Panelists Include: Rima DasGupta and Lauren Servais, and members of SRJC Asian and Pacific Islander Staff Association

What is signified by the term "Asian and Pacific Islander American"?  What ethnic groups are included?  What binds the diverse cultural experiences represented by the term?  And how is the term a problematic vestige of race?  Join us as our panelists share their diverse experiences within the APIA community to answer the question: what is APIA?  For more information, contact, Lauren at lservais@santarosa.edu

hapa[ hah-puh] noun (especially in Hawaii and California) a person of mixed-race heritage who identifies racially and culturally as both white and of Asian descent.

Join us for conversation and inquiry as we explore what it means to be "hapa."  From checking the “Other” racial box on countless forms to responding to the perpetual question, “What are you?”, hapa and other multiracial people share experiences that overlap but are also distinct from other monocultural or mono-racial people. Through story, the panelists will explore questions of authenticity, belonging, and choosing to be hapa by connecting with our roots. For more information, contact, Lauren at lservais@santarosa.edu

Panelists: Bella Boyer, Sheryl Cavales Doolan, Vince Hamilton, Finnegan Natale, and Monica Ohkubo

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the event.

We invite you to join us for a traditional tea gathering as we reflect on the words, art, and practices shared with us throughout the past month. The Way of Tea is a Japanese tradition passed down over centuries, which emphasizes coming together to share our lives. Although at this time we can’t be in the same room together, we can meet face-to-face as we close AAPI Heritage Month. Your role as guest is simply to be willing to be fully present and open to the possibilities of this particular gathering of people in this particular time and space. For more information, contact morimoto@sonoma.edu

As we wind up this far from normal semester, please join us for a chance to slow down and take a moment for yourself. Tara Steele, Community Minister for The Center for Spiritual Living, will lead a guided meditation informed by Asian practices. For more information, contact morimoto@sonoma.edu

Password: APIA2021

The presentation will cover traditional wellness practices and wisdom deeply connected to Chinese Culture and simple exercises related to tai chi and breathing methods that can improve both body and mind wellness. Be ready to join in as we explore the many benefits hidden in these art forms.

For More Information contact:  Erica at tome@sonoma.edu

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Tai Chi Presenter Bios:

Justin Eggert is the founder of Chinese martial arts school Wu Academy in Santa Rosa, and instructor at Santa Rosa Junior College. He is a 5 time world silver medalist in tai chi, International Judge, and Executive Board member of our national sports federation for Chinese martial arts the USAWKF. Justin trained and competed in China, speaks fluent mandarin, and is a sought after expert in the field of Tai Chi and Chinese martial arts. 

Nancy Wang, originally from Taiwan, has lived and raised her family in Santa Rosa since 1977. 

Nancy is a founding member and current president of the Redwood Empire Chinese Association based in Santa Rosa and serving Sonoma County and beyond.  RECA promotes intercultural understanding through presentations of cultural programs offered to schools, businesses, governmental agencies and private requests.  They have offered language classes for all ages, a Children's Chinese Culture Camp summer program, an adult chorus and cultural dance troupes including lion and dragon performances which are very popular during community events including the Sonoma County Fair and Earth Day Celebrations. Annually, we have presented the grand Chinese New Year Celebration which fills the Vet's Auditorium, and have held annual Christmas parties, Autumn Moon evening potluck, and the MultiCultural Poetry Reading and Potluck lunch.

Adrian Chang is a cook, food writer and 3rd generation Chinese-American based in the redwoods of rural Northern California.  His latest project, in collaboration with Herb Folk of Petaluma, ‘Asian American Folk Traditions’ is a monthly virtual herbalism and cooking series honoring Asian ‘food-as-medicine’ traditions through the lens of the Asian-American experience (www.herbfolkshop.com/events). His favored hashtag #OurFoodByUs is a statement of reclamation and an Asian-American rejection of the "colonization" of Asian food in White-dominated food culture.

In this AAPI Heritage Month cookalong class, Adrian will teach you how to make hand-cut wheat noodles from scratch, with simple ingredients and no fancy equipment.  He will also teach you to make a dressing for the noodles as well as a selection of plant-based sides to go with them. Please note that while the recipe is vegetarian, it can also be made vegan.  The noodles will contain gluten. For more info, contact tome@sonoma.edu

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

One of the nation’s leading immigration and Asian American historians, Erika Lee teaches American history at the University of Minnesota, where she is a Regents Professor and Director of the Immigration History Research Center. The granddaughter of Chinese immigrants, Lee grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and received her PhD from the University of California, Berkeley. Recently awarded an Andrew Carnegie Fellowship and elected Vice President of the Organization of American Historians, she is a frequent commentator in the media and the author of three award-winning books as well as the just-published America for Americans: A History of Xenophobia in the United States. Called “unflinching and powerful” by Carol Anderson (author of White Rage) and “essential reading” by Ibram X. Kendi (author of How to Be an Antiracist), America for Americans is a finalist for the 2020 Minnesota Book Awards, has received a Kirkus Star and was named to best books lists by Time, USA Today, and Ms. Magazine. It has also been excerpted in The Atlantic and profiled in The New Yorker. Op-eds based on the book have appeared in Time and The Washington Post.

