We would like to invite you to join us in observing the 2019 Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month in April. This year’s theme is a continuation of ACC’s 20thAnniversary’s focus on “Building and Empowering Underrepresented Communities.” Over the last two decades, we have seen changes in the AAPI communities, not only in our campus and our state, but also in our nation. Twenty years on, we reflect on those changes and their significance on contemporary realities, politics, and cultures today. What has changed, what is working, and what is not.
Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPIHM) is a month-long celebration which recognizes the contributions of Asian American and Pacific Islanders. In 1977, congressional lawmakers proposed bills for the creation of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. After passing a law for a 7-day commemoration in 1978, Congress passed Public Law 102-450 in 1992 which annually designated May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. Nationally celebrated in May, AAPIHM is celebrated in April at Indiana University to allow the entire campus and community to take part in the activities before the semester ends.
Our partnerships with IU’s Asian Culture Center since 2012 have led to inspiring programs with talented guest filmmakers, premiering films in the Midwest that we have cherished as part of our program. IU Cinema’s audiences are the beneficiaries of their goodwill and collaborative programming; we look forward to working with them each spring.
Jon Vickers, Founding Director, IU Cinema
