Groups celebrate cultural diversity at UMC event

Aided by beautiful weather, the United Minorities Council's fifth annual Celebration of Culture transformed Locust Walk and College Green into a world showcase Saturday afternoon. Co-sponsored by the UMC, the Social Planning and Events Committee and the Greenfield Intercultural Center, the celebration featured food, music and performances presented by University students from all corners of the globe. UMC Vice Chairperson and Wharton senior Alicia Lewis said the weather, combined with "a genuine interest in what's been going on" by students and community residents, made this year's celebration bigger than last year's. UMC Chairperson Jun Bang, a College senior, said the crowds were the largest she has seen since the celebration started. By mid-afternoon, she estimated that "a couple hundred people [had been] in and out." Aside from the weather, this year's celebration was unique because it included UMC groups, such as Six Directions and La Asociac'on Cultural de Estudiantes Latino Americanos, and non-UMC groups, like the Penn Thai Club and Ayalah, an Israeli folk dancing troupe, for the first time. As long as the financial resources for this type of collaboration are available, it will continue in years to come, Bang said. "The concept of including groups that are not UMC is very receptive," she said. "The UMC is not exclusive, it is very open and inclusive." Students strolling down Locust Walk or studying on College Green were probably shocked by the tent city that suddenly appeared around them, but none seemed to mind the intrusion as they stood chatting with friends and surveying the variety of culinary teats available. Members of the Chinese Students Association were selling almond tofu with fruit cocktail, red bean pastries and fortune cookies at their group's booth. CSA President Jen Liu, a College junior, said planning for the celebration began in February, since some food had to be brought to the University from New York. The Caribbean American Students Association offered some unusual fare at its booth -- curried goat, fried plaintain and tamarind balls, along with banana bread and potato pudding. According to Nursing senior and CASA member Racquel Lowe, many of the booth's customers were interested in more than the taste of these traditional West Indian dishes. "A lot of people came to look at [the informational] books and ask questions," she said. Celebration of Culture Chairperson Diana Flores, a College sophomore, said she is pleased with the turnout for the afternoon's activities. "I thought it was great," she said. "The weather was really nice, we had a lot of people there, the performances went well, too, and everybody made a lot of money on the food." This was the second year that the celebration was held on the Walk, instead of in Superblock, Flores added. She expects the celebration to be on the Walk next year as well, because the location results in fewer wind problems for the tents and performance stage. Flores also said that having the celebration on the Walk increases attendance. "A lot of them saw the flyers [posted by the UMC last week]," she said. "[But] about half of the people just passed by, saw the food and performances, and decided to stay. "I don't think there's any other event like this," Flores added. "Spring Fling is fun, but it is not cultural. The Celebration of Culture is all about culture -- it makes people more aware of other [cultures' traditions]." Wharton sophomore Falguni Desai said she enjoyed the celebration, but doubted the depth of its impact on cultural awareness across campus. "It's great that we have these multicultural things on campus, but I wish we could observe multiculturalism throughout the year," she said, as she munched on a tostada from El Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztl