AAPI Heritage Month 2024

Throughout May, Burroughs students and faculty members are celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month with special performances and presentations in morning assembly. 

• Dhruva Lahoti '25 spoke about the history of Bollywood and shared some of his favorite Bollywood films.
   
• Mr. Chen (English, DEIE) read his original poem "You Walk Up to the Park and There's One Chinese Guy."
   
• The Performance Club welcomed a guest performer to play "Dance of the Yi Tribe" on the guzheng, a Chinese plucked zither that originated during the Qin Dynasty.
   
• John Zarek '24 spoke about anti-Asian hate, highlighting the story of Vincent Chin, a Chinese American who was killed in a racially motivated assault in the early 1980s. 
   
• Travis Ning '25, Thomas Urano '25, and Logan Lu '25 shared some favorite Asian foods. In a separate assembly, Avary Choe '28, Amara Mahoney '28, Aliyah Elbeck '28, and Averill Yi '28 shared some of their favorite Asian restaurants in the St. Louis area.
   
• Rafe Rosario-Blake '26 and Iris Wang '26 spoke about intersectionality and Asian diasporas across Latin America. Then, Mr. Roberts (History Fellow) spoke about the legacy of Grace Lee Boggs, a Chinese American human rights activist known for her cross-racial organizing work.
   
• Miko Kim '25 sang two Japanese songs, "Planetarium" by Ai Otsuka and the more traditional "Amagi-goe."
   
• Ms. Dodson-Ching (History) spoke about some of her family's favorite Asian American children's books and the importance of representation in children's literature.
   
• Anohki Desai '25 spoke about various styles of Indian dance.
   
• Anya Liu '24 spoke about the model minority myth, its historical roots, and its harmful effects on society.
   
• Ms. Smith (English) her family's Chinese American heritage and the ways she is both learning about and amplifying Chinese culture while raising her daughters.
   
• Elsa Lattanand '25 spoke about representation and how conversations in the 10th Grade Diversity Seminar have helped her develop her understanding of her own racial identity.
   
• Mr. Wang (Science Fellow) spoke about plants that can be found on the Burroughs campus that have Asian roots, highlighting the history and cultural significance of each plant.