Cultures blend at Unity coffeehouse

Smoking from hookahs and eating eggrolls and baklava, Chinese and Arab students came together for an evening of shared cultural experiences -- and, importantly, socialization. Unity Week 2000, sponsored by the United Minorities Council, kicked off Saturday night with a Cultural Coffeehouse featuring its own kind of "house blend." The event was jointly sponsored by the Penn Arab Student Society and the Chinese Students Association. This seemingly unlikely pairing was the first of many social events that will take place this week joining UMC constituent groups in an effort to increase dialogue among minorities at Penn. Close to 100 students from both groups and from the general Penn community turned up at the Rooftop Lounge of Harnwell College House to watch acts by several performance groups and, of course, to drink coffee. Featured acts ranged from a reading of John Agard's Caribbean poetry by UMC President and College senior Jerome Byam ("I make the Queen's English accessory to my offense") to a cappella selections from the Penn Pipers ("Or is your name Margarita, cause I picked you up at Mad 4 Mex?"). Students sat around in what College junior Marjorie Chee, the UMC representative for the CSA, described as a "nice, laid-back atmosphere" while eating sweets from both Chinese and Arab cultures, smoking from hookahs and chatting in Chinese, Arabic and English. "These activities are very successful in bringing communities together," Byam said. "I'm sure no one here is talking about their cultural or racial experience, but hopefully by the end one or two friends will be made." Outside of the context of Unity Week, groups such as PASS and CSA might never have held a social event together. "When you bring social organizations together, there is always the initial marriage problem," said PASS President Tarek Jallad, a College senior. The goal of Unity Week, Jallad said, is to show different groups just how much they have in common. "We're all students, we're all young, we're all ambitious," he said. In its attempt to promote cultural exchange and dialogue, Unity Week festivities will include more cross-cultural events, like a Curry vs. Curry culinary showcase and a discussion on affirmative action, and will culminate with Friday's Unison performing arts show. "We are a very inclusive organization," Byam said of the UMC. "We want to open ourselves to the University."