Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders come from diverse communities with a rich heritage, and have contributed to shaping the history of the United States. 

 

At Bunker Hill Community College, we have honored the diversity of our AAPI communities throughout the year starting in 2016, when our College was designated as an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI). We are proud to celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May. The events and resources lined up below were collated and designed collaboratively by the Office of College Events and Cultural Planning, the AANAPISI CommuniTea, the Office of Student Activities, and the AANAPISI@BHCC Initiative.

In 2016, Bunker Hill Community College was awarded a five-year, $1.7 million Title III Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI) grant by the U.S. Department of Education. The grant, which bears the title, Building the Framework for Success, is advancing the academic success of the College’s Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) and Pell-eligible students through the institutionalization of a new English Language Learning Program integrated with culturally responsive student support services, and the use of culturally responsive pedagogies that infuse Asian American content across key courses in the general education curriculum.  

The CommuniTea is the College’s affinity group of faculty, staff and administrators who are of Asian or Pacific Islander descent. Launched in February 2020 by the AANAPISI grant leadership, the group started out informally as a community that gathered together in fellowship, to promote a greater sense of belonging, affirm the cultural wealth of a shared Asian heritage, and offer support for one another. The AANAPISI CommuniTea continues to evolve, with hopes of expanding its membership, continuing to plan culturally meaningful programming for the College’s diverse AANHPI communities, and laying the foundation for leadership development that is grounded in cultural wealth.