While the atmosphere was joyous, the impact of recent political developments was clear
By RIVERS STOUT— campus@theaggie.org
On the evening of Monday, Jan. 11, the Spanish Club — in collaboration with other student organizations — hosted a Crossroads of Culture event with the goal of fostering connections between students of various backgrounds and celebrating each other during a time of hardship.
Clubs represented included the French Club, the Black Student Union and the Lebanese Student Association. While the Spanish Club was the primary organiser, every attending club was thanked by organizers for participating and making the event possible.
Held in Olson Hall, the night featured short presentations from participating clubs, a dance performance from K-pop dance group SoNE1 of Illit’s “Not Cute Anymore” and a Hok San style routine from the Blooming Lotus Lion Dance club.
In an adjacent room, a potluck was set up featuring food brought by attendees from across the world, numbering roughly 40 people at peak attendance. The event’s RSVP list reached capacity days after the various clubs announced the event. The majority of attendees seemed to be club leaders, with club presidents and board members filling up most of the event space.
Spanish Club President Anisha Vikash, a third-year political science major, said she and other organizers hoped to promote cultural awareness and create a space open to people of all backgrounds.
“[The event] is meant to get different people together even if you’re not a part of these cultures,” Vikash said. “You’re completely fine to come in here, celebrate and learn more about these cultures through talking with the people themselves, hearing the language, seeing dances happen or just eating the food.”
The reasons for hosting the event were manyfold.
“I took initiative [in leading the Spanish Club] because my boyfriend and his family speak Spanish, so I wanted to learn more about the culture and help others,” Vikash said. “Especially during times where [other cultures] may feel attacked or may feel like the world is against them, I want to help uplift different communities as well as my own.”
Eva Jabbari, the president of the Iranian Student Organisation and a fourth-year environmental policy analysis and planning and international relations double major, had similar reasons for participating.
“[The Iranian Student Organisation] tends to be affiliated with the Middle Eastern clubs on campus, which we are proud of and we have connections with,” Jabbari said. “But we are just not ‘tapped-in’ with the broader cultural organisations on campus, which is why we decided to collaborate with this event. We were glad to, because we’ve been able to learn more about clubs — even ourselves — through the presentations. Even tonight with the cultural foods that each club has brought, I’m able to just as an individual try different flavors around the world.”
The pressure facing minority groups amid recent actions from the federal government played a large factor in the event’s organisation. The event was held days after the shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis, Minnesota by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent. Foreign pro-Palestine student activists have been threatened with deportation, with some prosecutions. Last March, the UC discontinued the use of diversity statements in hiring.
Vikash says she believes that cross-cultural connections are more important given current political tides.
“I feel like it’s especially more common now and more important because we’re seeing a lot of our rights being stripped away by this federal government, and we should speak out about that,” Vikash said. “But also, it’s important not to just wail on our sadness and things that happen to us but remember our joy and what our culture is all about.”
Jabbari reiterated the sentiment.
“As an affiliate of my club, it hurts me to see Iranian-American students, especially international students, deported by ICE across the country,” Jabbari said. “There is a level of uncertainty when it comes to immigration in the country which harms students across America. As an American first and foremost, it is disheartening to see my fellow peers attacked by an administration that does not even do its job.”
Other attendees, like Blooming Lotus Lion Dance club coordinator Emma Nguyen, a fourth-year statistics and communication double major, said the night provided a platform to highlight their talents, share traditions and break bread.
“We wanted to showcase our culture,” Nguyen said. “Everyone is welcome to come and join, watch or hire us. So we try to spread friendship, camaraderie, sportsmanship and sharing our culture through our club.”
Written by: Rivers Stout — campus@theaggie.org
