No Shoes In The House

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in the United States. The celebration began as a week-long observation in 1977. In1992, Congress passed Public Law 102-450 which designated each May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. May was selected to commemorate the arrival of the first Japanese to the United States on 7 May 1843 and to remember the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on 10 May 1869, an undertaking that brought multitudes of Chinese immigrants to the US as laborers.

The month has become a time to celebrate the wide breadth of Asian and Pacific Island countries currently represented by United States citizens. We do this by remembering their historic contributions to this country, celebrating the culture of their homelands, taking time to enter into dialog to understand what it means to be Asian American in the United States today and what we can do to move this country forward together.

This year, Samira Ahmad and Joanna Ho will observe the month by be co-hosting “No Shoes In The House: Solidarity at Home and Beyond.” In the IG live series, they promise “(too) honest conversations about history, identity, and building more powerful unified community.” The events occur on Instagram 7-26 May. The events are on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9amPST/12pmEST on https://www.instagram.com/joannahowrites/

I’ve already missed the first event and really hate that I’ll miss the second with  featuring Jason Chu this Thursday, but I’ll be in Chicago with Dr. Sarah Park Dahlen. I do hope you can make it! The sessions feature AAPI musicians, authors, illustrators, poets, educators, or researchers.

I don’t believe any of us is free until all of us is free. I hope to see you there! Be well and good

Filed under: Communities & Outreach