Asian/Asian American History Month celebrated its 25th anniversary at Brown with a convocation in the List Art Center Tuesday night.
AAHM began in 1980 as Asian American Awareness Month. "Asians at Brown felt that other Brown students didn't know much about their culture," said Minjeong Sur '06, adding that she hoped that the event now would "get people thinking about Asian issues."
AAHM will focus on Southeast Asian cultures this year, a shift in its traditional focus on East Asian cultures. By chance, AAHM also corresponds with National Filipino American History Month.
The convocation's keynote speaker, Kiran Ahuja, the executive director of the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum, confessed that although she is Indian American, she speaks only English. "I am so close to my Indianness ... yet I can't speak the language," Ahuja said.
She told the audience that she envied Brown students for their ability to study and learn in an environment that encourages "progressive intellectual discourse."
A political advocate, Ahuja said she challenges policymakers to constantly ask, "What does that mean for Asian Pacific American women?" Asian American women have the highest abortion rate in the United States, she said, and Asian women are frequently exploited in the international sex trade.
"We are a community to be reckoned with," Ahuja said. She is passionate about her job and the issues she faces, she said, because "the personal and the political are one and the same for me."
One of the main attractions of the event was a performance by the spoken word group Archipelg-a. Comprised of eight female Filipina students, the group recounted witnessing class injustice in Manila, the feelings of dependency that can follow falling in love and the degradation felt by Asian girls when they are stereotyped by men. The group members stated their belief in the power of women, their pride in being Filipina and their desire "to think, to love, to live."
Jennet Sambour '03, who works as the Southeast Asian American women's leadership advocate for the Southeast Asian Resource Action Center, was the alumni speaker for the event. In her friendly and candid speech, she recounted her poignant memories of her years at Brown and discussed the challenges she faces in her new job. Having designed her own position, Sambour said she initially found herself "floundering" under the challenge. She advised Brown students to "be fearless in all that you do," encouraging them to take a class or join an activity that may intimidate them.
AAHM co-coordinators Sur and Juhyung Harold Lee '06 made opening remarks, with Sur expressing her gratitude for "the rich history and legacy created for us by our predecessors." Lee introduced the theme of the month - "Loving being Asian/Asian American."
The event also featured a performance by the Brown Chinese Lion Dance team, which practices a traditionally Malaysian dance style and is the only collegiate Lion dance team in Rhode Island, according to the team's captain, Myra Pong '06.
Students' reactions to the convocation were enthusiastic and appreciative. "I thought it was awesome," said Soyoung Park '09, adding that she especially commended the event's emphasis on the "Asian-American community outside of Brown."
AAHM will have many events throughout the month, including a Southeast Asian Bazaar, a cricket game on the Main Green and several movie nights.