Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) Heritage Month

The office of Multicultural Involvement and Community Advocacy (MICA) of the Adele H. Stamp Student Union and a dedicated committee of students and staff is excited to announce the University of Maryland's first ever campus-wide celebration of Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) Heritage Month in April 2024! Check out the full calendar of events at stamp.umd.edu/SWANAHM

This first ever SWANA Heritage Month theme is twofold, asking the community to stretch, connect, feel discomfort, and see how two things can be true at once.

First, "See Us" is a demand to be seen and to matter, highlighting the ways SWANA identities have been made invisible. From census boxes to movie theaters, history books to holidays - the presence, impact, and needs of the SWANA community are often subsumed or glossed over. Why is our first heritage month in 2024?

Second, "Seeing Us" reveals the hypervisibility of SWANA suffering and villainization. In particular, for those of the SWANA diaspora who grow up watching their communities here and abroad be subjected to violence and dehumanization. To truly see us, one must see this also. Acknowledgement and visibility are needed, yes, and so are compassion and care.