Community celebrates Pacific Islander heritage in August

Community celebrates Pacific Islander heritage in August

(Jessica Pilling/PIHM)


3 photos
Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

SALT LAKE CITY — August marks the third annual Pacific Island Heritage Month, and it's filled with free events to educate the community about the culture.

People tend to lump all Pacific Island cultures together, PIHM director Susi Feltch-Malohifo'ou said. When she moved to Salt Lake five years ago, she noticed stereotypes such as the idea that Tongan boys were either football players or gangsters.

With about 40,000 Pacific Islanders in the state, according to the 2010 Census, Feltch-Malohifo'ou said she recognized the local Pacific Island community could do better at highlighting their differences. She approached Pacific Island organizations about educating local communities about their different cultures.

Pacific Islanders should celebrate their cultures, so they have a self-identity, Feltch-Malohifo'ou said. Their lack of self-identity is why they are overrepresented in the court systems, and this monthlong celebration is important "to appreciate the sacrifices that generations before made to get us here to America for the opportunities," she said.

In 2013, Governor Gary Herbert and Mayor Ralph Becker declared August as Pacific Island Heritage Month.

Throughout August, the Pacific Islander community will celebrate its heritage with events and educate the public about their cultures. (Photo: Jessica Pilling/Pacific Island Heritage Month organization)
Throughout August, the Pacific Islander community will celebrate its heritage with events and educate the public about their cultures. (Photo: Jessica Pilling/Pacific Island Heritage Month organization)

Events will take place all month from North Salt Lake to St. George, including film screenings, a festival, a job fair and a potluck dance.

Two screenings of local Tongan filmmaker Tony Vaenuku's "In Football We Trust" will kick off the month's celebrations Aug. 1 at the Sorenson Unity Center in the Black Box Theater. Tickets are sold out for this event, but there is a wait list.

Ex-National Football League players from Utah will take part in a panel after the screenings, at 5 p.m. Becker and Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams will also be there to open the month's events.

The Friendly Island Festival on Aug. 6-8 will celebrate Tongan culture at Jordan Park at 1060 S. 900 West in Salt Lake. Event times vary each day.

Related:

An Aug. 15 career and job fair at Valley Fair Mall from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. will focus on pairing jobs with people who are reentering the workforce from jail or prison. It will also target students and seniors looking for part-time jobs.

One of the main events is a potluck and dance, which will celebrate Jacob Fitisemanu's appointment to President Barack Obama's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. The Aug. 21 celebration will be at Pacific Heritage Academy from 7 to 11 p.m.

Events are open to the entire community, and Feltch-Malohifo'ou said she hopes the month will lead to new friendships.

PIHM is funded by a Salt Lake Special Event Fund grant and sponsored by Rugby Utah, Health Choice, Utah Cultural Alliance, and Send Money Pacific.

More information about events is available on the Pacific Island Knowledge 2 Action Resources website and the PIHM Facebook page.

Photos

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

Utah
Megan Marsden Christensen

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast