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news
A.S.I. celebrates
culture, diversity
By Jeanne Hoffa
On-line Forty-Niner
Cal State Long
Beach's coalitions of cultural organizations are coming together
this week for a campus-wide celebration of the great American
melting pot.
"It's a way to appreciate one another, our history and
our origins," said Qiana Johnson, the Associated Students
Inc. secretary of Cultural Affairs and organizer of the festival.
"It will be [time] to spend with the community."
The week long Multicultural Festival offers the campus community
the chance to eat regionally inspired cuisine, listen to international
music, participate in discussions and lectures and watch dance
and dramatic performances held in the University Student Union.
Civil rights leader James Lawson, who worked with Martin Luther
King Jr. in the 1960s and spent three years in India with
Mahatma Gandhi learning non-violent protest techniques, will
cap the festival Friday night when he speaks at a banquet
held in the USU Long Beach Ballroom.
The festival began Monday with a day of prayer. Organizers
arranged space in the USU Southwest Terrace where people gathered
and reflected about Sept. 11.
Today's activities include food and music at noon in the Southwest
Terrace, stereotype workshops at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the
Sunset Lounge and a lecture on the misconception of Islam
at 3 p.m. Tonight the play "College life from a Multicultural
Perspective" will be performed at 5:30 p.m. in the USU
Small Auditorium.
Wednesday is United Nations Day and has a similar schedule
of events, but expands to include a Cultural Faire. Students
from international and multicultural organizations will set
up tables with information near the Speakers Platform by the
University Bookstore, making themselves available to speak
with anyone on campus about their culture, their countries
of origin, or their organizations.
Students of Middle Eastern decent have made an especially
strong commitment to participate in this outreach portion
of the festival, according to Johnson. There will be tables
manned by members of the Muslim Students Association, the
Pakistan Students Association, the Kuwaiti Student Alliance,
the Turkish Student Association, the Saudi Association and
the Indian Students Association.
Art and cultural objects will be on display in the International
Gallery in the Multicultural Center, located in the basement
of the FO3 building, east of the Psychology building.
Thursday the party continues with tacos and carne asada sold
by La Raza and drinks by Pacific Islanders. Ethnic studies
chairs will hold a discussion in the Multicultural Center
from 1 to 3 p.m. Cultural storytelling begins at 5:30 p.m.
on the Southwest Terrace.
Other participating groups include the Chicano and Latino
Student Association, the women's studies department, La Raza,
the black studies department and the International Gallery.
For further information contact Qiana Johnson at (562) 985-5241.
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Cara
Garcia/On-line Forty-Niner
Associated Students Inc. Multicultural Festival
volunteers, Josh Barker and Joy Hunter, sing Donnie McClurkin's
"Stand" to emphasize peace, unity, love, and protection
on campus.
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