’s Suicide Narratives” at noon Wednesday, April 28, in University Hall, Room 205. The Asian Pacific Student Association will host “FUZION,” a night of music and dance, from 7-10 p.m. April 28 in the Titan Student Union’s Portola Pavilion.

On Thursday, April 29, Edwin Zane, vice president of Media Action Network for Asian Americans, will speak on “Asian Americans and the Media” at 8:30 a.m. in Humanities-Social Sciences Building, Room 521. Also on April 29, Helie Lee, author of “Still Life With Rice” and “In the Absence of Sun,” will speak on contemporary Asian American literature in Pollak Library, Room 360, at 11:30 a.m.

On Sunday, May 2, the Pilipino American Student Association will wrap up Asian Pacific Heritage Month as members present their culture show, “Pack-It,” from 6-10 p.m. at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts (14900 La Mirada Blvd.). Tickets are $8 in advance and $12 at the door. The event is free to CSUF students with their TitanCard.

More information about these events can be obtained by calling the Multicultural Leadership Center at 657-278-7366.

Sponsors of Asian Pacific Heritage Month include Akido Club, Asian American Christian Fellowship, Asian American Studies, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Asian Faculty and Staff Association, Asian Pacific Student Association, Association for Inter-Cultural Awareness, Associated Students Inc., Cambodian Student Association, Center for Oral and Public History, Chinese Student Association, Comparative Religion Department, Comparative Religion Student Association, English, Comparative Literature and Linguistics Department, History Department, History Alumni Association, Intercultural Development Center, Japanese Student Association, Korea Campus Crusade for Christ, Kung Fu Club, Lesbian Gay Bisexual Alliance, Links Mentor Program, Multicultural Leadership Center, Multicultural Mentor Project, Pakistani Student Association, Pilipino American Student Association, Tae Kwon Do Club, Taiwanese Student Association, Thai-American Student Association, Theta Delta Beta Fraternity, University Honors and Scholars, Vietnamese Catholic Student Association, Vietnamese Student Association, Women’s Center and Wushu Team.