Announcing the Spring 2022 AAPI Experience Grant Winners

Oberlin Shansi is excited to announce the Spring 2022 AAPI Experience Grant recipients. Joel Tang ‘24 and Shivani Subramaniam ‘24 will be using different genres of writing, both creative and research-based, to explore aspects of Asian and Asian-American experiences relating to immigration and belonging.

For his project “The Intersectionality Of Being Mixed-Race In The United States of America,” Joel wrote poetry about experiences navigating his Chinese-American and Mexican-American identities. As a spoken word poet, he plans on giving a performance on campus in Spring 2022.

Joel said, “The experiences of multiracial individuals’ racial identities in the United States can be different in many ways, but a common trait among many is the sense of isolation and, often, racism. The goal of this project is to write and disseminate poetry that explores the pains, joys, and experiences of my racial identities. I hope those who listen to my readings will find a closer understanding of just one of the experiences that minorities and mixed-heritage people have living in the US. Finally, I hope these poems will enable introspection and further future ideas for equality.”

For her project titled “Bhangra Dance in the U.S. vs the U.K.”, Shivani will explore the differences between Bhangra Dance cultures in the United States and the United Kingdom. Shivani explained, “Bhangra dance originated in the North Indian/Pakistani state of Punjab as a form of celebration for farmers during the harvest. It has since evolved into a performance form involving competitions and has spread far beyond the Punjab into the diaspora.” She noted that her project “focused on variations in the diasporas’ socioeconomic classes and the way both cultures have evolved differently in response.” Furthermore, Shivani sought to” forge deeper connections with [her] heritage and explore non-Western forms of movement and expression through the body.” Her final project will be an essay, which will include interviews with Bhangra practitioners and her experiences as a student and performer of the dance.

The AAPI Experience grant is a joint venture between Oberlin Shansi, Comparative American Studies, the Multicultural Resource Center, As I Am, and the Asian Diaspora Coalition.