UMassGives 2023

We hope that you and your loved ones are doing well.  Asians and Asian Americans have faced a lot of challenges in recent years and in that time, the Asian & Asian American Studies Program (AAASP) at UMass Amherst has been extremely busy in responding to these challenges and supporting the Asian and Asian American community at UMass and beyond.  In recent years, we and our allies have organized numerous events and compiled a comprehensive list of anti-hate resources to support all those in vulnerable positions and to educate and empower everyone to take action.

Most recently, we hired two amazing undergraduate students as part-time program staff, Sabrina Chan and Alicia Chhung (you can learn more about them at our Instagram page) and they are already contributing their enthusiasm and energy to help strengthen the AAASP.  Also, we are very excited that our proposal to lower the number of courses required to complete the Certificate from 8 to just 6 courses will hopefully be approved very soon.

We hope that you'll consider making a contribution during the UMassGives campaign on April 26-27 to support the ongoing work of the AAASP and to help us expand our outreach, programming, and development of resources to serve and support the entire UMass Amherst campus community.

We will use the funds raised to support the AAASP in different ways, including organizing a 3-day Asian and Asian American Cultural Festival in the Fall 2023 semester to build community by celebrating the history, experiences, diversity, and unity among the Asian and Asian American (A&AA) community at UMass Amherst and that will include an Asian food fair with a variety of cuisine from different Asian cultures, an art exhibition featuring different forms of artwork by A&AA undergrad and grad students, staff, and faculty, and a talk/panel discussion with one or more well-known A&AA celebrity, influencer, or professional about empowerment, representation, and influence. 

On Wed. April 26 from 3pm-4pm, we will have our "Power Hour" -- the program that receives the most gifts from unique donors during this hour will receive an additional $2,000.  If you would like to make a gift -- it can be as little as $5 -- please consider making your donation during this time!  Alternatively, we would be very happy to receive any donation until the end of the UMassGives campaign on Thur. the 27th at 11:59 pm.  We hope that you will be part of this effort to make sure that the AAASP remains strong, vibrant, and active!