We Will Not Be Erased: Remembering, Documenting, and Taking Action
Sunday, September 27 to Saturday, October 3, 2026
For AANAPISI Week, APAHE affirms the vital role of the Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) program in expanding educational opportunity and advancing the socioeconomic mobility of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) students.
AANAPISIs (Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institutions) have helped colleges and universities build the capacity to increase AANHPI student access, strengthen academic and wraparound support, improve retention and graduation, and create pathways to meaningful careers. These investments do more than support individual students. They strengthen families and communities while preparing a diverse, talented workforce that contributes to our nation’s social and economic well-being.
Today, AANAPISIs and other MSIs face significant threats from federal policy changes affecting the Department of Education and the funding structures that sustain these programs. The elimination of funding competitions and the reallocation of resources to other programs such as Strengthening Institutions can leave institutions without critical resources specifically designed to address the educational needs of underserved student populations.
We will not be erased. This year’s theme calls us to remember the history and impact of AANAPISIs, document the difference these investments make in students’ lives and institutional capacity, and take action to protect and strengthen the programs that make educational opportunity possible. When students have the support they need to graduate, they are better positioned to achieve socioeconomic mobility, strengthen their communities, and contribute their knowledge, skills, and talents to the nation’s workforce and economy.
AANAPISI Week is therefore not only a celebration—it is a call to remember, document, and act. Our students, institutions, communities, and nation cannot afford to lose these pathways to opportunity.
Our AANAPISI Week Toolkit and resources will be shared in the coming weeks!
AANAPISI week is a way to recognize and remember why we do the work – to create a space for students to thrive and be seen.”
—Teresa Wilson, M.A.Ed. (Assistant Director, APIDA + Center)