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WSU Asian Heritage Month 2019 significantly different from past years

karen korematsu 1

WSU Asian Heritage Month 2019 significantly different from past years / Karen Korematsu, provided by LANA


 

Every year in observance of Asian Heritage Month, the Office of Latinx, Asian, and Native American Affairs (LANA) organizes events on campus to celebrate Asian heritage, culture, and history. This year, however, LANA is going about the celebration completely differently.

For this first time, LANA’s Asian Heritage Month celebration will involve both students and faculty, according to Julia Acosta, LANA Director.

Acosta said there are about 158 Asian faculty and staff and about 650 Asian students at Wright State.

“We have never (before) collaborated as a whole with this group of outstanding faculty and staff,” Acosta said. “We’ve got knowledge, research, and outstanding faculty at this university, so collaboration with them was something that I knew had to happen.”

Wright State faculty and staff members that will participate in Asian Heritage Month programs include Chigon Kim, associate professor of sociology and anthropology; Shu Schiller, interim associate dean of the Raj Soin College of Business; Ahsan Mian, associate professor of mechanical and materials engineering; Carol Meija-LaPerle, professor of English language and literatures; Sirisha C. Naidu, associate professor of economics; Huma Aman Bashir, assistant professor of human services; Nimisha Patel, assistant chair of teacher education; and Mia Honaker, administrative support coordinator for LANA, according to a news release from Wright State.

In addition, LANA scrapped some events from past celebrations while introducing new ones and has partnered with multiple community organizations including The University of Dayton School of Law, Sinclair Community College, The Dayton International Peace Museum, Dayton Metro Library, and The Asian American Council of Dayton.

“We thought the money and the resources would be better spent on collaborations and doing things a little uniquely.”

Asian Heritage Month kicked off with “And Then They Came for Us: Fred Korematsu and His Fight for Justice” presented by Karen Korematsu last Friday, March 22.

Karen Korematsu, Fred’s daughter, is the founder and executive director of the Fred T. Korematsu Institute, a non-profit which advances racial equality, social justice, and human rights for all, according to the organization’s website. Fred Korematsu was an Asian-American civil rights activist who challenged the legality of the U.S. government’s internment of Japanese Americans during World War II in a U.S. Supreme Court case.

Other events will include the following, according to a release.

  • “Journey to India” from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 4 in the Student Union Atrium
  • A student experience panel at 11 a.m. on April 11 in the Student Union Atrium
  • “Changing Political Climate in Asia,” a lecture by Laura Luehrmann, professor of political science and director of the Master in International and Comparative Politics Program at Wright State, at 2:30 p.m. on April 11 in Student Union Atrium
  • A Japanese tea ceremony from noon to 1:30 p.m. on April 17 in the Student Union Atrium

Acosta thanked the community for its support and said her office is always working to increase diversity at Wright State.

“I think we’ve done that this time around,” she said.

Lucas Gonzalez

Former News Editor

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