We live in a divisive world where many communities experience relentless violence and oppression. We face racist, discriminatory taunts at our identity, sometimes disguised as microaggressions and jokes and, at worst, translated into violence.
Now, we claim #TheRighttoHeal.
Read MoreAnticipation filled the room as our APASA assembly scurried around the TCC ballroom setting up check-in tables, food tables, and settling in our artistic guests and performers. . . With CAE set to open its doors at 6:45, lines began to crowd the outside space of the TCC basement prior, amusing our check-in workers . . . A lively atmosphere of students could be seen scaling the tables arranged on the rim of the ballroom. And soon, darkness engulfed the room and our emcees, Sophia Lu and Yusuf Rahman, trailed along the stage, opening the event with warm smiles.
Read MoreAs an Asian American, and as somebody of South Asian descent in particular, I belong to a group of people with some of the biggest and most diverse Muslim populations in the world. But what exactly is this holy month, and how can we use this moment to come together and celebrate our collective heritage?
To help me answer these questions, I spoke with Asna Tabassum, a sophomore studying biomedical engineering and a member of the Muslim Student Union (MSU) here at USC.
Read MoreAmidst this confusion, I came across the phrase “Model Minority Myth,” and that’s when everything started to click. A narrative that has existed for years, it touts the inherent success that Asian Americans experience in this country. . . And yet, the trope misses key aspects of the Asian American experience. It turns our community into a monolith, lumping a continent of over 40 countries into one group.
Read MoreWe love to paint Asian America with this brush of affluence and comfort. . . It turned out, there’s a far different reality that many Asian Americans face today. While my Pakistani and Indian classmates lived in quiet towns of new money, there were people like my family, who often relied on food stamps or lived in cramped apartments to survive since coming to America . . . How is it that we ended up with such stark divides?
Read MoreThis year, our Co-Advocacy Chairs, Melissa Tungare and Evelyn Zhang, wanted to kick off CEP by supporting our local communities where food insecurity is prevalent. The goal of APASA’s Fridge Fest was to collect food from those in the USC community, sanitize all the nonperishable and fresh goods we collected, and deliver them to and clean three different fridges around Los Angeles.
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