Asian American groups pool efforts to educate, celebrate

Asian Americans comprise 25 percent of the University community -- and this week, the campus will be exposed to the sights, sounds and tastes of their cultures. Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week, the only combined effort of all 18 University Asian groups, represents the culmination of work by 140 students, faculty and staff. Last year, the annual event attracted more than 3,000 people and this year's week promises to be even stronger, according to the event's advisor, Alvin Alvarez, a psychologist with Counseling and Psychological Services. "This week is a chance for the entire University to come together to learn and share," said Karlene Burrell, assistant director of the Greenfield Intercultural Center. "Everyone is welcome -- there is no excuse for anyone not to get involved." Alvarez said one of the reasons behind this event-filled week is the "issue of invisibility" for Asian students on campus. He added that the public often focuses on issues involving black verses white cultures, while completely overlooking the Asian population -- a major segment of the campus and the country. The University officially recognizes approximately 14 different Asian American cultural groups, but the U.S. Census Bureau recognizes 30 various cultures, with more than 100 different dialects. "These events are a statement of our presence on campus and show how we are reaching out to the entire community," Alvarez said. "This is also a glimpse of who we are and where we came from." Heritage Week is described as a "centerpiece" for the Asian community because of the opportunity it provides for the many groups to work together. Before the event started four years ago, the groups on campus rarely combined their efforts, Alvarez said. Burrell said the events improve in quality every year and this year's package appears to be one of the best. She said for the last several weeks, all people involved have been working late hours at the GIC. "This is big -- it is an event for Asian Americans, but it is not inclusive," Burrell said. "I know some Latinos, blacks and whites that are involved with the projects. Hey, I even got conned in." Last November, an executive board comprised of 20 people began planning the events for this year, led by co-chairs Tiya Lim, a Wharton junior and College senior Daphne Nisperos. This year, the board made an effort to represent women better, something that had not been a priority in the past. The two major speakers of the week are both women -- and are not Chinese or Japanese, another change from past years. Lim said that last night, the board was concentrating on the final touches for the week's events. "We are going over a few holes that have appeared, but there isn't a lot to do at this point," Lim said. "I think the board is going to celebrate with a cake." This evening, Cheryl Lau, former chief general counsel to Congress and former secretary of state for Nevada, will be speaking in Stiteler B-6 at 7 p.m. Lau is also running for Congress this year. The groups will host a candlelight vigil Tuesday night, paying homage to Asian Pacific American victims of hate crimes in the U.S. Alvarez said the national level of anti-Asian hate crimes has increased 300 percent over the past year. "Incidents of anti-Asian hate crime have even happened on this campus, especially jumpings and muggings," Alvarez said. "And because of the repeal [two years ago] of the racial harassment code, there is no systematic way to deal with the issue. "If you don't have a law in the books, there are never any violations," he said. "A lot of my kids feel like the hate crime is part of life in West Philly." Several new events have been included on this year's schedule, including a job fair and a political forum. The week will conclude Saturday with an "Epiphany" party, which includes an award ceremony and charity gala. SPECTRUM and the GIC are sponsoring the October 21-October 27 event. The Special Events Committee, through Connaissance, is also giving funds to APA Heritage Week.