Celebrating Diversity: AAPI Month at Dalton

c/o The Juggernaut

32 years ago, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month was established and designated the month of May. Since its creation in 1992, the visibility of Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) cultures and people have increased significantly. This may be due to a combination of factors, such as the 88% increase in the U.S.’s APIDA population from 2000 to 2019, the further development of Asian-American identity as a construct, and greater media representation. Similarly, Dalton’s APIDA population has grown, subsequently mirroring these changes.

Some 30 years ago, when Asian students were roughly 2-3% of a graduating class, they wanted a space to express and bond over their identities. With the help of Dr. Mary Kate Brown, a white 6th grade history teacher, the Asian Culture Club, frequently abbreviated as ACC, was born. After realizing the diversity within the Asian diaspora, the club’s name was changed to make the word “culture” plural. However, the club was not intended to be an affinity space for APIDA students: instead, it was open to all those interested in learning about Asian cultures. However, around 2016, Asian identifying students began to desire an affinity space. According to Roxanne Feldman, High School Librarian and the faculty advisor for both ACC and APIDA, “The impetus to create an affinity space for APIDA-identifying high school students was [so students] would be able to discuss identity related topics and combat microaggressions that they often felt at Dalton.” Despite this, the group did not truly begin to take form until 2019.

Thus, APIDA was born. Despite members’ shared experiences and identities, though, the group’s strength differs from that of ACC. Feldman attributes ACC’s strength to its community-engaging events such as the annual Night Market and Miyazaki Film Festival. Feldman believes these events act as a rallying point for the group as well as something it works toward, motivating and unifying students. However, she feels “APIDA needs a better anchor.” Given the diversity of APIDA itself, in order for the affinity space to truly solidify, she feels it needs a central event around which members can work.

One event Feldman envisions is a sharing of APIDA student research which they have done in their History classes, namely for the final, cumulative papers which are hallmarks of the 9-11 grades’ curriculum. While the The Way They Lived Then project that all freshmen complete has less flexibility, the subsequent Cities and Migration Papers allow students greater room to explore their interests and often their own heritage. Through the event, Feldman hopes to create a fun, relaxed environment where students can discuss their projects with peers and share what they’ve learned, strengthening the APIDA community and sparking discussions around topics important to them. Further, APIDA students would likely have greater cultural awareness and appreciation for subgroups within the larger affinity space.

APIDA’s main purpose is to serve as a space for students with similar identities to discuss their experiences and strengthen bonds. As a result, much of the club is focused internally; the lack of APIDA run events makes sense given that emphasis is placed less on external relations and more on those within the group. In that sense, APIDA is the direct opposite of ACC, one of whose primary focuses is community outreach.

Besides ACC sponsored events, one of the ways AAPI Month has been celebrated at Dalton is through an assembly. In previous years, Feldman has spearheaded the AAPI Month assembly. In 2022 and 2023, for instance, she worked with Nicholas Lechich, the Assistant High School Director and Dean of Students, by asking him to reserve an assembly in May for AAPI Month. Feldman provided “the content, including securing guest speakers and working with the APIDA Council members on the content of the assembly.” In some cases, namely in the Middle School, students have helped plan the assembly’s program and present, sharing aspects of their culture and identity they feel passionate about with the rest of the division. 

For last year’s AAPI Month assembly, Yiming Lin, the content creator behind @literallystarving — an account on which he asks people their favorite dish and cooks it to the best of his ability — visited Dalton. Given that many of the dishes he makes have a connection to culture and heritage, it was an apt and engaging program which acknowledged and celebrated AAPI Month. 

To learn more, The Daltonian also reached out to the heads of ACC and APIDA for comment. In a joint statement, ACC heads Milo Pishev (‘24), Lucas Chen (‘24), and Charles Kim (‘25) said, “ACC hasn’t done anything extraordinary for AAPI month this May, but in a way, every week at ACC is AAPI week.” This perspective is echoed among Asian members of the community who may not advertently celebrate the month, instead celebrating their identities through cultural celebrations: “I don’t celebrate the month specifically. I do, however, celebrate certain holidays like Lunar New Year,” noted Kaitlyn Chen (‘27). Perhaps some of the reason behind this year’s lack of dedicated AAPI Month celebrations had to do with the sentiment that the month had already been celebrated, thereby negating some of the need for an additional event.

In ACC’s recent Wednesday Interval meetings, the club has had a trivia contest on Asia, a reading and discussion of a short story, and a presentation from students returning from the DGI Korea trip, where they discussed and shared their experiences. This year, two of the four DGI trips ventured to Asia, which may be an acknowledgement of APIDA students and cultures in itself. In fact, some may go so far as to say that the Korea trip, which occurred during the first week of May, may have been a means through which Dalton celebrated AAPI Month. As Feldman argues, the visit to ACC was an exercise in cultural appreciation and an AAPI Month celebration.

Nevertheless, some students were still upset about the lack of an organized celebration or assembly to celebrate: “The fact that there was no specific assembly that was timed correctly for AAPI Month while there are for other months is a little interesting to say the least,” said Chen (‘27). While the lack of an apparent assembly was the product of many factors and came down to timing, it still proves to be a sore spot and a missed opportunity to generate greater awareness within the Dalton community.

However, there have been instances of very successful celebrations, such as that of Black History Month, which is in February, and Hispanic History Month, which takes place from mid-September to mid-October. Once again, the difficulty with AAPI Month may stem not from a lack of interest but from the year coming to a close and students preparing for summer.

While May was AAPI Month, it was also Jewish Heritage Month. Similarly, no celebration was planned by the school or by the Jewish Cultures Club. Just as it is important to celebrate APIDA’s many subgroups, it is also important to ensure Jewish Heritage Month is not neglected as a result of AAPI Month celebrations.

It is also crucial to consider how this lack of celebration, both of AAPI Month and of Jewish Heritage Month, may impact students. As Simon Smith (‘26) said, “As a Jewish student, it feels like my voice isn’t being heard.” In order to offset some of this and continue supporting Dalton students, a viable alternative may be interschool events where students can find community, celebrate their identities, and increase awareness.