Students can play Chinese yo-yo and get henna tattoos at the Hippodrome State Theatre on Saturday.
UF’s Asian Pacific Islander American Affairs Office will host its second annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Month celebration with a new theme: elevation. The event will start at 11 a.m., said Amy Chen, a student ambassador for APIA Affairs.
Chen, 21, said Asian accomplishments are often overshadowed, and this year’s celebration symbolizes the community’s progress.
“We’re moving forward and having other people more aware of Asian American issues,” Chen said. “That was part of an inspiration for the theme.”
There will be someone playing the veena, a traditional Indian string instrument, as well as poetry recitation, said Jeshow Yang, an ambassador for APIA Affairs.
The UF political science and economics sophomore said he grew up in an overwhelmingly white community, so he didn’t see Asian culture in everyday life.
“To see Asian American students putting up an event celebrating the culture, food and stuff like that, it’s more impactful for me, more empowering,” the 20-year-old said.
Steven Noll, a UF American history professor, said the Asian American community has been alienated throughout American history.
“There’s significant stereotyping that they are the immigrant group that has made it,” Noll said.
