Asian, Pacific Islander, Desi
American Heritage Month
Power in Unity: Strengthening Communities Together
APIDA Festival 2026
May 12, 2026
5:30 - 8:00 p.m.
Whatcom Community College, Syre Student Center
Every May, we honor the rich tapestry of Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) cultures, embracing our past, celebrating our present, and shaping our future. APIDA encompasses a vibrant community of over 50 ethnic groups, representing people of Asian, Pacific Islander, and Desi ancestry who trace their origins to diverse geographic regions.
APIDA heritage spans more than 20 countries, each with its unique traditions, languages, and customs. Our communities share strong connections to family heritage and histories that emphasize community, resilience, and celebration. While our experiences in the United States often include shared challenges of racial injustice, xenophobia, and the lasting impacts of colonialism, these struggles have forged a powerful bond among us.
This year's national theme, Power in Unity: Strengthening communities together, highlights the importance of collective strength, shared stories, and bridge-building across APIDA communities. It reminds us that our resilience grows when we stand together, uplift one another, and work collaboratively toward justice and belonging.
Unity is a form of resistance and healing. When we gather as community, we honor the legacies of our ancestors, nurture spaces that allow us to rest and restore, and celebrate the joy that sustains our activism. By centering our connections-across cultures, generations, and lived experiences-we cultivate the power needed to envision and build a future where all can thrive.
Join the Celebration: Volunteer with Us!
Our festival's strength lies in our community. We are looking for volunteers to help make the APIDA Festival 2026 a success. Whether you're interested in helping with the community meal, or supporting our performers and speakers your time and energy will help us celebrate the "Power in Unity."
Festival Schedule
Doors Open
- Food line and vendors will be open
Open festival including
- Community meal catered by That's What I Like! Island Grill & Saigon Cafe (gluten free and vegan options for dinner available)
- Ube cookies by It's the Sweet Things
Performances Speakers, and Workshops
- Usman Ally (actor, award-winning director) - film showing with Q&A
- Dr. Gerry Ebaloroza -Tunnell (author of award-winning children's book Let's Live ALOHA) - read aloud, breathwork, vendor
- Soulful Sumi Calligraphy—workshop
- Whatcom Uchiumi Taiko—performance and workshop
- WWU Filipino American Student Association—performance and workshop
- WWU Vietnamese Student Association
- WWU South Asian Student Association
- Music by DJ RoyBoy
Art and Crafts by the WWU Community Service Center
Multiple vendors including
- Soulful Sumi Calligraphy
- Ink Drop Tattoo
- One Book One Coast Featuring “They Called Us Enemy” by George Takei
Closing
Accessibility
Wheelchair-accessible environment. ASL available upon request. Contact Tanya at tzaragoza@whatcom.edu by May 7 for more information.
Together, let us honor our shared strength by building bridges across our communities and celebrating the unity that empowers us to shape a more just, joyful, and connected future.
History of APIDA Heritage Month
The month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. Most of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants. Please visit the Asian Pacific Heritage website to learn more about this month.
APIDA is a pan-ethnic classification that intentionally includes South Asians (Desi) as part of the community along with those in the community of East Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander heritage. APIDA represents a diverse community of more than 50 ethnic groups and includes all people of Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander ancestry who trace their origins to the countries, states, jurisdictions and/or the diasporic communities of these geographic regions.
APIDA history is an important part of the American experience, and we encourage our community to celebrate and learn about the achievements, hardships and sacrifices of APIDA people that deserve to be explored.
About the Artist
Susan Puailiau Lindsey
She/Her - Entrepreneur. Graphic Designer. Tattooist. Upcyclist.
Artist's Statement
Aloha!
Mahalo nui to all involved in this event. I am grateful for the opportunity to be a Graphic Designer in The Community Consortium for Cultural Recognition. The artwork for this event depicts the unity throughout the recognized cultures and throughout the planet. Our connected roots and collective futures; our ripple effect that spreads across our lands, our seas, and ourselves.
I was born in Hilo on the Big Island of Hawai’i and am blessed to live in the Pacific Northwest in Bellingham, Washington. My mom moved from Seattle to the Big Island for college and met my dad, and raised my brother and I in both places. We have been a bridge between the mainland and the Big Island all my life, traveling back and forth as often as possible.
I share the aloha spirit in everything I create and I embrace the entrepreneurial spirit in a variety of business endeavors with the support of my ohana. One of those being Ink Drop Tattoo Shop; a creative space that my business partner, Zim, and I opened in 2016. I have been tattooing since 2011 and have been an artist all my life. I graduated from Whatcom Community College in 2012 with my Associates Degree in Visual Communications. Owning a Tattoo Shop right across the street from the community college was both unexpected and destined. It is so important to myself and the Ink Drop team to further our art and education to artists and entrepreneurs; creating a more beautiful future for everyone. Ho’oponopono; do right within yourself and to others.
Let’s create together,
Susan
Follow Susan
@artbypuailiau
@inkdroptattooshop
A Special Thank You to our Community Sponsors
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