BELLINGHAM, WA – Everyone is welcome at a free community event to celebrate Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Heritage Month from 5:30 – 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 12, 2026 at the Syre Student Center at Whatcom Community College. 
 
This year’s theme, Power in Unity: Strengthening Communities Together, highlights the shared journey of APIDA communities, encompassing over 50 ethnic groups from diverse regions. Hosted by a consortium of local educational institutions and community organizations, the festival will be all-ages, family-friendly fun event featuring a free community dinner, intergenerational conversation, performances, local vendors, art, food, and more!  

Image: Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Heritage Month 2026 logo.

Faith Gabrielle Silan, a student speaker at the 2025 APIDA Festival and an Intercultural Center Peer Navigator at Whatcom Community College, encourages the community to join the event. "It was a breath of fresh air to see the local APIDA community gather in a place that encouraged attendees to embrace and proudly display their identities and heritage with others. What made this event truly memorable was witnessing the diverse ways that the APIDA community represents themselves. Through storytelling, traditional performances, dance, and art, it created a feeling of being at home, a space where people could truly be themselves and feel accepted and supported. I hope future attendees will have the opportunity to experience this as well.” 

For more information about the May 12 event at Whatcom Community College, as well as a diverse range of APIDA events hosted at WWU throughout the month, visit wwu.edu/apida. 

Syre Student Center is wheelchair accessible. ASL interpretation for the formal program is available upon request. 
 
Please contact WCC Director of Intercultural Services, Tanya Zaragoza-Rosas, tzaragoza@whatcom.edu, no later than three days prior to the event to request specific accommodations.

About the event sponsors 

This event is sponsored by the Community Consortium for Cultural Recognition (3CR), a partnership comprised of diverse local organizations: Bellingham Public Library, Bellingham Public Schools, Bellingham Technical College, Chuckanut Health Foundation, City of Bellingham, Northwest Indian College, Western Washington University, and Whatcom Community College. 

Past Community Consortium for Cultural Recognition events include Indigenous Peoples' Day festivals from 2021-2025, Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Heritage Month festivals from 2023- 2025, and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day events from 2020-2026. 

Media Contacts 

• Jackie Brawley, Executive Director of Communications, Bellingham Public Schools, Jacqueline.Brawley@bellinghamschools.org
• John Thompson, Senior Director of Communications, Western WA University, thomps94@wwu.edu
• Marni Saling Mayer, Public Information Officer and Director of Communication & Marketing, Whatcom Community College, MSMayer@whatcom.edu