DeKALB – NIU is celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in April. Throughout the month, there will be a number of events at NIU to attend and experience to learn more about Asian American heritage, hosted by the Asian American Resource Center and other partners.

AARC OHANA Series: AAPI Heritage Month Kick Off

To start things off, NIU will be holding an Asian American Heritage Month Kick Off. This will be at 5 p.m. on Apr. 4 in the Duke Ellington Ballroom at the Holmes Student Center.

Attendees will get a chance to learn more about and celebrate Asian American culture. Special guest speakers and performers will also appear, such as Albert Chanthaboury and Stir Friday Night.

For more information on this event, contact the director of AARC, Michelle Bringas at [email protected].

An Evening with Thai American Author, VC Tang

At 5 p.m. on Apr. 11, the Asian American Resource Center will be holding an event featuring Thai-American author, Virada Chatikul, also known under her pen name VC Tang.

Attendees at the event will get a chance to learn about many aspects of Thai culture with Tang, such as Thai New Year.

The event is sponsored by the AARC, NIU Thai Language Program and the Thai Research and Teaching Endowment.

For more information on the upcoming event, contact the director of AARC, Michelle Bringas at [email protected].

Wei Yang & Friends

At 7 p.m. on April 13, the Recital Hall in NIU’s Music Building will be holding a concert featuring Pipa player Wei Yang. Yang will be accompanied alongside two other musicians including pianist George LePauw and cellist Christopher Bennett.

The group will perform several major works of western culture, such as Beethoven’s “Piano Trio, Opus 11” and Butterfly Lover’s “Concerto.” These songs were adapted for the Pipa.

Wei Yang is a World Music Professor for NIU’s School of Music. Yang has been well known for playing the chinese instrument Pipa and touring with the critically-acclaimed Silk Road Project since 2000. He has also led several music lectures at the Art Institute of Chicago.

For more information on the event, contact Tina Zemzemi, Office Administrator of the School of Music, at [email protected].

CSEAS Lecture Series: VC Tang

VC Tang will also be doing an interactive book talk at noon on April 14 at the Campus Life building. The lecture series will be a hybrid event so attendees will be allowed to attend in person or virtually via Zoom.

The event is held in collaboration with the Center of Southeast Asian Studies. The event is also sponsored by the Thai Teaching and Research Fund, the Division of Academic Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and the Asian American Resource Center.

For more information on this event, contact Rachael Skog, undergraduate adviser and outreach, at [email protected].

Asian American Studies Spring Lecture Series

At 5 p.m. April 18 in the Sky Room at Holmes Student Center, Professor ShiPu Wang will be holding a lecture series event with the Asian American Certificate Program. Wang will discuss 25 years worth of findings of artworks by pre-World War II Asian American artists.

Wang is currently a member of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery’s Board of Commissioners. He has also written several books including “The Other American Moderns. Matsura, Ishigaki, Noda, Hayakawa,” which went on to win the 2018 Georgia O’Keeffe Museum Book Prize.

The event is free of admission and will be held in person and virtually on zoom.

For more information, contact Jui Ching Wang, professor of World Music and Music Education, at [email protected].

AARC OHANA Series: Eid al-Fitr with Muslim Student Association

The Muslim Student Association will be hosting an Eid al-Fitr at 5 p.m. on April 25 at the Asian American Resource Center. This event will allow attendees to learn about Eid al-Fitr, which is a worldwide holiday celebrated by Muslims to mark the end of Ramadan.

For more information on this event, contact Michelle Bringas at [email protected].