Moorpark College is making it possible to travel to all seven continents in under 24 hours.
On Tuesday, April 10, Moorpark will host its 22nd annual Multicultural Day. The festivities will include educational lectures, panel discussions, musical performances, hands-on demonstrations, theatrical exhibits, and rhythmic dances showcasing different countries around the world. The campus is housing over 70 presenters and performers, 40 vendors, and four food booths sampling the cuisines of the United States, Mexico, Italy and Vietnam.
Ranford Hopkins, a Moorpark College U.S. history professor and the social science department chair, orchestrated the first Multicultural Day in the spring of 1991.
“Multicultural Day shows that the campus cares about diversity and respecting cultures around the world,” Hopkins said. “It concurrently examines ethnic diversity and social unity, with the expressed purpose of understanding and appreciating global customs.”
In 1998, Moorpark College President James Walker made Multicultural Day an alternative day of instruction, allowing teachers to bring their classes to the day’s lectures and events in lieu of regularly scheduled class.
“Multicultural Day has now become institutionalized at the college,” Hopkins said. “People expect it to happen.”
This year’s theme is “Dance with the Conflict.” Daytime events will commence at 8:30 a.m. and run until 2:30 p.m.
Scottish Bagpipers will lead the official opening ceremony with a parade across campus. Following festivities will include performances by UCSB’s Middle Eastern Dance Ensemble, presentations on Afghanistan, lectures on Chumash Indians, and concerts from North Indian musicians. Moorpark College’s Exotic Animal Training and Management Program will hold live animal demonstrations, the West Valley Folk Dancers will teach international folk dances, and former World Boomerang Competitor Jerry Caplan will give boomerang throwing lessons.
Actor and humanitarian Rainn Wilson will host a special evening presentation, entitled “Young Women Transforming the Future of Haiti” in the Performing Arts Center at 7 p.m.
Events do overlap, so visitors are advised to plan accordingly.
“It’s like Disneyland,” Hopkins said. “There’s more than you can do in one visit. You must come back every year!”
Admission to Multicultural Day is free and all events are open to the public.
To view a complete list of events with their scheduled times and locations, visit http://www.moorparkcollege.edu/community/multicultural_day/assets/2012-Multicultural-day-schedule-at-a-glance-v1.pdf.
To read in detail about each event, see http://www.moorparkcollege.edu/community/multicultural_day/assets/2012-Multicultural-day-detailed-program-v1.pdf.
