Asian Pacific Heritage Month events set for April
Article By: Agnes Hina
Actress Brittany Ishibashi will serve as keynote speaker for the University of North Georgia's (UNG) Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month celebrations in April. Her keynote address will be held virtually at noon April 13, with watch parties on UNG's Gainesville, Dahlonega Cumming, and Oconee campuses.
Ishibashi is best known for her roles in Marvel's hit show "Runaways" on Hulu and "Hawaii Five-0." Aside from working in front of the camera, Ishibashi has a passion for producing innovative, engaging content. She launched her comedic, female-driven production company, Mana Moments, in 2015.
The month's celebrations kick off on April 7 at noon with Kahoot, a virtual game of trivia to test students' knowledge of AAPI history, with $50 prizes on the line.
It's important for everyone to get involved in AAPI Heritage Month to expand our understanding of the culture, which has often been portrayed in a very narrow way. MSA seeks to expand that horizon of understanding by showing different perspectives,
Kyle Murphy
assistant director of Multicultural Student Affairs
Courageous Conversation is a chance for those on campus who are potentially overlooked to share their voices and respond to issues on a panel April 12 at noon.
"It's important for everyone to get involved in AAPI Heritage Month to expand our understanding of the culture, which has often been portrayed in a very narrow way. MSA seeks to expand that horizon of understanding by showing different perspectives," Kyle Murphy, assistant director of Multicultural Student Affairs (MSA) said.
The month of celebration concludes with two movie nights. The first is "Boogie" at 12 p.m. April 20 in the MSA Office on the Gainesville Campus.
The second, "Raya and the Last Dragon," will be at noon April 21 in the MSA Office on the Dahlonega Campus.
The Asian Student Association in Dahlonega will also be hosting the following events throughout the month: Japanese calligraphy, Bollywood Zumba class, karaoke night, and Vietnamese coffee tasting.
Congress in 1978 created AAPI month. It wasn't until 1990 that President George H.W. Bush transitioned the holiday celebration, which was initially adopted as a weeklong nationwide celebration by president Jimmy Carter, to a monthlong celebration.
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