Text: What is heritage? Wavy lines of red, orange, and blue in the corners.
celebratediversity

Heritage Months: April – June 2024

Dear Emersonians,

This year, we launched the Celebrate Diversity communication series to enhance visibility to who we are as a community. We are honored to have had staff, faculty, and students from across the College share their perspectives with us through the videos, words, and photos that highlighted many of our emails.

As we close this first year of Celebrate Diversity, we offer resources to learn more about the incredible heritage, cultures, and history that are celebrated in the months of April, May, and June for Arab American Heritage Month, SWANA (South West Asian and North African) Heritage Month, Jewish American Heritage Month, Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Heritage Month, and Caribbean American Heritage Month.

We offer both a note of appreciation for the connections that unite our Emerson community, and an opportunity to reflect on the idea of heritage.

How do you define heritage? How do you hold space for the legacy of your ancestors, elders, and community? How do you honor and amplify the work of those that came before you?

This summer creates space for us to ponder these questions. We encourage you to reflect on what heritage means to you. Try writing a poem, jotting down a word, or researching something you feel deeply connected to through your heritage.

Then consider, what is the heritage you want to create for others?

We wish all members of the Emerson community a restorative summer.

April

National Arab American Heritage Month - April 2024, with a red and black fabric background and silver pitcher with small glass cups on a silver platter.Arab American Heritage Month launched in 2017 and was recognized by Congress in 2022. The month recognizes and celebrates Arab Americans while also sharing more education and awareness about the Arab culture and history.

 

SWANA: Honoring Southwest Asian and North African Cultures. Map of SWANA countries.

SWANA (Southwest Asian and North African) Heritage Month centers geography rather than politics, religion, and colonialism to refer to the connected region of many countries. Learn more about SWANA cultures from resources offered by the San Fransisco Public Library.

May

Jewish American Heritage Month with photographs ofEddie Cantor, Albert Einstein, Sammy Davis Jr., Ruth Bader Ginsburg.Jewish American Heritage Month is celebrated in May in honor of the arrival and contribution of Jews in America. Learn more at www.archives.gov/news/topics/jewish-american-heritage.

 

Mural of a variety of bright shapes and colors outside the Asian Art museum. Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Heritage honors people from the Asian continent, India, and the Pacific islands of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Learn more in A Primer on South Asians and Desis.

June

Caribbean American Heritage Month: Celebrating Caribbean Contributions to American History, Life, and Culture, with photograph of white and blue flag with a seal representing the month in the center.Caribbean American Heritage Month celebrates the diverse cultures, communities, and peoples with connections to the Caribbean. Learn more about the islands and countries of this region at https://caribbeanamericanmonth.com.