Webinar ID 356 294 367

The WOCC is a weekly dialogue space co-facilitated by womxn of color staff members from CAPS and The HUB that offers support, resources, laughter and friendship to students who identify as WOC

Email gomezs@sonoma.edu for Zoom Link

Lisa Suguitan Melnick (she/her) is a third generation Filipinx-American from Ilokano and Cebuano roots. In her yoga/energy awareness course, she offers meridian stretching, breathing postures which help bring about energy awareness. She adds her training and certification from the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) as a Sound and Music Practitioner to promote relaxation and refreshment during her meridian sessions. Sponsored by The HUB. For more info, contact mark.fabionar@sonoma.edu

In celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Sonoma County Taiko (SCT) will join us and present the art of Japanese taiko drumming by Zoom. Enjoy the performance videos and listen to first hand stories of the members of SCT! You can learn about the history of taiko drumming in Japan and North America, Japanese culture embodied in taiko, and the community building aspect of taiko.

Sonoma County Taiko has been active in the performing arts scene in Sonoma County since it was established in 1995.  Our mission is "to build a community of acceptance, harmony, and respect through our love of Taiko."  We perform regularly at local schools, events and festivals, in addition to offering workshops and classes to adults and children.  The membership of Sonoma County Taiko draws upon the diversity of our community and reflects the variety and unity of Sonoma County. SCT offers limited outdoor introductory workshops for beginners.  For more information, visit www.sonomacountytaiko.org 707-575-0723.

Contact Mo.phillipsw@sonoma.edu for more information

Dr. Pavithran was recently appointed as Executive Director of the U.S. Access Board. Dr. Pavithran previously served as Program Director of the Utah Assistive Technology Program and as the Director of Policy for the Center for Persons with Disabilities at Utah State University since 2011. He has over twenty years of experience developing and testing assistive technology and has lectured and trained extensively on the subject. He is President of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities’ national board and is a member of the National Federation of the Blind where he chairs the Committee on Autonomous Vehicles and Innovations in Transportation. He was appointed to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Utah Advisory Committee and has represented the Access Board on the U.S. Elections Assistance Commission’s Board of Advisors. For more info, email mhernandezlegorreta@santarosa.edu

Having trouble being in the present? Join Henry Kaku for a beginner origami session for some time to focus on creating something imperfect and artistic. For more information, contact Morimoto@sonoma.edu

Finding the Virgo is a film about compassion and gratitude. Brave 7-year-old Lauren Vuong escaped Vietnam with her family and 57 other refugees on a small wooden fishing boat at the end of the brutal Vietnam War. After 10 days at sea, they were lost and depleted of food, water, and fuel. Death seemed imminent. From seven miles away, a U.S. flagged cargo ship spotted them. The captain ordered their rescue and changed the course of 62 lives forever. Finding The Virgo is the story of Lauren’s decades long search for the heroic captain and crew of the LNG Virgo who saved her life and the lives of the other refugees. This story of compassion and gratitude traces the Vuong family's journey from the shores of Vietnam, through their perilous journey at sea and eventually to their resettlement in America. 

Capturing the American Hope and the American Dream, this documentary is a timeless tale of war, desperation, survival, and the serendipitous heroes who embody the best of humanity. A story needed now more than ever before.

After the film we will talk with producer Lauren Vuong, a Vietnamese American refugee, and director Barre Fong, a fourth generation Chinese American and San Francisco native. (https://www.findingthevirgo.com/)

Zoom Passcode: 460927

Our Lost Years revisits the forced removal and mass incarceration of 120,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans during World War II; it commemorates the 75th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066 in 1942 and the 30th anniversary of H.R. 442, the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. Lane traveled to seven cities, interviewing internees, their children and grandchildren, politicians, community leaders, lawyers, and activists. Our Lost Years takes the audience on a personal, comprehensive, behind-the-scenes journey, exploring the emotional and psychological impact of the forced removal and incarceration, the insurmountable ten-year battle for redress and reparations with its bitter sweet triumph, and the newfound legacy of a battered community becoming a voice of justice for all people.

Our Lost Years shows how the WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans impacted individuals and communities. Followed by post-screening talk with director Lane Nishikawa, who will also discuss the recent anti-Asian attacks and what we can do to address it. Sponsored by Sonoma County JACL and Student Involvement. For more information, contact morimoto@sonoma.edu

The Zoom link will be emailed to you the day before the screening.

Guest Mentor Speaker - Khou Yang-Vigil

The Womxn of Color Collective (WOCC) is a weekly community building and discussion space co-facilitated by faculty from CAPS and staff from the HUB. Share and be inspired by our collective stories as WOC SSU students. Connect, support, mentor, and empower each other through the joys and challenges of our beautiful, intersectional experiences.

Email gomezs@sonoma.edu for Zoom Link

Amazin is the first Asian Athlete Ally and UK Stonewall out Asian athlete. Bodybuilder who advocates for greater Asian representation and opportunity in sports. For more information, contact morimoto@sonoma.edu

Zoom Passcode: 306640

Please join us for Sonoma State University's Opening Ceremony for Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) History & Heritage Month. AAPI History & Heritage Month celebrates the achievements and contributions of Asian American Pacific Islander Americans in the United States. Our Keynote Speaker for our Opening Ceremony will be Margaret Huang, President, and Chief Executive Officer, of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). 

To learn more about Margaret and SPLC, go here: https://www.splcenter.org/about/staff/margaret-huang

We look forward to having you join us for our Opening Ceremony.

Zoom passcode: 330538