The diverse sounds of activities, speakers, and vendors with an array of colors and patterns came together to produce the 19th annual Multicultural Day festival set to promote cultural awareness around the world April 15.
“The purpose of these events is to encourage people to discuss and come to an understanding about how each culture contributes to humanity,” said co-chair and co-founder Professor Ranford Hopkins.
The theme this year was Cultural Dimensions of Democracy in support of the college-wide Year of Democracy theme.
“Most Americans spend time talking to people who agree with them, this is an opportunity for dialogue between people of other cultures,” said Christine Marx, a member of the Multicultural Day Planning Committee.
The events that took up nearly the whole campus were arranged for students as an “alternative day of instruction.” Many teachers even canceled classes, others offered extra credit to those students who attended.
“Our goal is to get the program out early enough so that the faculty can allow their students to attend and work their schedule around it,” said Hopkins.
Those who were on campus, or even outdoors know that the weather wasn’t exactly perfect for the outdoor vendors and main stage performances.
However, the wild winds and loud bustling of the trees’ terrible reputation of ruining outdoor events didn’t pose as much of a problems for Multicultural Day Planning Committee.
“Some of the vendors are leaving, but it’s not too bad; we’ve been out here in the rain before,” said Co-Chairman Professor Sally Ponce-O’Rourke.
The large amount of students engaged in either appealing their taste buds with the sweet taste of the kettle corn, combined with alluring their sense of sound with the outstanding steel drum performance was proof in itself that the wind really wasn’t a problem.
Among the campus full of interested students, faculty, and children from the Child Development Center engaged in speeches and lectures was a student who admitted that her reason for attendance was simply opportunity to gain a few points for her women‘s history class.
For her and many others, however, what started off to be an easy extra credit opportunity, turned out to be an extraordinary learning experience.
“It sincerely inspired me to open my eyes to our societies culture,” said Kylie Bamberger, 19, after hearing about the Asian American Culture through the Angel Island Perspective.
There, the Asian American/Chinese American history was put into the broader context of American immigration history.
Hopkins, after a 19 years, can’t wait for more.
“I look forward to combining the ideas of multiculturalism with next year’s theme, ‘services,'” Hopkins said.
