Loud music, performances and food filled Founders Park as lively crowds hovered around tables of different Asian Pacific Islander cultural clubs to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Wednesday afternoon. The event featured performances from several Asian, Pacific Islander and Desi cultures, with Asian Pacific Islander Desi American clubs tabling, as well as free food and drinks.

Ricca Yip, the advocacy liaison for the Asian Pacific American Student Assembly and a sophomore majoring in public policy, said this was the first time the celebration had different clubs come out to table at the event.

“I think it’s great for visibility here on campus, because a lot of our AAPI orgs are smaller,” Yip said.

The event also gave smaller APIDA organizations the opportunity to be represented on campus, such as the Pacific Islander Student Association. According to Malie Aina, president of the Pacific Islander Student Association and a junior majoring in theater, the inclusion of student organizations at the event allowed for the voices of Pacific Islanders to be heard.

“We’re just tabling here, trying to be like the ‘P’ in AAPI,” Aina said. “Oftentimes Asian Pacific Islander Month isn’t really highlighting Pacific Islander voices as much, just because we are a smaller number, so us tabling here is just us trying to make everyone know that we are here on campus. We do have a presence.”

This celebration allows for the USC community to gain some more exposure to the AAPI culture, Aina said.

“I think as well as awareness, there comes an appreciation,” Aina said. “No one really knows how much … Asian and Pacific Islander culture that you consume on the daily. So coming here and seeing all the different things that you like and enjoy, and realizing that that comes from this culture [creates] more appreciation.”

According to Yip, the event is organized by a committee from USC, with students brought on to consult. 

“It’s really great that we have a turnout like this, and I think it’s great they have food and music and they’re trying to incorporate students more into the heritage festival, because it’s always been a thing that the school independently plans,” Yip said.

The event also had free food, including Thai iced tea and Indian food such as paneer biryani, where visitors could take punch cards to visit six tables and then present the completed card to obtain one free food choice which helped boost visitor engagement, Yip said. 

Yip was tabling for the USC chapter of Delta Phi Kappa, an Asian-interest sorority. Yip said the organization focuses on cultural advocacy and fostering safe spaces on campus. 

According to event attendee Avery Lu, a freshman majoring in environmental studies, this event helps bring communities together and increases engagement.

“Getting to meet everyone here has been really nice and seeing all the different organizations that are on campus that everyone is a part of — it’s great seeing everyone so excited to be here and to see so many people here representing our community,” Lu said. 

Lu said events like this allow students like her to realize how diverse USC’s campus is. 

“I feel like this shows we actually have a lot of Asian and Pacific [Islander] identifying people on campus and that our campus is so diverse,” Lu said.