ASIAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER Annual Update for Asian & Asian American Yale Alumni
2021-2022
AACC BUILDING REOPENING
WELCOME MIXER EVENTS
FALL ASIAN RETREAT
After abruptly closing the building in March 2020, we were excited to reopen in August 2021 with a key focus on reestablishing a strong foundational community ownership of the physical space as a resource. We successfully hosted approximately 150 events that reach 3,750 students campus-wide and also offered a virtual option for event attendees when conducive.
We capitalized on the warmer weather during the early months of Fall 2021 to host our welcome mixer event series outdoors. We (re)introduced the AACC to students and activated the surrounding parking lot surrounding in a whole new way for community building! Community building through a lens of intersectionality is the cornerstone of everything we do at the AACC.
Our annual off-campus retreat this year provided 32 undergraduate, graduate and professional students, who trace their heritage back to Asia, with an opportunity to explore shared histories, further develop their understanding of our racial identity and positionality, while fostering meaningful community amongst other students at Yale.
AACC 40TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIVE MURAL As a continuation of the AACC's year-long 40th anniversary celebration, we hosted several events to bring the Center's rich history to life for students, staff, faculty, and alumni as well as beautify the physical space. Beginning with an oral history event with Dr. Maria Martha Chavez co-hosted with La Casa Cultural, followed by a community gardening effort, an AACC history walkthrough, and a short-term artist residency co-sponsored by the Yale School of Art that culminated with the installation of a commemorative mural on the outer wall of the AACC's building in November 2021. It is the first mural in the Greater New Haven area that features Asian-identified individuals. More information about the mural can be found here.
ALUMNI & NEW HAVEN ENGAGEMENT Having largely maintained student-alumni engagement efforts through virtual platforms for over two years, we were excited to once again be able to invite alumni and members of the Greater New Haven community back to campus for inperson events. As part of the AACC's Life After Yale event series, New Haven-based alumni as well as Min Jin Lee '90 were invited to speak at separate events about their life's journey and important topics related to identity, community advocacy and well-being to name a few.
CLASS OF 2022 ASIAN GRADUATION CEREMONY It was a thrill to end the academic year with the return of our Asian Graduation Ceremony. Held at the Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale, 265 Yale College, Graduate & Professional School students participated in the ceremony along with over 160 friends and family in attendance as guests of the graduates. Student reflections were delivered by Dana Loo YSN '22, John Cheng SOM '22, and Ronak Gandhi MC '22 before the stole presentation and alumni induction ceremony where every graduate received a complimentary AACC graduation stole and alumni pin. It was such a joy to be able to safely gather again.
We also partnered with local pan-Asian collective, aapiNHV to organize a community vigil marking the one year anniversary of the Atlanta spa shootings at the New Haven Green. Black Lives Matter New Haven and Sex Workers & Allies Network were invited to speak in solidarity. The Class of 2020 were invited back to campus for a belated graduation weekend and many attended our inaugural Cultural Center Graduation Block Party co-hosted by all four cultural centers.
SUPPORT & STAY CONNECTED WITH THE AACC Donate to the Asian American Cultural Center Endowment Fund and/or the Dean Mary Li Hsu Discretionary Fund to support the AACC in meeting the mission-specific needs of the growing Asian and Asian American student population at Yale. All gifts to Yale are tax deductible in compliance with IRS guidelines. Please fill out this survey and responses will be used to gauge interest of continued alumni engagement. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.