The OIEJB began AAPI Heritage Month with a visit from renowned poet and performance artist Regie Cabico. As we wrapped up the month, MS and US students were invited to attend a special lunch presentation from SSFS COO Laura Miyoshi (P '14), who shared her family’s history of forced relocation to Japanese Internment Camps organized by the United States government during World War II. In addition, Calvin Chrisfield '23 joined Lower School and Middle School students to celebrate AAPI month by teaching students the Korean games Yut Nori and ddajki. Read more about these events, below!
Lunch with Laura
On Monday, May 22 in Yarnall Library at Lunch, SSFS Chief Operations Officer Laura Miyoshi addressed a standing-room-only crowd that included students from grades 5-12, faculty, and staff. As part of Sandy Spring Friends School’s celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Laura, who is descended from Japanese American parents, shared her family’s history of forced relocation to Japanese Internment Camps organized by the United States Government during World War II. Laura explained that her grandparents and 122,000+ other people of Japanese descent—79,000 of whom were American citizens—had less than 48 hours to decide what they would take with them to the camps before leaving their homes after selling or disposing of everything from their lives that would not fit in a suitcase. Her presentation featured pictures and stories from her families' time in the camps, including a moving original poem by Laura's sister. If you missed the presentation, you can view a recording here.
Many people are unaware of the important role that Asians and Asian Americans have played in the founding and history of the United States. For more information, here are some resources that offer a place to start.
- https://www.asianpacificheritage.gov/ - The official government website for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
- https://smithsonianapa.org/ - The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
- https://www.pbs.org/articles/celebrate-asian-american-and-pacific-islander-heritage-month/ - PBS website for documentaries spotlighting Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander voices
More AAPI Month Programming
Calvin Chrisfield joined Lower School and Middle School students to celebrate AAPI month by teaching students the Korean games Yut Nori and ddajki. Yut Nori, a board game, is over 1000 years old and is often played at Lunar New Year celebrations. Under Calvin’s instruction, students made their own game boards and game pieces, and he taught them how to play. ddakji is a Korean children's game made from folded paper. Calvin taught the kids how to fold their own ddajkis, as well as how to play.
- As May pushes on toward June, plans are afoot for Pride Month…stay tuned!