Members of North’s Asian American culture club (AACC), hosted a series of panels and presentations celebrating  Asian American and Pacific Islanders culture (AAPI) in Lasker auditorium Friday, Jan. 31.

“Our goal for this event is to amplify AAPI voices and culture,” said Junior May Bunton, a club officer.  

Each of the day’s blocks hosted a different kind of presentation representing AAPI culture. The presentations started with AAPI trivia, with volunteers from the crowd, in order to immerse the audience in the subject before beginning.

A panel hosted during f-block was made up of AACC members who discussed their experiences surrounding their identities. Questions ranged from “what are moments when you felt your AAPI identity being celebrated?” to “how does your AAPI identity intersect with other aspects of your identity?”

Two guest speakers, sisters and authors, Grace Talusan  and Liza Talusan were introduced during c-block. They shared anecdotes from their books while highlighting the importance of celebrating other cultures at times when minority groups are suppressed.

“We see storytelling as an act of resistance, as a way to resist the dehumanization of people,” said Liza Talusan.

Liza and Grace Talusan shared their joint belief that every person has a story to tell based on their unique upbringing, and that there is power in embracing those stories.

“What are stories you want to tell and why haven’t you told them?” Grace Tulisan asked the audience.

Guest speaker Adam King, co-founder of the apparel brand 1587, spoke during d-block.  King discussed how his ethnicity affected his entrepreneurship, and his struggle to make his voice heard.

“I think the day was really successful. We reached a wide audience, and highlighted the diversity under the Asian American umbrella,” said Bunton.

The club will be continuing their work, May. 10 at Asian American Culture Night.