Indian dinner kicks off Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

The arrival of April marks the beginning of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month on campus, dedicated to increasing awareness of the cultural and social roles of Asian Americans.

The APAHM Opening Ceremony was held last night at the Third World Center, featuring an Indian dinner and a presentation on hate crimes based on race.

"There is a significant need to inform people about [Asian Americans'] roles as Americans," said Taufiq Rahim '04, social chair of APAHM.

Over the course of the month, APAHM will put on several lectures by prominent Asian Americans, including a speech writer for President Clinton, a DJ party featuring Asian-American artists from both the East and West coasts, and a "mini-conference" for students, which facilitated dialogue on race and identity.

There is a long tradition of Asian-American activism on campus, but a lack of motivation to engage in Asian-American issues, said Farng-Yi Foo '04, co-chair of the organization. The goal of the month will be to increase awareness of activism and thereby bolster students' willingness to become involved, she said.

An issue important to APAHM is the instance of hate crimes against Asian Americans and other groups on the basis of race. Filipino American Ishmael Ileto and his wife Deena spoke about the shooting of Ileto's brother, Joseph, during a racially motivated killing spree that began at a Jewish center in Granada Hills, Calif., on August 10, 1999.

After leaving the center, supremacist Buford Furrow encountered Joseph Ileto and shot him repeatedly. Furrow admitted that he would not have shot Ileto had Ileto been white, the victim's brother said.

Since the murders, Ishmael and Deanna Ileto have spoken to many groups about the reality of hate crimes against Asian Americans, which Ishmael said are underreported both by the media and by the victims themselves.

"There is a lot of ignorance and we have to open up their eyes," Deena said, adding that hate crimes do occur at universities but are often kept quiet by school officials.

Moreover, the landscape has changed since the Sept. 11 attacks for South Asians living in this country, Rahim said. Particularly for Muslims and Sikhs, it has become important to show an identity as an American, he said.

Pamela Chow, director of the International Center, said that APAHM's goal of increasing awareness is an important one. Chow said she personally felt strongly about APAHM's issues and encouraged the group to plan events with other campus organizations such as the Pride Alliance.