Celebrating our Cultures – Together
This morning, we were all greeted in the lobby by students in the Middle Eastern and North African Student Association, who had brought dates, figs, and other treats for the community in celebration and anticipation of Ramadan, which begins next Friday. Last week, students from the Black Student Union hosted a fun, cookout-themed evening event, which was open to the whole community and featured personal testimonials by students and some excellent food. In the same week, the Jewish Students Organization organized a beautiful Tu Bishvat seder – an important moment for sharing and connection. All of this was fresh off some lovely and well attended cultural events through the fall and early winter: a Lunar New Year celebration sponsored by the East Asian Students Association, where the gym was filled with a delicious buffet, games, and good cheer; a school-wide breakfast hosted by the Latin American Student Association; a garba in celebration of Navratri sponsored by the South Asian Students Association. And there is more to come.
In our experience, sharing our cultures, traditions, stories, and identities builds community. It creates space for students to bring out parts of themselves that are important. It promotes belonging, especially when the doors are open wide to all members of the community. Our experience with events like these runs counter to the growing worry in our society that focusing on an individual’s identity is Balkanizing. Our identities are complex, multi-faceted, and central to who we are. When shared, they can bring us together.
I am grateful to the student organizers, their families, Dr. Alvarez, and Ms. Petertam for bringing us together in these moments.