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cut and arranged paper to resemble various Asian and Pacific Island flowers growing on the word 'Bloom'

Spring is a culturally important time for many people—a time of rebirth and renewal when the days get longer and warmer. Many cultures have important springtime festivals, rituals, and holidays to mark the transition from winter—most corresponding to the season. But the month of May is also a special time of year at the University of Utah because we celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month during May.

Emilio Manuel Camu, co-chair of the Asian Pacific Islander Alumni group, says that the heritage month is a positive step—”but we really should be celebrating Asian and Pacific Islander heritage all year and acknowledging its role here for more than 150 years.” He points to the Kanaka ‘Oiwi/Native Hawaiians who labored to build the Salt Lake LDS Temple and founded the Iosepa settlement in Skull Valley. Co-chair, Janzelle Tutor agrees, “we aren’t just our cultural celebrations, food, and dance.”

It’s important for us to also use the occasion to recognize the challenges this community has faced over the past few years says Cassie Zamora-Cathcart, chair of the AAPI Heritage Month committee and director of the Center for Equity & Student Belonging (CESB). “In many ways, COVID has been hard for all of us—but it’s been acutely challenging and painful for those in our Asian and Pacific Islander community.” That’s due in no small part to the role of anti-Asian hate that’s been amplified by the pandemic and by political rhetoric targeting the community.

Theodore S. Gonsalves, director for the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center says COVID and its global impact “has shaken our communities to the core, revealing long-standing and often unacknowledged inequalities.” In fact, it was exactly this tension—between wanting to celebrate AAPI excellence but also giving the community a space to process grief—that led the AAPI Heritage Month committee to choose “Bloom with Us” as this year’s theme.

“Spring is beautiful—everything is blooming and colorful, even here in the high desert of Utah. But it’s also a time when we’re leaving the cold and dark of winter behind,” says Tricia Sugiyama, director of EDI projects and a member of the planning committee. She says this year’s committee felt that many in the AAPI community were experiencing similar feelings. “The pandemic has been so hard, so isolating, and so painful—with even recent instances of violence against Asians—but despite these challenges, our community is so resilient we will continue to bloom.”

This year’s AAPI Heritage Month will begin with a kickoff event in the Union Lobby during the last week of classes. A number of tables will have activities and information about the history of AAPI Heritage Month, as well as traditional arts and crafts for students to explore. There will also be a graffiti wall where students, faculty, and staff (and anyone from the community who attends) will be invited to answer the question, who has helped you bloom? Other events during the month will include a special Undocu-Asian and Pacific Islander student event (online), focusing on local experiences; the Asian American Student Association (AASA) graduation and another celebration for Pacific Islander graduates to be held before EDI Graduation; and social media takeovers by the students of CESB.

Zamora-Cathcart says these events are intended to give the campus an opportunity to come together, support each other, share, and celebrate the many achievements of our vibrant and vital Asian American and Pacific Islander community. They are also part of Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion’s IntersectX12 initiative—intended to honor these cultural celebrations and communities year-round.

To learn more about the AAPI Heritage Month “Bloom with Us” events at the U, please visit the EDI website or the Center for Equity and Student Belonging. Events may be submitted to the Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month calendar.

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is part of the IntersectX12 initiative. IntersectX12 (“intersect times twelve”) is a reminder that we must strive to honor individuals’ intersecting identities not only during nationally recognized months, so we encourage you to honor, celebrate, and engage with our communities every day, 12 months a year. As members of underrepresented groups have made and continue to make countless contributions to our campus community, IntersectX12 serves as a year-round acknowledgment of the work being done to create an inclusive space where everyone feels they belong.

Identity  IntersectX12  Representation