The Brandeis Asian American Student Association celebrated the beginning of the 41st Asian Pacific American Heritage Month last Friday. This year's APAHM performance was markedly different from those in years past, creating an innovative show that entertained the audience while addressing social issues relevant to Asian Americans and reaching them on a personal level.

"We wanted to create an APAHM that was more about social justice rather than just entertainment, but still have both components," said Esther Lee '15, one of the two event coordinators.

APAHM has always been fun, and this year continued their tradition of bringing in YouTube celebrities and talented performers to the stage in the Levin Ballroom-but BAASA reached new ground this year with its theme, "Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling." The theme refers to "the factors that limit Asian-Americans from achieving the same professional goals that more privileged groups can accomplish," as written in the event's program. However, the show sought to demonstrate the ways in which Asian Americans surmounted this barrier, rather than the disadvantages of the "bamboo ceiling" itself.

Brandeis alumna and singer-songwriter Sophia Moon '02 was first on the stage, encouraging the audience that the best way to break the ceiling is "doing what they were passionate about." She used herself as an example, stating that her musical performance was her way of fighting the stigmas she has faced. She performed three songs from her first album Back at Me, including the single "Five Star Recovery," which peaked at number 17 on the Boston Pop Charts after its 2009 release.

Brandeis' South East Asia Club also stepped up its game this year with a moving skit about Southeast Asian stereotypes, which featured Kaiwen Chen '16 and Eddy Zheng '16 as two best friends from Vietnam studying in an American high school.

One rejected his culture and attempted to act "white," while the other remained true to his background. In an endearing conclusion, the two friends reconciled their differences and realized together that the key to fitting in at an American high school did not require being ashamed of their culture, but rather embracing it, coming to accept it as part of who they are.
Kris Sun Liu, a beat boxer and neuroscience student at Harvard University, took the stage next. He performed an exciting freestyle piece that sampled Taylor Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble" and the Black Eyed Peas' "Boom Boom Pow," dropping heavy beats and high-speed rhythms.

BAASA also hosted Project Plus One, a non-profit organization founded at Brandeis whose mission is to support the Bairo Pite Clinic in East Timor, represented by Leila May Pascual '15. After explaining the mission of her group, Pascual performed a rousing rendition of Beyonce's "Halo."

After the intermission, Calvin Wang '16 and Emily Huang '15 presented their documentary-style video titled "What Does It Really Mean to be Asian-American?" Professionally done, it addressed a sensitive topic involving identity and race without heavy-handed directing, creating a discussion which "sought to dismantle stereotypes," as stated by Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences Elaine Wong. The film's concluding lines, lettered in white against black, stated "Don't let the label 'Asian-American' define you." Following the video, the Wellesley Aiko group, whose name means "Blue Drum," performed a traditional musical art of Japanese culture, demonstrating "how an old art can be made new." Eleven girls lined the stage, each with a large drum played in unison to an orchestrated, haunting beat.

In traditional BAASA fashion, the ceremony concluded with two high-energy modern dance performances by members of the club.APAHM continues this Saturday with the SKIN Fashion Show, which will be held at 5:30 p.m. in Levin Ballroom.
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