Celebrate AAPI heritage with these events at Luther College in April

Luther College will honor Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) heritage and history in April with lectures from national experts, a community event featuring cuisine from Asian countries, and other events. While May is widely recognized as national AAPI month, Luther celebrates in April before the conclusion of the college’s academic year.

“I hope the greater Decorah community will take advantage of this month’s events, which are all related to meaningful human connection,” said Adrianna Tam, assistant professor of music and faculty advisor to ASAA.

Tibetan Buddhist scholar Jan Willis will present “Black, Baptist, and Buddhist: How I Learned Non-Violent Activism” at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 9, in the Center for Faith and Life Recital Hall.

Willis will discuss key moments in her life – marching with civil rights leader Martin Luther King in Alabama, being the only woman among the founding members of the Black Students Association at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and meeting Tibetan Buddhist teachers in India – and explain how these moments gave her an academic and spiritual home.

Tibetan Buddhist scholar Jan Willis will present “Black, Baptist, and Buddhist: How I Learned Non-Violent Activism” at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 9, in the Center for Faith and Life Recital Hall.

“Jan Willis has devoted herself to a life of nonviolence informed by her civil rights work as a young person and later by her commitment to Tibetan Buddhism. Her lecture is a rare opportunity for Luther students, faculty, staff and the Decorah community to hear firsthand from an accomplished scholar-practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism and social justice activist,” said Scott Hurley, associate professor in identity studies and religion at Luther. “Dr. Willis truly embodies the Bodhisattva Ideal – a way of living that is dedicated to ending suffering for all beings.”

Willis is a professor emerita of religion at Wesleyan University. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Cornell University before earning a Ph.D. at Columbia University.

Willis has studied and taught Buddhist teachings for more than 40 years. She has also published five books. Her latest book, “Dharma Matters: Women, Race, and Tantra,” was published in 2020.

The “Black, Baptist, and Buddhist: How I Learned Non-Violent Activism” lecture is sponsored by the Sihler Family Endowed Lecture, OEN Fellowship, and the religion and identity studies departments at Luther College.

Other AAPI events scheduled in April include:

As a specialist in East Asian studies, Jeffrey Wasserstrom has written, co-authored, edited or coedited more than 10 books.

“Youth Activism in Asia from the 1980s to the 2020s: Repeated Patterns and Dramatic Development,” a lecture presented by University of California-Irvine Chancellor’s Professor of History Jeffrey Wasserstrom at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 16, in Olin 102. Join us to learn how youth activism in Asia has evolved from the late 2010s to the present. Wasserstrom will discuss historical context, comparing Asian movements to those in the United States, and analyze the role of popular culture.

This lecture is sponsored by Luther’s Asian Student Association and Allies (ASAA), the Center for Ethics and Public Engagement (CEPE), the Center for Intercultural Engagement and Support (CIES), and the history department.

As a specialist in East Asian studies, Wasserstrom has written, co-authored, edited or coedited more than 10 books. His newest book, “The Milk Tea Alliance: Inside Asia’s Struggle against Autocracy and Beijing,” will be released on June 10, 2025.

Movie: “Vai” at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 24, in Valders 206. Filmed by nine female Pacific filmmakers across seven Pacific nations, “Vai” (2019) focuses on the journey of empowerment through one woman’s lifetime.

“Eats, Education and Engagement” at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 29, at The Landing Market. Through a partnership between CIES, ASAA, The Landing Market, and the Oneota Valley Literary Foundation, the “Eats, Education and Engagement” event features a meal of Vietnamese, Indonesian and Filipino cuisine.

The price is $10 for adults; $5 for students (with ID) attending any college or university and children 17 and younger. Books by a variety of authors of Asian and Pacific Islander descent will be available to attendees at no charge. The limit is one book per attendee.