It’s a small world after all
Appalachian State presents Diversity Celebration April 6-8

Special to The Mountain Times

So, you’ve always wanted to visit the Orient? Or maybe the Caribbean? How about the Mediterranean or the Middle East? The Seventh Annual Diversity Celebration at Appalachian State University is the perfect opportunity to indulge these fantasies and many more. You can take a trip around the world in the span of a few hours. Taste the delicacies of far off lands. Perfect your Japanese fanning technique, become a pro with chopsticks, or try out belly dancing. Take in unique performances brought to you from across the globe. Meet new people. Create lasting memories. But above all, have fun!

This extravaganza of culture and community begins April 6th, 2008 with the People of the Planet Soccer Tournament in Kidd Brewer Stadium, featuring individuals from a multitude of backgrounds, all gathering in honor of the universal sport. The fun continues on April 8th, as the Diversity Celebration takes over Plemmons Student Union from 3:00-9:00 pm in an explosion of sounds, smells, sights, activities, and performances that are sure to excite and enliven.

This year’s theme is simple but powerful: Discover the World in Our Back Yard. It is our nature as human beings to be curious. At the Diversity Celebration, through performances, sports and activities that engage touch, sight, hearing, and taste, as well as those that prick emotion, people of all ages will catch a glimpse of life in other cultures, some of which surround us every day. The Unity Festival is a special feature within the celebration, serving as the hub of family-friendly fun and life-long learning.

As always, the Diversity Celebration and all its associated events are free and everyone is invited to attend.
Entertainers include Arthur Grimes, Lloyd Arneach, Orville Hicks, Ah! Raza, Morris Hatton, Gospel Pianist, Wildfire Dance Theatre, T.V. Barnett and the Roan Mountain Moonshiners, Mystic Mountain Belly Dancing, Flatfooting with Gordy Hinners, African Dance and Drums, Sunday’s Well Irish Ensemble, Todd Wright Jazz Ensemble, Red Herring Puppets, Boone Scottish Country Dancers, ASU Gospel Choir, Dancin’ 4 Jesus, Amantha Mill Bluegrass and Gospel, fiddle and banjo music with Meade and Branch Richter, Salsa Lessons with the Hispanic Student Association, Hip Hop Oasis H2O, Higher Ground a capella singers, and many more.

Highlights of the Unity Festival include Mehandi henna painting, learning to use chopsticks, dancing in a Chinese dragon, tribal beading, Appalachian carding and spinning with Leniavelle Trivette and Peggy Cerchione, weaving with the Crossnore Weavers, Underground Railroad Presentation with Audrey Tate and Morris Hatton, adding a square to a story quilt about the Underground Railroad, aboriginal face painting, diversity poetry with Blue Mountain Center for the Healing Arts, and Zero Waste, demonstrating how many cultures in the world “use it all” instead of throwing it away. The Diversity Celebration is proudly a minimal waste event

Each year, the Diversity Celebration is an important piece of Appalachian State University’s history as a progressive force shaping and reflecting the character of both the region and the world. In the great arch of ideas, talents, cultures, experiences, backgrounds, values and perspectives that frame a liberal arts education, diversity is the keystone. To enlarge and sustain an institutional culture that deepens an understanding of diverse peoples and their myriad ways of being, knowing, and learning, the university is eager to offer programs that contribute to the growth of all members of the greater community. The Diversity Celebration is such a program, underscoring the university’s commitment to diversity in all its aspects and reflecting it in brilliant color.

The Diversity Celebration and Unity Festival are funded in part by the Watauga County Arts Council and Grassroots funds from the North Carolina Arts Council, and by ASU Staff Council and the ASU Parents Association.

For a complete schedule of events, activities, presenters and sponsors, as well as maps and information on parking, visit www.celebration.appstate.edu. For more information call 262-6252 or 262-2144 or email diversity@appstate.edu.