Dear uNAVSA community,

During the month of May, we celebrate Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) Heritage Month.  First officially recognized by Congress in 1978 as the first week in May, it was permanently extended to encompass the month of May in 1992.  Across many campuses and many communities, we celebrate and recognize this month as a reflection of the contributions by the APIA community that have shaped the past and present of this country.  We celebrate the diversity that has not only influenced contemporary society but also our own Asian American communities, with the recognition of the diversity within the APIA community.

As we pause to reflect on the meaning of this month, we are joined by the company of many other communities.  Despite lingering differences from the past and self-segregation in the present, we realize that our futures are inextricably linked.  As people of color have made tremendous progress this year with the result of an historic election, our community continues to face its own challenges and burdens.  We need look only to the past few months for transgressions against our community, including the unfortunate comments by Representative Betty Brown and associated voter ID laws, hate crimes at UC Santa Barbara and Tufts University, and Lori Phanachone and her battle with her school district over high school ESL requirements.

uNAVSA was founded on the principle of giving back to the Vietnamese youth community.  In doing so, it is impossible to decouple our Vietnamese identity from the context of being an APIA in this country.  So as we celebrate this month and our APIA identity, let us overcome historically autonomous and discrete communities and recognize how the strength of a united voice can progress what every minority group hopes for, social justice for its own.

In unity and solidarity,
Brian
uNAVSA President