Last month, we celebrated the Asian Pacific Heritage Month as well as the Mental Health Awareness Month. As a nation, we have designated February as Black History Month, June as Pride Month, the National Hispanic Heritage Month is scheduled from Sept. 15th to Oct. 15th, and the Indigenous Peoples Month is in November.
I have mixed thoughts and feelings about these months. I am only speaking about my experience with Asian Pacific Heritage Month from what I’ve observed about the ways we celebrate holidays and designated days/months.
First of all, I think it’s really cool that we have these months that are designated to celebrate, honor, reflect on, and learn about the often marginalized and overlooked populations. These months offer space for folks to highlight and display beautiful and subtle cultural norms/practices that bring forward various struggles that have been pushed under the rug, also unraveling many forgotten stories that have been passed down for generations. For example, last month, I was able to share stories and talk about the less spoken issues and intersections between Asian immigration, Asian American men, and mental health. It was fun for me to address and speak about these issues and I am extremely grateful for the organizations that are willing to explore these topics!
On the other hand, I dislike how we compartmentalize various important social issues into boxes. Once it is in a box, then it is so often easy to pack the box back up again once it’s done and never feel the need to address it until the following year, just like Christmas and Halloween decorations. In May, there was this big push to call attention to important Asian Pacific heritages, cultures, and Asian hate. Literally, once June 1st hit, the conversation around Asians dispersed and faded into the horizon. Now, everything is about pride flags and colors, which is extremely important. And once July 1st comes around, hate and discrimination toward LGBTQ folks continue until the following May 31st.
Another challenge that I have seen is the “food, flag, and fun” approach to cultures and diversity, focusing and celebrating only on the superficial aspects of culture, avoiding uncomfortable dialogue about cultural differences, and never addressing the suffering that marginalized people are going through on a daily basis. It’s like when folks throw cultural dance and custom events, they feel like they have done enough for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy going to these cultural events and watching these creative and beautiful forms of art. And it’s quintessential for us to preserve and honor these cultural traditions and practices. At the same time, by simply and solely focusing on these “food, flag, and fun” activities, it is minimizing our cultures, and it turns us into circus performers that are being used to pacify and entertain the predominant population.
Thus, I always question the effectiveness of having these months. Why can’t we hold the space to have these conversations on a regular basis? Why can’t we give thanks every day to people in our life, instead of just on Thanksgiving? Why can’t the government and corporations address these important topics on the systematic and structural levels? One of my mentees, Natalie Lortz says it best, “Why do they have the authority and permission to give me a month, when this is my life?” (Read Natalie’s full blog here)
I am not advocating removing these important months. Using Milton Bennet’s words, “What I am advocating is mutual adaption and integration, not mutual assimilation.” This means that the work for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging is a lifetime work and commitment. We need to tackle these important and often uncomfortable topics on a regular basis, not just once a year. We have to learn to be comfortable during uncomfortable conversations and use the “fun, flag, and food” activities as motivational and inspirational boosters for us to overcome barriers and keep marching forward. Without this ability and mindset, then we are stuck in the constant loop of “fun, flag, and food” while people’s lives and mental health continue to suffer.
Acknowledgment of the organizations that have invited me to address the intersections between Asian immigration, Asian American men, and mental health:
- 1000 Cranes for Recovery
- Asian ERG at Ubisoft
- Mental Health America of San Francisco
- The Happier Life Project
Image by: the Turquoise Camera
The Meme is not mine. I don’t know who is the original creator.
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