Events planned at Grand Valley will celebrate Asian Pacific Americans

ALLENDALE, Mich. -- Frank discussions about race, information about Asian adoptions and a New Year festival are all events scheduled at Grand Valley State University to celebrate Asian Pacific Americans.

The events listed below are sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs with help from numerous campus departments. The events are free and open to the public; for more information, call OMA at (616) 331-2177.

-- February 9, noon, Kirkhof Center, room 1240: “Incredible India,” an informal presentation by students Eima Mangat and Jima Mangat. The Mangats were born in India and raised in the U.S.; they will talk about the uniqueness of both cultures.

-- February 9, 5 p.m., Alumni House: “Adoptees: The Lies We Believe and Truth We Need to Know,” a workshop by counselor Carissa Woodwyk, will explore how adoptive parents can become their child's storyteller.

-- February 10, noon, Kirkhof Center, room 2266: “Relationships and Cross Generational Understanding in Immigrant Families” will be presented by Pratyusha Tummala-Narra, psychologist. The workshop will address how Asian Pacific American immigrants and second generations adjust and cope in a changing environment.

-- February 10, 4 p.m., Kirkhof Center, room 2270: “Politics and Power,” will be presented by Jim Toy, from the Office of Institutional Equity at the University of Michigan. Toy will discuss sexual and gender identities within different races.

-- February 10, 6 p.m., Kirkhof Center, Grand River Room: An Asian New Year festival will highlight the cultural richness of Asian cuisines with traditional performances from ethnic groups and a dragon dance.

-- February 11, 4 p.m., Cook-DeWitt Center: “Surplus Visibility and Informal Power in the Age of Diversity” will be presented by Evelyn Hu-DeHart, director of the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at Brown University, who will discuss how diversity can transform into a unique form of power.

-- February 12, 4 p.m., Kirkhof Center, room 2263: Members of the Hmong American Student Organization will discuss the cultural identity of the Hmong, who live in southeast Asian countries like Vietnam, Laos and Thailand.

Campus departments supporting events include Asian Student Union, Career Services, College of Education, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Meijer Honors College, Housing, Human Resources, LGBT Resource Center, Padnos International Center and Pew Campus Student Services.