April a month for celebration of heritage

Questions about self-identity are but one of the most common issues that will be addressed in the month. At many, various points in my life, up to the recent past, I've been asked what I am. So I responded, depending upon mood and circumstance, either that I am Asian American, Indian, Bengali, Asian Indian, Indian American or just American. But really, I'm all of these at once. That doesn't mean I'm schitzo, just that I'm an Asian living in America.

I refuse to be pigeonholed by an America that only wants to see in black and white. I was born in America and molded by its culture, but I have an Asian heritage as well, equally important to me, that I also refuse to give up. I find it inappropriate when people try to characterize Asian Americans as more Asian than American or vice versa. I accept both sides with open arms, and that means I hope to keep learning about both sides of my life as long as I live. I'm a second-generation Asian American, which means that I don't know what it was like to grow up in an Asian society, but that doesn't mean I don't care about that culture; on the contrary, it makes me that much more interested in reclaiming my past.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to represent the views of all Asian Americans, but just my personal view. Some Asian Americans are very assimilated into American culture and tend to forget their Asian roots. Hopefully, Asian American Awareness Month can give them and the rest of the Asian American community a chance to get together to engage in some real dialogue.

There's a million other issues besides self-identity as well, ranging from stereotyping to domestic abuse to interracial dating, which will be addressed in the month as well. A lot of this month is simply about coming to grips with the incredible amount of diversity within the Asian American community at Penn State. The theme of the month this year is "Many Voices, One Song." It symbolizes the pan-ethnicity of Asian Americans, and the hope that one day, our groups will truly be a cohesive and unified group.

Almost every Asian ethnicity, every major world religion, many languages and dialects, different socioeconomic backgrounds, and even every political persuasion is represented within the Asian American community. At Penn State we talk a lot about the value of diversity and multiculturalism, but during Asian American Awareness Month, we are going to celebrate it on a daily basis.

Some of that cultural diversity will be on display at the 7th annual Asian Awakenings, a huge cultural extravaganza on April 17 at Rec Hall, showcasing the Asian groups on campus. It's our biggest event of the year, and we hope you check that out, and at least one of the other many events going on this month.

If you have any questions please contact the Asian American Student Coalition (AASC) office at 865-0710.You also can access our World Wide Webpage for a calendar of events for April at: http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/j/a/jac219/aasc.webpage.html.