Activities for Eastern’s 12th annual Asian Heritage Month are set to begin Tuesday.

These activities started when a small group of students, faculty and staff with a desire to share their cultures and experiences of Asia on campus organized the month-long celebration, said History Professor Jinhee Lee, the chair of Asian Studies.

Lee was born in South Korea where she stayed until she studied abroad in Japan and the United States during her college years.

The first major event this year will be a kick-off reception at noon on Tuesday in the Doudna Fine Arts Center’s Atrium.

Lee said the kick-off reception will be an opportunity for students to sample food, music, traditional clothing from Asia and learn more about this month’s festivities.

Throughout the month of April students can go to special events such as “Do Your Own Calligraphy,” Hong Kong movie night, a photo exhibition on what it is like inside North Korea, a student panel on Asian pop culture and current events and a panel discussion on the U.S. policies in Asia and the Middle East.

In the past students and alumni have said the month-long festivity is a great opportunity to experience and learn about Asian culture and global diversity, according to Lee.

“For Asian or Asian-American and Pacific Islander community members, (Asian Heritage Month) is a wonderful venue where we can serve others by informing and sharing with them about our own cultural heritage, knowledge and experiences,” Lee said.

Vanessa Saltijeral can be reached at 581-2812 or vrsaltijeral@eiu.edu.