Cultural Heritage Months
We celebrate the rich diversity of our campus community by honoring Cultural Heritage Months throughout the year. These celebrations highlight the histories, contributions, and lived experiences of various cultural communities to foster education, dialogue, and solidarity. Each Heritage Month features collaborative programs with campus partners, including SJSU's identity-based centers, academic departments, and student organizations, as well as local community partners. Together, we curate a calendar of programs ranging from panel discussions, workshops, exhibits, community gatherings, and more, all created to uplift and amplify the cultures being celebrated that month. We celebrate the following heritage months: Latinx Heritage Month (September 15-October 15), Native American & Indigenous Heritage Month (November), Black History Month (February), Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month (observed in April), and Southwest Asian & North African Heritage Month (April). Check this page during these months to find out about the exciting events we have planned!
April 2025: Asian & Pacific Islander (API) Heritage Month & Southwest Asian & North African Heritage Month
This April, we invite you to celebrate two heritage months: Asian & Pacific Islander (API) Heritage Month and Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) Heritage Month! This year’s theme, "Legacy & Voice," highlights the interconnected legacies of API and SWANA communities, celebrating their strength, resilience, and contributions. It also emphasizes the importance of shaping legacies for future generations. The theme draws from the national themes of Arab American Heritage Month ("Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future") and Asian American Heritage Month ("Legacy of Leadership & Resilience").
API & SWANA Heritage Months Theme: "Legacy & Voice"
This year's API & SWANA Heritage Months calendars were designed by MOSAIC's student graphic designer, Erica Noblet. Learn about the inspiration behind her beautiful design: “My inspiration for this design is rooted in the joint theme for the Asian & Pacific Islander (API) and Southwest Asian & North African (SWANA) Heritage Months, "Legacy and Voice". When I think of legacy, I think of telling stories through art - murals of the past, present, and future. So the tiger in the image is part of a mural on the wall, featured amongst Pacific Islander imagery of flowers and waves. For the voice portion of the theme, I imagined the tiger coming out of the wall, coming alive and having a majestic roar, projecting its voice like the communities’ voices. Hanging above the wall is imagery connected to the SWANA community, lights and the crescent moons illuminating the sky." - Erica Noblet
For the first time at SJSU, we are celebrating SWANA Heritage Month this April 2025! While we celebrated "Arab American Heritage Month" last school year, we have rebranded to SWANA Heritage Month to better reflect the diverse identities within the SWANA region and ensure the voices of our students are central to the celebration. SWANA Heritage Month is a reflection of a year-long effort led by the MOSAIC Cross Cultural Center and MOSAIC Faculty Fellow Dr. Saugher Nojan, which has elevated SWANA histories and experiences. While progress has been made, we remain committed to further support and listening to our student community's needs.
For API Heritage Month, we celebrate milestones such as the creation of the Center for Asian Pacific Islander Student Empowerment and the launch of the Asian American Studies major (Fall 2024), which are the result of years of advocacy significant to our campus community.
