Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month is observed annually in May to celebrate the contributions that generations of AAPIs have made to American history, society, and culture in the United States. Asian/Pacific encompasses all of the Asian continent and the Pacific islands of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. South Orange Village and our community partners are offering a line-up of activities, projects and events that highlight the AAPI heritage in our community.

Check back periodically as new events are being added throughout the month of May. 

AAPI Signature Event: Rise: A Pop History Of Asian America from the NIneties to Now

Author Event: Jeff Yang and Phil Yu discuss their best seller. 

When:    Sunday, May 22, 2022 at 4:30pm 

Where:    SOPAC LOFT, 1 SOPAC Way, South Orange, NJ

Register Here: Rise: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now

Event Sponsors :

South Orange Village, Maplewood Township, Susie Adamson, Adamson Ramsey Homes, Asian Pacific Islander Desi Americans of South Orange and Maplewood, SOMA Action Racial Justice, SOMA Justice, Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel, Community Coalition on Race, Jung Lee Masters Design, Words Maplewood.

South Orange Library Events

Friday, May 6th at 1pm
Special Conversation with Helen Wan, author of "The Partner Track"

Friday, May 20th at 1pm
Special Conversation with Amy Wan, Associate Professor of English and Co-Director of First Year Writing at CUNY Queens College. Topic: Institutional Change: From Mass Higher Education in the 1950s to Today's Global University

Thursday May 12th at 3:30pm 
Henna Designs for Teens  
Teens can learn about the art of henna and leave with a simple design. Space is limited to 10 teens, registration is required. Teens can register here: https://forms.gle/QZTMqDc3PhnvpDmX6 

Thursday May 19th at 6pm
 We're bringing Poetry and AAPI Months together
"Evensong: A Reading of Poetry and Prose"
with Theresa Burns, June Hae Chae, and Robin Rosen Chang

Saturday May 21st at 2pm
All-Ages Storytime
A bilingual celebration in Mandarin and English by local artist and teacher, Manman Huang

SOMA Cross Cultural Events (Dates and details TBA)

Saturday, May 21 10am to 1pm
HAPI Fest NJ (Heritage of Asian Pacific Islander), The Woodland Maplewood
Pua Aliʻi ʻIlima o Nūioka with live music from PAʻI Trio will be performing to celebrate the AAPI Heritage Month in May to spread some aloha!  
Learn more about the mele and  this hula tradition.

Sunday, May 22 1 to 3pm
HOLI - Festival of Colors on May 22nd in Memorial Park, Maplewood
Details and tickets here

Storytime for Toddlers - Date TBA

At Seton Hall University

Seton Hall Anti-Asian Racism Training Workshop
Friday, May 13 at 10:30 a.m. – noon via Teams
Join members from the Seton Hall Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee for an interactive workshop on Anti-Asian racism and exploring race, bias, and identity. 
Develop strategies and learn more about campus resources that can help you become an upstander and ally. 
  
Learn more here: https://www.shu.edu/diversity-equity-inclusion/resources-and-training.cfm
Registration/Attendance information: https://events.shu.edu/view/event/date/20220513/event_id/16948

Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel

Join the Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel Social Justice Task Force for An Evening of Conversation with Lisa Gross, Founder of League of Kitchens, and an Indonesian Cooking Demonstration by Instructor Shandra Woworuntu
Wednesday, May 25, 7pm – 8pm EDT, Virtually via Zoom
This event is open to the public.

As the daughter of a Korean immigrant and a Jewish New Yorker, Lisa was raised on one grandmother's denjang-guk and the other's matzoh ball soup.Shandra was born in Manado, the capital city of the Indonesian province of North Sulawesi. She grew up in Banyumangi, a city in East Java, where her family owned several food related businesses including a food production company, peanut factory, bakery, and restaurant. She learned how to cook by spending time with her family in the kitchen.

The League of Kitchens is a culinary dream-team of women from around the world who will welcome you into their homes, teach you their family recipes, and inspire you with their personal stories.

After the session, attendees will receive a video replay and a $10 credit towards a future League of Kitchens cooking class. Click here to register then check your inbox for a confirmation and meeting info. For more information, email Alison Oxman, alioxman@yahoo.com.