2026 Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Heritage Month

From the APIDA Heritage Month web page (students.wisc.edu/apidahm):

There is a beauty in the rich cultures and histories tied to the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) diaspora. Across APIDA communities, many values such as hard work, excellence, and collective care are deeply celebrated. Yet beneath these powerful legacies, there can also be threads of fragmentation. For some, this emerges from a history of immigration, intergenerational trauma, or moments of cultural disconnect that can create a sense of feeling “broken,” as if identities or experiences stand apart from one another. These pieces, however, also have the potential to build connection, deepen understanding, and strengthen communities. Much like the Japanese art of kintsugi, where broken pottery is repaired with gold, APIDA communities have long found ways to reconstruct fractures into sources of strength, solidarity, and meaning. Brokenness is not an endpoint; rather, it can be the beginning of healing.

Whether falling apart or piecing together fragments, the possibility of growth remains. We may change and we may break, but we also hope. From APIDA communities, there is an opportunity to recognize and embrace beauty in imperfection, resilience, and reflection. This year, APIDA Heritage Month invites the campus community to celebrate how identities, stories, and experiences come together to reveal the Beauty in the Brokenness.