#morethanjustyellow

[apaacornell]

Why We Chose Them for AAPIHM:

Currently serving as the Director of the Asian American Studies Program at Cornell, Derek Chang has been integral in sharing ignored histories and narratives, from comparative race and ethnicity to Asian American women’s history. He is also the director of the POSSE Foundation 2014-2016. We’re lucky and honored to have Professor Chang as an educator both inside and outside the classroom, a mentor, and an advocate.

[Photo: Black & White campaign poster with a white background featuring a headshot of a smiling East Asian man wearing glasses and the following black text on the left: “The [Asian American Studies] space becomes a kind of safe space for students. Our courses become a kind of place where students can sit and think and talk about the questions that affect them that they cannot get anywhere else on this campus.” Below the black text, teal-colored text with the words “Derek Chang” and white text below that with a teal background reads “More Than Just Yellow”. A black banner at the bottom with white text reads “Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2016″ and grey text below it reads “By APAA”]

[apaacornell]

Introducing APAHM 2016 - #MoreThanJustYellow Campaign

Here’s our statement explaining the history of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM) and our vision & purpose for APAHM 2016:

“With APAA’s ‪#‎MoreThanJustYellow‬ Campaign, we wish to highlight traditionally underrepresented Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the API community. The silenced histories of these groups have lead to injustices such as the exclusion of brown folks, erasure of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders and anti-blackness. Let’s critically examine who in the API community gets to be represented and who is left out. Let’s consider queer, black Asians, South Asians, Southeast Asians, Pacific Islanders, APIs with disabilities and low income APIs. Let’s remember that while Asians might be considered the model minority, there are still large problems in our society. Let’s remember that the API community is more than just yellow. By addressing their stories, we hope to reshape what is considered API at Cornell.” Read the rest of the statement here.