( Pictures from the APAHW fashion show)
The upcoming weeks will be highlighted by both the United Minority Council's Unity Week and Asian Pacific American Heritage Week.
UMC Chairwoman Darcy Richie said that although the UMC is made up of many different groups -- ranging from the Caribbean American Student Organization to the Penn Philippine Association -- she believes that Unity Week must "not only address the differences, but also find the similarities among people with the ultimate goal for people to feel as though they've done something [much] different than they have done before."
Kicking the week off on Nov. 7, the UMC, along with spoken word group Excelano Project and multiethnic and multiracial society Check One, hosted an event entitled "Many Voices, One Mic."
"The event was a huge success. We filled the Carriage House with 60 people all eager to get up and speak," said Natalie Fabe, a College junior and UMC Program tri-chair.
And yesterday, the UMC hosted an event called "Hip Hop Across Cultures." Four of Penn's very own dance groups attended this event, including Destination Hip Hop, Freaks of the Beat, Onda Latina and Quaker Girls. The Excelano Project also performed.
Tomorrow and Thursday, individual minority groups at Penn will be making ethnic foods for all of those in attendance to enjoy.
Tomorrow's event will feature the "Battle of the Curries," where the Japanese Student Association will be cooking up some of their very own curry, and on Thursday, the Chinese, Taiwanese and Vietnamese societies will be making spring rolls.
On Tuesday, the UMC, in conjunction with the Social Planning and Events Committee, will host two keynote speakers who will discuss the ongoing debate over affirmative action. Shanta Driver of By Any Means Necessary -- a coalition to organize the struggle against resegregation of higher education -- will be debating against Justin Shubow, a graduate student from the University of Michigan who has publicly debated affirmative action.
UMC Political Chairman Alex Breland, a College senior, said that "the goal for this event is an open dialogue about affirmative action and where it may be 25 years from now."
On Wednesday, the Greenfield Intercultural Center, which serves the needs of Penn's students of color communities and promotes an understanding and interaction between all backgrounds at Penn, will be showing a documentary film about Native Americans followed by a discussion with the film's producers.
Unity Week will come to a close on Nov. 13 with a banquet dedicated to "Pictures in Motion."
"The purpose of this event," said College sophomore Terry Shu, one of the UMC tri-chairs, "is to show short clips from movies [that display] minorities in a negative portrayal and allow each group in attendance [the UMC and the Asian Pacific American Heritage Group] to criticize and provide feedback on the clips."
Cheng added that APAHW's ultimate goal of reaching out to the entire Penn community will be achieved by joining with this final banquet event of Unity Week.
Asian Pacific American Heritage Week coincides with Unity Week and will be hosting events until Nov. 21 to celebrate Pan-Asian heritage and culture.
Jennifer Cheng, one of the executive board members of APAHW, said that "each of APAHW's events are designed with the goals of showcasing the many, varied elements of APA cultural identity and to address current-day issues faced by the APA community."
Events will include a talent showcase on Friday, a candlelight vigil on Nov. 18, a bone marrow drive on Nov. 20 and keynote speaker Lela Lee next Monday.
