Get ready to mark your May 2023 calendar because LaGuardia Community College is hosting the most happening event of the month – a celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month, Cinco de Mayo, Mental Health Awareness Month, and Asian Heritage Month! It’s time to come together and celebrate the rich cultural heritage and contributions of our diverse community.

For Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, the AAPI Committee has planned several different events to celebrate the month under this year’s theme of “Breaking Boundaries and Building Coalitions.”

We will kick off this year’s AAPI Heritage Month on May 4, 2023 (in the spirit of “May the 4th be with you.”). We’ll be hosting a series of talks by incredible speakers on topics ranging from feminism and obscenity to language diversity and mental health among AAPI students. And of course, we won’t let you go hungry! We’ll be serving up some of the tastiest Asian treats, including Indian mini samosas and Chinese dumplings.

But that’s not all! On May 10, 2023, we’re partnering with Greenway Plaza (the open street initiative on 29th Street) to bring you a day of entertainment and fun. From K-pop dance performances to poetry readings by our very own students, there’s something for everyone. And if you’re feeling competitive, join us for a table tennis tournament or take part in stress-free yoga to unwind. Don’t forget to fuel up with a free Japanese bento box during lunchtime!

We have something for avid readers and poetry lovers too! In collaboration with Casa de las Américas, we will be hosting a book talk by the incredible Daphne Palasi Andreades on Friday, May 12, 2023 and a poetry reading by Hawai’i Poet Laureate Kealoha on Thursday, May 18, 2023.

So mark your calendars, grab your friends and family, and join us in celebrating AAPI Heritage Month at LaGuardia Community College (https://www.laguardia.edu/aapi/). It’s time to celebrate diversity, embrace culture, and have fun in the open street. And stay tuned for further announcements about other events in May.

The AAPI Heritage Committee

Ann Matsuuchi, Angela Wang, Claudia Chan, Dana Trusso, Donniece Davis-Cooper, Joby Jacob [Greenway Plaza], Kyoko Toyama, Lyudmila Spajic, Mae Lu, Malgorzata Marciniak, Nayelli Valencia Turrent [Greenway Plaza], Neetu Kaushik, Payal Doctor, Sada Hye Jaman, Sumanth Inukonda, Tao Chen, Thomas Cleary, Tomonori Nagano, Tuli Chatterji, and Wendy Nicholson