Asian Pacific American Awareness Month is an annual celebration at Columbia University dedicated to promoting awareness of Asian-Pacific-American issues and history among the Columbia student body.
APAAM, however, is not a promotion of a monolithic APA identity. Instead, APAAM desires to highlight the multiplicities and evolving nature of the APA term, from its radical origins and its evolution as a symbol of empowerment to its modern applications. What we seek during this heritage month is to uncover the evolving nature of Asian-Pacific America.
This year, APAAM’s theme is “Beyond Face Value,” reflecting our goal to transcend popular notions of what it means to be an Asian-Pacific American. Significantly, the month’s programming and dialogue seeks to uncover the history of the APA term, which is rooted in the struggles, activism, and passions of APA communities. Their impact and voices resound with us today.
The term “Asian American” was first coined by the University of California, Berkeley’s Asian American Political Alliance in 1968, a time of tremendous student action. Acknowledging this history, APAAM recognizes that the term is inherently political and has radical roots. Asian-American history, however, stretches beyond the social-justice movements of the 1960s. It can be located in the California railroad workers of the mid- to late 19th century, in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, in Wong Kim Ark’s Supreme Court fight for citizenship in 1898, in the California Alien Land Laws of 1913, in Fred Korematsu’s struggle against Japanese internment, and, currently, in the everyday struggles of Asian immigrants to gain American citizenship. The list is exhaustive, and we continue to unravel and promote history while remaining mindful of the evolving nature and diversity of Asian America. Today, the Asian American community includes Pacific Islanders, in recognition of their similar struggles.
APAAM is not entirely designed to promote awareness or a common heritage. It’s also a time for self-reflection and an assessment of what we define as APA. The term is a bit problematic, leading many to assume that we are imposing a certain identity upon others, that we are seeking to represent all Asians and Asian Americans in a misguided inclusionary campaign, or that we are attempting to exclude non-Asian Americans. These are not the objectives of APAAM. Rather, APAAM accepts the contradictions and tensions of a heritage month. Nevertheless, we hope to provide a space for the entire Columbia community to have thoughtful discussions and programming about the constantly evolving APA term.
APAAM is important to the Columbia community because it is a time for students to come together, identify, deconstruct, and accept the contradictions inherent in heritage months. A popular misconception concerning APAAM is that it is a journey to discover our “roots” in our Asian “homelands.” Granted, many do have transnational ties to Asian countries that inform their experiences in the United States. But APAAM seeks to locate roots in the experiences of Asians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders in the United States—how we have been racialized, how we have interacted with other communities of color, and how we have actively and effectively resisted outside definitions of our communities.
APAAM, then, recognizes a constant negotiation of the past and present in an attempt to understand the future of APA communities and the issues important to its members. Of particular relevance this year is the 40th anniversary of the establishment of Asian-American studies as an academic discipline. We hope to celebrate this landmark, but, with respect to our theme, we will work to go beyond simply acknowledging the anniversary. We aim to discover how we may strengthen the current state of Asian-American studies, protect its future, and simultaneously empower ourselves.
Being an Asian American is not a static notion—it involves many variables, among them gender, sexual orientation, and class. Our history reflects that, and our present must as well. Indeed, APAAM 2009 cannot only be a celebration. It must also be critical self-reflection so that we may go beyond face value.
The author is a Columbia College senior majoring in history and concentrating in political science. She is co-chair on the APAAM board.