Celebrating AANHPI Heritage Month

As a daughter of Guamanian and Colombian parents, my parents shared many of their cultural traditions that have stayed with me and have inspired the work I do on a daily basis. In celebration of Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Month, I’m sharing a few ways of how my Pacific Islander identity and culture has shaped and inspired EOD.

Approach to Event Curation: In Guam, fiestas are a symbolization of the Chamorro culture and are celebrated with local music, entertainment, food, family, and friends. Preparing for a fiesta requires intense planning, engagement, and participation from everyone involved. What makes fiestas special is that they are grounded with the intention of bringing together family and friends to celebrate a special occasion and to strengthen community. This approach of planning fiestas is at the heart of how I approach curating experiences. Whether it’s a virtual convening of educators or a wellness retreat for executives, centering community, connection, and celebration is always at the foundation of the experiences I design.

EOD’s Logo: As a woman of color business owner, it was incredibly important for my identity and culture to be reflected throughout the business. My upbringing, my traditions, and my background have influenced how I think about events, how I build relationships, and how I curate memorable experiences. My way of infusing my culture into EOD’s brand was by incorporating a few design elements into the logo. If you look closely at the letters in EOD’s logo, you will see the “O” shape is a nod to the Guam flag and the placement of EOD’s flower is worn on the side to honor my Guamanian culture. A special thank you to NETA, a Latina + LGBTQ owned agency, for creating our logo.

EOD’s Heritage Month Celebration Series: As part of EOD’s commitment to equity, we do our best to celebrate heritage months throughout the year. We do this by supporting, working and amplifying BIPOC owned businesses, vendors, facilitators, and partners.

This year’s heritage month is particularly special to me as I have the opportunity to collaborate with APIA Scholars as their events partner on their upcoming Story Slam virtual event. This is full circle for me, because I’m a proud alumna of the APIA Scholars/Gates Millennium Scholarship Program that fully funded my undergraduate education. As a result of their investment in me, I’ve been able to create a successful career and business that aligns my purpose, practice and passion.

In addition to partnering with AAPI - serving organizations, EOD also supports and works with facilitators, vendors, and wellness instructors who identify as Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander.

I hope you’ve enjoyed learning a bit more about my story and the inspiration of EOD. It’s been such a joy and privilege for me to share my traditions and culture with each of you. 

What can you do to honor APIA month this May?  Check out these five tips.

  1. Join and engage in upcoming  events

  2. Prioritize APIA owned businesses, vendors, and facilitators

  3. Support APIA serving organizations

    • Click here to donate time or money to APIA Scholars.

  4. Recognize the contributions of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific leaders in America’s history and present

  5. Create space for AANHPI team and staff members to convene, connect and celebrate

    • Click here for best practices in celebrating heritage months in your organization.

Trisha Griffith