Support the UMass Asian/ Asian American Studies Certificate Program

The Asian & Asian American Studies Certificate Program was founded in the spring of 2000 as a result of student advocacy. In the late 1990s, students at UMass Amherst engaged in numerous forms of activism, including protests and occupying the administration building, to demand the creation of an Asian American Studies program. Their efforts successfully culminated with the creation of a new joint undergraduate program in Asian and Asian American Studies in the spring of 2000. Since then, the Asian & Asian American Studies Certificate Program has graduated almost a hundred students from diverse personal and academic backgrounds who have gone on to apply their knowledge and skills in numerous careers and pursuits.

This year, we are witnessing a global rise in anti-Asian sentiment and racism, which makes even more relevant the importance of spaces and resources specifically for Asian American students on university campuses, along with knowledge about the historical and ongoing political, economic, and cultural connections between the U.S., Asia, and Asian Americans.

2021 marks the 21st Anniversary of the Certificate Program and the Certificate program is seeking donations to create programs and activities that support the mission of the program. These initiatives include:

Promoting the Certificate through the creation of a Student Advisory Board that will engage students, faculty, staff, and community members through social media and other collaborative community-building activities.
Greater programming, workshops, and speaker seminars for the UMass community related to Asian- and Asian American-related topics and events.
Collaborating with UMass RSOs and offices around cultural events related to Lunar New Year and Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, to name just a few.