Asian, Asian American, Pacific Islander Employee Resource Group (AAAPI ERG)
Our Mission
The effort to form the AAAPI ERG was initiated by several colleagues who came together to support one another, led by Susan Cheng, senior associate dean for diversity, equity & inclusion and associate professor of family medicine at the School of Medicine, Jesse Szeto, Jocelyn B. de Guzman and Jaime Brown.
“Over the past two years of anti-Asian bias, violence and xenophobia heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic, we have recognized a need to come together and support one another more,” says Cheng. “While identifying a need, there is also great joy in forming and building community and solidarity across Georgetown University.”
The AAAPI Employee Resource Group (AAAPI ERG) strives to support and sustain a network of professionals (faculty and staff) whose objective is to celebrate, empower and advance AAAPI identifying employees and allies at Georgetown University.
Our mission is to center AAAPI employees at Georgetown University and their distinct experiences, creating an inclusive, equitable, and just workplace environment. We envisionan institution in which AAAPI employee voices are amplified through civic engagement, leadership cultivation, and advocacy.
Announcements
AAAPI Heritage Month ERG Celebration! (new window)
May 2, 4pm – 7pm ET | Fisher Colloquium (4th floor of MSB’s Hariri Building), Georgetown University (Hilltop Campus)
We’re excited to kick off Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May with an in-person celebration for our AAAPI ERG community in the beautiful Fisher Colloquium (many thanks to Evan Fossen from LGBTQ+ ERG for making this possible for us!). We are honored to have Georgetown University’s new Chief Financial Officer Hari Sastry (G’00) headlining our program; this will be followed by a fireside chat featuring perspectives from fellow employees on the evening’s theme, “Called to Be: Pathways to Purpose at Georgetown.” Our program will conclude with a reception with hors d’oeuvres and refreshments. All Georgetown University employees are welcome; please RSVP to help us with planning (new window).
AAAPI ERG Community Retreat (new window)
May 22, 10am – 3pm | Mortara Center for International Studies (3600 N St NW)
In keeping with the tradition we began last year, and building on what we have learned from our joint retreat with the Disability ERG as the CCC, we will bookend AAAPI Heritage Month with a community retreat. Join us for a day of reflection, conversation, and empowerment as a community, with dialogue facilitated by members of the AAAPI ERG board. This retreat is designed specifically with members of the AAAPI employee resource group in mind; please help us create the most inclusive experience possible by submitting your RSVP (new window).
AAAPI ERG + Georgetown Women’s Alliance (GWA) meetup
In May, Date TBD | More details coming soon
AAAPI ERG Book Club: The Covenant of Water wrap-up gathering
In May, Date TBD | More details coming soonLooking Back at Recent ERG Efforts
AAAPI ERG + Disability ERG Retreat
April 10, 2024 at the Calcagnini Contemplative Center, Bluemont, VA
We are so grateful to everyone who made our joint ERG retreat in the idyllic Blue Ridge Mountains such a memorable experience. The shared commitment to creating an inclusive environment and embracing our time together was deeply appreciated. Special thanks to Amy Kenny and the Disability ERG for their partnership and advocacy, Lisa Directo Davis for her thoughtful facilitation, and the Office of Campus Ministry staff for their warm welcome. We look forward to cultivating more opportunities for growth and learning as we strengthen our commitments to each other as colleagues building an inclusive workplace.
White House (WHIAANHPI) Higher Education Leadership Development Summit + APAHE
April 2, 2024 at UC Berkeley/Oakland, CA
Georgetown’s AAAPI ERG faculty co-chair Susan Cheng and staff co-chair Anupam Chakravarty presented at the White House AANHPI Initiative’s Higher Education Leadership Development Summit (new window) (April 2) at UC Berkeley and participated in the APAHE Conference (new window) (April 4-5) in Oakland, CA. We are grateful to co-panelist Jeremy Khuth from SF State, Caroline Goon of WHIAANHPI, Rosemary Kilkenny and her team, and all presenters and organizers for their contributions to both energizing events.These programs allowed us to engage, learn, and promote Employee Resource Groups as key elements of fostering a sense of belonging at our institutions, and we look forward to sharing insights for Georgetown with the group at our next virtual town hall on June 13.
More Upcoming Events (Local/Community)
Late-Night Backyard Korean BBQ (new window)
April 26, 8pm | Maketto, 1351 H Street NE, DC
Perspectives on History: AAPI Voices in the American Story (new window)
May 1, 6:30pm ET | National Archives Building, 701 Constitution Avenue NW, DC
An Evening with Local Filipino Authors and Historians (new window)
May 1, 7pm ET | Loyalty Bookstore, 843 Upshur Street NW, DC
Art Exhibition Series: Good Fortunes (new window)
May 3, 6-8pm | Heurich House Museum, 1307 New Hampshire Ave NW, DC
Chop Fry Watch Learn: Fu-Mei and the Making of Modern Chinese Food (new window)
May 7 | Bold Fork Books, 3064 Mt. Pleasant St. NW, DC
Book Talk: Shze-Hui Tjoa, author of The Story Game (new window)
May 16, 7pm ET | Loyalty Bookstore, 843 Upshur Street NW, DC
Film Screening: Right Now, Wrong Then (new window)
May 17 | Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art, 1050 Independence Ave. SW, DC
Fiesta Asia Street Fair (new window)
May 18 | Pennsylvania Avenue NW between 3rd & 6th St
Book Talk: GU’s own Mimi Khúc, author of dear elia, in conversation with Peggy Kyoungwon Lee (new window)
May 22, 7pm ET | Loyalty Bookstore, 843 Upshur Street NW, DCNews/Articles of Interest
NBC News: “Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders more likely to believe in climate change, new poll says” (new window)
“A recent poll from AAPI Data and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds 84% of AAPI adults agree climate change exists. In comparison, 74% of U.S. adults hold the same sentiment. And three-quarters of AAPI adults who accept climate change is real attribute it entirely or mostly to human activity. Among the general U.S. adult population surveyed in an AP-NORC poll in September, only 61% say humans are causing it.”
Reminders
Reminders
Connect with us on Instagram (new window) to hear (or tell us) about events happening between sends that we haven’t gotten to include in our newsletter yet.
More information about board elections coming soon! Please send us an email at aaapi@georgetown.edu (new window) with your questions about any of our open positions (Faculty Co-Chair, Communications/Events/Membership Chair, and Medical Center Representative).
Resources
- AAPI Tool Kit
- View slides from the Town Hall Meeting (June 15, 2023)
- What should we do next? Fill out our Summer (& beyond) Availability form
- How are we doing so far? Email us here or use the anonymous feedback form
Contact Information
Susan M. Cheng, Ed.L.D., MPP
Senior Associate Dean, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Associate Professor, Department of Family Med Deputy Title IX Coordinator,
School of Medicine
aaapi@georgetown.edu
