Exploring AAPI Identities
Panel discussions for the
AAPI Communities of Baltimore
In celebration of AAPI Heritage Month, APAC launched a new initiative in May, 2022. “Exploring AAPI Identity” was a series of panel discussions that examined aspects of Asian American and Pacific Indigenous (AAPI) identities and cultures that often go underrepresented or unaddressed in larger conversations within and about our communities. Through this series, we aimed to invite nuanced conversations and safe spaces for AAPI in Baltimore.
In 2023, APAC hopes to expand this project by hosting more community panel discussions for various topics. Coming up next in March 2023, we will be having a post-show panel discussion on Immigration and Immigrant Identity in conjunction with our partnership for Co-Executive Director, Cori Dioquino’s one-person show, Crisis Mode: Living Pilipino in America.
A note about our community panels: These discussions are intended to be safe spaces for AAPI. Rather than participate in these conversations, we ask that non-AAPI who are present actively listen to members of our community who are leading the discussions and choose to share their experiences and perspectives.
Past community discussions
April 28, 2022
“The Complexities of AAPI Identities”
Location: Radio and Virtual
What are the internal and external forces that shape identity? To explore that we Pass the Mic to Filipino American actor and educator Cori Dioquino.
She and psychologist Natalie Hung dig into the complexities of Asian American identity. Then Johns Hopkins Professor Yumi Kim lays out the decades of history and policies that fueled anti-Asian sentiment in the U.S.:
“Not only is Anti-Asian violence not trans-historical, meaning it doesn’t stay the same across time. It takes on different meaning and different significance, and that's part of the reason it persists. Because it evolves, it adapts.”
May 3, 2022 | Muslim Identity in AAPI Communities
In honor of Ramadan and Eid al Fitr, APAC hosted its first community panel discussion at the Motor House. The panel aimed to examine Muslim identity in Asian and Asian American communities and the relationships between culture and religion.
May 15, 2022 | Food Culture in AAPI Communities
From preparing traditional meals, to keeping sacred family recipes, to gathering families and communities together, food has always been an important element of cultures around the world. In this panel discussion, following our Festival’s matinee performances at The Strand Theater, we talked with some of the DMV’s most celebrated chefs, community organizers and food bloggers as they shared their experiences with and perspectives on the importance of Food Culture in AAPI communities.
May 17, 2022 | Mixed Race Identity in AAPI Communities
The journey to (re)defining one’s identity can be challenging, especially for members within the Asian American and Pacific Indigenous diaspora. Many of us find ourselves caught in crossroads between culture, ethnicity and race through our families, immigration and other meaningful experiences and relationships. In our second panel at the Motor House, we examined and discussed the complexities of Mixed Race Identity in AAPI Communities.
