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Slice of Life

Mr. ASIA pageant celebrates talent, Asian American culture on campus

Sarah Allam | Illustration Editor

By Amy Nakamura

In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month, Syracuse University’s Asian Students in America will host its third-annual Mr. ASIA pageant in Grant Auditorium on Friday. Six students will compete for the title of Mr. ASIA through a personal style section, talent portion and a question-and-answer segment.

Since 1979, ASIA was the first pan-ethnic, non-Asian exclusive Asian American student organization at SU.

Through this men-centered pageant, ASIA hopes to spread awareness about problems the Asian American community faces at SU and across the country. The event was also created as an opportunity to break stereotypes surrounding Asian men and the Asian community in general, according to an SU News release.

Tyler Kerr, a junior English and secondary education major, was nominated to participate in the pageant and hopes that the event can be used to help dispel misconceptions about the community and culture.

“The Asian community here on the Syracuse campus is very small and I think it’s important to get representation now,” Kerr said. “There’s this idea of a positive stereotype, where every Asian is smart, and then that creates a whole lot of stress. So, getting rid of that is, I think, the first step for a lot of interactions.”



Isaac Ryu, a freshman broadcast and digital journalism major, is one of the contestants in this year’s competition and hopes to shed light on his Korean heritage. Especially on a predominately white campus, Ryu said he finds the Mr. ASIA pageant as a good way to communicate and begin a conversation about Asian culture.

“I think people are pretty familiar with at least the mainstream Korean culture, in terms of like K-pop and Korean dramas and stuff like that,” he said. “I think there’s more to Korea than that. I think there are just some aspects that I think I would like to share with the people there.”

This year’s pageant will be hosted by Canadian actor and comedian Simu Liu, who has appeared in the television adaptation of “Taken” and currently stars in the sitcom “Kim’s Convenience.” Other performances through the night will feature The Underground, Kappa Phi Lambda and Sigma Psi Zeta.

Anthony Moon, a freshman computer science major, is looking forward to participating in the pageant to spark a conversation about the Asian identity and culture.

“I think it’s important to have events like this because this is a really good chance to defy that preconception about us and give people a different perspective on who we are,” Moon said.

Other AAPI events in April

  • AAPI Heritage Month Book Club Discussion: ‘The Leavers’ by Lisa Ko”

SU alumni Jordan Burgh, Mitchell Liang, Rachel Pray and Sarina Wallace will lead a discussion on the novel “The Leavers” by Lisa Ko. Ko’s debut fiction novel is about the son of an undocumented Chinese immigrant who mysteriously goes missing. The boy is later adopted by two white college professors from upstate New York. The book grapples with themes such as belonging and identity. The discussion will be held on Tuesday at 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Peter Graham Scholarly Commons (Bird 114).

  • “Cultural Expo”

Kappa Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc. and Sigma Beta Rho. will host the Cultural Expo, where students are able to showcase their culture at respective booths. The expo will run on Wednesday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in Hall of Languages 500.

  • “South Asian Students Association Formal”

The annual SASA formal will be held at the Sheraton Hotel from 8 p.m. to midnight on Saturday. Food, music and a photo booth will be provided. Tickets for the event are $10 and available at Schine Box Office.

  • “Now More Than Ever: The Political Urgency of Community Archives”

Michelle Caswell and Samip Mallick, co-founders of the South Asian American Digital Archives, will be speaking from 4 to 5 p.m. on April 23 in the Peter Graham Scholarly Commons (Bird 114) about how archives of marginalized communities work to help end oppression. The pair aims to build more diverse material and inclusive descriptions into their archival work, according to a SU News release.

  • “How to Tell Your Community’s Story”

In a follow up to their lecture, Caswell and Mallick will host an interactive workshop to show participants the methods of communal archiving. Other topics in the workshop will include developing a collection focus, building relationships with donors and fundraising. The workshop will run from 10 a.m. to noon on April 24 in the Peter Graham Scholarly Commons (Bird 114). Space for the event is limited.

 





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