AAPI-Heritage

Monday May 1:  

Opening Celebration! (Quad)

10:30AM-11:15AM. Taiko Drummers

Food Truck from 11AM-1PM

1PM-2:30PM Guest Speaker:
Viet ThanH Nguyen (Hy-flex and in the Forum)

Viet Thanh Nguyen’s novel The Sympathizer is a New York Times best seller and won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Other honors include the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, the Edgar Award for Best First Novel from the Mystery Writers of America, the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction from the American Library Association, the First Novel Prize from the Center for Fiction, a Gold Medal in First Fiction from the California Book Awards, and the Asian/Pacific American Literature Award from the Asian/Pacific American Librarian Association. Thanh is an English and American Studies Professor at UCLA
ZOOM LINK

Wednesday May 3:

3PM-4:30PM  Film Screening: Allegiance (reception 2:30-3:00) the Forum

The film is a recorded musical theater production. Sammy and Kei Kimura, Japanese American siblings living in California, hold opposing views of how best to counter the anti-Japanese sentiments sweeping America after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Sammy elects to join the 442nd Regimental Brigade as a sign of loyalty and solidarity, while Kei protests the unjust treatment of her race and calls for fairness. In a time of chaos and fear, both protagonists seek freedom and acceptance for themselves, their family, and their culture.

Friday May 5:
7PM The Choral & Vocal Program: Music of Japan: PAC

As a culminating event for his fall sabbatical project, Brandon Elliott and the Moorpark College Choral & Vocal Program will perform various Japanese choral works. 

The performance is at 7PM and features both the Moorpark College Concert Choir and Vocal Ensemble.

Wednesday May 10:   

12-1pm Yoga for students to destress and relax. Room HM 202 
Facilitated by professor Sydney Sims.

Dear Moorpark College Community,
May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month.  The Month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese people to the United States in May 7,1843. May is also significant because it marks Golden Spike Day, May 10, 1869, the completion of the transcontinental railroad that was built with the significant contributions of over 20,000 Chinese and other Asian and Pacific Islander workers.

AAPI people represent a wealth and diversity of cultural experiences within the United States. They have enriched the American society and are essential to its future. Despite the long and often ugly history of anti-Asian racism and violence, AAPI have been resilient and continue to thrive as the fastest growing ethnic or racial group between 2009 and 2019.

Moorpark College recognizes the contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. We celebrate and  confront shameful chapters in our history; we engage in difficult conversations because diversity not only enriches, but it is essential to the American story.  We strive to make a learning space for AAPI folk where their culture and traditions are respected. We open our hearts and minds to better understand the history and corresponding struggles of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. AAPI month makes concrete our college value of fostering cross cultural connections in a dynamic world. Our curriculum reflects and extends the voices and experiences of AAPI. Our campus community is stronger when everyone is welcome here. To that end, we commit to diversifying our faculty, staff, and administrators. In addition, this month we celebrate our AAPI staff, faculty and administrators and the impact they have made on the MC family.

The Multicultural Committee invites the campus and local community to enjoy this months events. Please join me and your colleagues in learning more about Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. The Moorpark College library has abundant resources for all interests. Here is a link

Happy Asian American and Pacific Islander Month!
Julius

 AAPI 2022 Events and Activities

Special Guest Performance and Talk: Guest Speaker and Pianist Dr. Irene Kim
Tuesday, May 3 from 1-2 PM 

About Dr. Kim

Korean-American pianist Irene Kim, a critically acclaimed prize-winner of international competitions, has performed across the globe in Europe, Asia, North America, and Australasia appearing in venues such as the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Library of Congress. She is known for her powerful and authoritative performances, which include the rare feat of performing Prokofiev's Third Piano Concerto without a conductor. As co-founder of Brightfeather with violinist Benjamin Hoffman, she tours internationally performing on both piano and harpsichord. Continuously fascinated by the music and art of her contemporary surroundings, she works frequently with living composers and collaborates with visual artists and dancers. Her additional training as a conductor and piano technician informs her performance practice and instruction. She holds a doctorate from the Peabody Conservatory where she was awarded the Albert and Rosa Silverman Memorial Scholarship and the Lillian Gutman Memorial Piano Prize by the Conservatory for her musical endeavors during her studies there with Boris Slutsky, Benjamin Pasternack, and Leon Fleisher. She is an avid believer that the arts are a manifestation of humanity and its creativity, and aspires to let music travel to where its resounding compassion is much needed.

May 12 11:00am-1:00pm

Intercultural Asian Music
Quad Area

Throughout May at the Library

AAPI authors display

AAPI visual cultural display at the MC LLR