Signature Programs

While Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Heritage Month (APIDAHM) is officially celebrated in the month of May, Vanderbilt celebrates APIDAHM in the fall semester from October to early November. It is the official celebration that honors the history, culture, and unique contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and Desi Americans (APIDA).

A rather broad term, Asian/Pacific/Desi encompasses all of the Asian continent, India, and the Pacific Islands of Melanesia (New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji and the Solomon Islands), Micronesia (Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru and the Federated States of Micronesia) and Polynesia (New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, French Polynesia and Easter Island)

At Vanderbilt University, the Student Center for Belonging & Communities curates a calendar of events related to Asian/Pacific heritage, featuring programs from across campus and the Nashville community. All are welcome.

International Student Month (ISM) is the official celebration honoring and appreciating the history, culture, and unique contributions of international students at Vanderbilt. Throughout the month of March, the Student Center for Belonging & Communities (SCBC), the International Students & Scholar Services (ISSS), University Counseling Center (UCC), Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies, the Multicultural Leadership Council (MLC), International Student Council (ISC), the Association of Latin American Students (ALAS), the Vanderbilt Nepali Student Association (VNSA), and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) curate intentional programs designed to foster and build community within the international student community, educate the non-international community about the various perspectives of international students, and celebrate the different backgrounds that make up the international student community at Vanderbilt. All are welcome.

Latin American & Hispanic Heritage Month (LAHHM), recognized annually from September 15 through October 15, is the official celebration honoring the history, culture, and unique contributions of individuals and communities whose ancestry can be traced back to Spain, Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988, on the approval of Public Law 100-402. September 15th coincides with the Independence Day celebrations of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, followed shortly thereafter by Mexico (Sept. 16) and Chile (Sept. 18). Día de la Raza and Indigenous Peoples Day, recognized on the second Monday of October, also fall within this 30-day period.

At Vanderbilt University, the Student Center for Belonging & Communities curates a calendar of events related to Latin American & Hispanic heritage, featuring programs from across campus and the Nashville community. All are welcome.

The first American Indian Day in a state was declared on the second Saturday in May 1916 by the governor of New York. In 1990 President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 “National American Indian Heritage Month.” Similar proclamations, under variants on the name (including “Native American Heritage Month”) have been issued each year since 1994.

Native American and Indigenous Heritage Month is a time to intentionally celebrate the unique, rich, and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories of Native peoples while acknowledging the important contributions of Native and Indigenous people. NAIHM is also an opportune time to educate the general public about tribes, to raise a general awareness about the unique challenges Native people have faced both historically and in the present, and the ways in which tribal citizens have worked to overcome these challenges.

At Vanderbilt University, the Student Center for Belonging & Communities curates a calendar of events related to Native American heritage, featuring programs from across campus and the Nashville. All are welcome.