Celebrating Asian Cultural Identity with AsiaConnect

Photo courtesy AsiaConnect Facebook Page. 

NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State University is celebrating Asian Heritage Week April 5 –11.  This week AsiaConnect encourages individuals to share their Asian cultural experience. 

President of AsiaConnect and associate professor at ISU, Li Zeng expands on the purpose of the week. 

“As the Asian and Asian American community, we are students, faculty and staff. We are busy. We don’t have time to really get together. So, we plan events like this to bring everyone together to celebrate. And so we have a stronger sense of community and feel support from the community,” said Zeng.  

Before the pandemic, AsiaConnect would host a week filled with a variety of events. The events would range from tea making workshops to learning to cook traditional Asian cuisine.  

This year the celebrations shifted virtually with a lecture and presentation on cooking stir fry on Tuesday. She explains what other events community members can partake in.  

“So, we invite our members, community members and the general public in posting or just identifying Asian/Asian Americans that have contributed to America in anyways. Anything like cultural, literature, art and entertainment business,” said Zeng. “Another type of posting we invite members to participate in is sharing any Asian cultural art, artifacts, cooking or even poems.”  

Zeng explains the week is about celebrating Asian cultural identity.  

“We consider it important to have this Asian heritage week. We really want it to become a platform or channel that through this the community or people can come and learn more about us, about Asian culture,” said Zeng.