A parade led by Scottish bagpipers marched down Raider Walk, bringing Multicultural Day to a start on Tuesday, April 11. Students, faculty, and staff, got to have an alternative day of instruction dedicated to celebrating cultural diversity.

“When I think of Multicultural Day, what strikes me the most is that it’s really about the core values of this college,” said Dr. Julius Sokenu, Interim Executive Vice President for Moorpark College. “It’s about dialogue, it’s about students, it’s about collaboration, and it’s about innovation.”

The theme for this year was “Cross-Cultural Connections: Now and Then.” Workshops, musical performances, lectures, and more cultural activities were abundant and present to celebrate the multitude of cultures on campus.

“[Multicultural Day] is a way of increasing our understanding and exposure to the world in a very small way,” said Ranford Hopkins, one of the two Chairmen of the Multicultural Day Committee who will be retiring this year. “It may be in a very small way, but I think in a meaningful way it contributes to the idea that if you get to know people and get to understand them it helps people understand each other better.”

From workshops such as “Bollywood Dance” to “Propaganda and Cinema: North Korea in “Under the Sun,” students had the opportunity to interactively engage and learn about various cultures.

“We can’t take the students on a field trip to the world, so we bring the world to Moorpark College through these various presentations, through visual arts, through exhibits, music, and food,” said Hopkins.

With musical performances showcasing different styles of music and more than 30 vendor booths, the events reflected a dynamic and lively atmosphere. Also present at the event were multiple, diverse food trucks.

Nursing major Alanna Bell expressed her appreciation for the cultural gastronomy on campus including a food truck that offered a blend of sushi and burritos.

“It’s really cool, the food looks great,” said Bell. “There’s lots of different foods with the sushirittos, which I’m really excited about.”

Although the food may have provided just a snippet of cultural insight, what makes Multicultural Day such a staple of the Moorpark College community is the dedication to celebrating the heterogeneous community present on campus.

Flashback a few years ago and the college was more of a homogeneous community than it was now. According to Hopkins, events like Multicultural Day serve to increase awareness of different cultures for the campus population.

Associated Students president, Teresita Rios, echoes the same sentiment. To her, Multicultural Day is a day of unity and appreciation for the multitude of cultures on campus

“Multicultural Day is a Moorpark day, it’s a day of inclusion, it’s a day that showcases the students’ willingness to integrate and to learn from other people and to always grow,” said Rios.

For Carline McGrue, founder and ambassador of the Child of Haiti Foundation, Multicultural Day offered a chance to learn about other cultures and share her own.

“[Multicultural Day] brings so much awareness because I want to learn about different cultures and I want [people] to learn about my culture,” said McGrue, who is originally from Haiti.

According to Hopkins, although it only comes once a year, Multicultural Day will continue to make an impact.

“It’s not so much the day itself but it is the spirit that’s behind the day,” said Hopkins. “[It’s about] trying to help people come together and to realize that as much as we value diversity, we realize our common hu

manity.”