Collaborations
Upcoming Events
Cathy Park Hong in Conversation with Berkeley High
WHEN: Friday, Dec. 15th, 1:30 - 3:00 pm
WHERE: Berkeley High School Library
A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to poet, writer, and professor Cathy Park Hong’s guest speaker honorarium. Our BUSD AAPI community raised over $800 out of the $1,000 needed for the event (BHS Library and Development Group covered the remaining $200). High school and middle school students, teachers, staff, parents, and community members were privileged to attend this amazing event. Our BUSD AAPI group provided refreshments to make everyone feel welcome. (see photos from this amazing event here).
One of our BUSD AAPI team members is BHS Literature Teacher, Matt Laurel. For the 2nd year in a row, Matt is able to offer an AAPI Lit class (1st of its kind at BHS). Cathy Park Hong's groundbreaking work in poetry and literature, and her collection of essays, Minor Feelings, is a foundational text for the AAPI Lit class. Her writings will enrich students' understanding of identity, race, and culture, and help spark important dialogues and discussions on these vital topics.
BUSD AAPI Heritage Month Celebration!
WHEN: Friday, May 19th, 5 - 7:30 pm
WHERE: 1231 Addison Street, BUSD School Board Meeting Room
Join us on May 19th to celebrate AAPI Heritage and hear from AAPI voices. Participate in crafts and games and hear from a panel of AAPI activists, BUSD staff, parents, and students about their experiences in AAPI activism in Berkeley. There will be a Hula perfornmance, snacks fro Southside Station, a BUSD family restaurant, and you can purchase books from Eastwind Books of Berkeley!
Ongoing Projects
Safety and Climate Survey 2021
In response to increasing anti-Asian harassment in Berkeley and across the Nation, BUSD AAPIs conducted this community safety survey to better understand the extent to which racism and xenophobia have impacted the experiences of Asian Americans at BUSD. We hope this data will also help guide our work with BUSD leadership to identify possible solutions that would improve your (or your loved ones') experience and safety at BUSD.
This is a summary of our findings. Our group presented this information with the former Superintendents and elementary school principals as well as shared with the current Superintendent, Enikia Ford Morthel.
In 2022, in celebration of AAPI Heritage month, we proposed to the Superintendent, a campaign of "Lift Up the Voices of our local AAPI Berkeley Heroes." Our BUSD AAPI team worked with BUSD staff and created posters that tell the stories of biggest heroes in BUSD, our AAPI staff and teachers. The goals was to provide our students visuals of racial mirrors and narratives that they may not realize are present in BUSD.
Today these Lift Up the Voices posters campaign have been replicated as part of other Heritage Month celebrations including Latin X, Black History, Arab American and LGBTQ month.
Past Projects & Events
Hear us Roar! A Celebration of AAPI Literary Voices in the Year of the Tiger!
May 19, 2022
Presenters include the author of A is for Activist, Innosanto Nagara, one of the founding drag queens of Drag Queen Story Hour, Panda Dulce, and BUSD parent and upper grades author, Shanthi Sekaran!
"Hear Us Now: BUSD’s Asian American Community Speaks Out Against Anti-Asian Racism”, a panel discussion aimed to elevate the voices, concerns, and activism of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities here in Berkeley.
May 6, 2021