Asian Heritage Month celebrated at Rider

Heritages are the stories of many individuals all over the world that are celebrated through traditions and holidays. For Asian Americans, Asian Heritage Month is a time to celebrate traditions and cultures as well as commemorate the accomplishments of Asian Americans throughout the nation. Although Asian Heritage Month is nationally celebrated in May, Rider University celebrates throughout the month of April. During this month, Asian Students at Rider (ASAR), Chinese Club, Japanese Pop Culture Society and the Office of Multicultural Affairs will be co-sponsoring events for students to enjoy and experience just a glimpse of the various Asian cultures throughout the world.

“Celebrating Cultural Diversity through Asian Heritage” is the theme for Asian Heritage Month this year. With a month full of cultural events, it gives the Rider community an opportunity to experience the diversity of Asian cultures.

Events range from an Asian game night to the festival of colors known as Holi. ASAR’s President, Connie Au '16, invites all students to participate. "We hope to introduce students to a bit of our different Asian cultures that they will experience through our events,” she says.

“Rider is a mixture of different cultures and backgrounds,” Director of Multicultural Affairs Pamela Pruitt says. “Students should celebrate and appreciate different cultures to maximize their experiences here.”

The highlight of Asian Heritage Month is the annual charity showcase, ASHA. This annual showcase includes student talent performances and features a silent date auction. All proceeds will go towards St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. ASAR has also extended an invitation to students interested in performing at ASHA this year to contact the ASAR executive board through email and/or on Facebook. These performances can be in many forms including dancing, singing and other performing arts. Students who are interested should contact the ASAR executive board as soon as possible.

The organization is also celebrating its 10th year anniversary as a student-run organization at Rider. Since the club was first established in 2005, Au says, “The ASAR executive board is passionate about our different cultures and experiences. We have put our hearts and endless amounts of effort into planning the next month and are more than excited to share our heritages with the Rider community.”

Events are open to all Rider students, staff and faculty to enjoy and learn more about different Asian cultures. “As proud individuals, we are committed in promoting and educating our peers at this institution,” says Au. "Asian Heritage Month is a way in which we, as Asian American students, can show our peers aspects of our different cultures and how we celebrate our heritage."

The events for Asian Heritage Month are as follows:

The Origami Challenge (Co-sponsored with JPCS & Chinese Club)
Thursday, April 9, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m in the Mercer Room

HOLI
Saturday, April 11, 3 p.m. in the Residential Quad (in front of Gee Hall and behind Ziegler-Moore Hall)

Karaoke Night
Tuesday, April 14, from 10 p.m. to midnight in the BLC Pub

Game Night (Co-sponsored with Chinese Club)
Friday, April 17, from 5 to 7 p.m. in North Hall Room 207

ASHA
Saturday, April 25, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Yvonne Theater

For more information, contact Pam Pruitt at [email protected].