SF STATE NEWS -- Each May, Asian Pacific American Heritage Month honors Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AA&PI) and their achievements. We recently spoke with Arlene Daus-Magbual, director of AA&PI Student Services at San Francisco State University, to discuss the significance of the annual celebration and ways to demonstrate support for the AA&PI community year-round.
“My teacher, mentor, Kumaré (a Filipino word for the godmother of your child) and our late beloved San Francisco State colleague Dawn Bohulano Mabalon taught me the difference between history and heritage when we celebrate Filipino History Month in October — and I believe it applies to this month as well. Mabalon said, ‘History is inclusive of heritage and culture, but it’s also about the ways we have built and changed this nation: our stories, political struggles, transformations, labor, migration, activism, impact of imperialism and war and victories. Heritage is more limited to what we pass down in terms of culture, tradition and legacies.’”