Global week and how to learn about diversity all year round

This archived article was written by: Mara Wimmer

In the pursuit of educating people on the diversity of the world, Utah State University Eastern is hosting its annual Global Week on Feb. 22-26 to celebrate cultures around the world. There will be social-awareness presentations to demonstrate cultures in an entertaining and educational fashion. Global week is a tradition of USUE since before Evette Allen arrived.
“There will be activities that will engage students in traditions, like sports that may originate from another country or incorporate things that they may do that we do not do here in the U.S.,” Allen, director of student life, said.
Each individual is a unique mixture of qualities and identity, but some qualities, such as heritage and ethnicity are shared among a group of people. Throughout the year there are several months set aside to give awareness to different ethnic groups.
Black History:
February is Black History month and offers people a chance to learn more about the history of Black Americans. This year to teach students at USU Eastern about the history and heritage of Black Americans, EUSA hosted an educational play Feb. 2. The play went over parts of history that many people may not know. It teaches about the past and the fight to get to where society it today. It also looked at the way history is taught and how it affects ideologies and understandings of what really happened.
“To understand why Black History month has to happen in the U.S. you first have to understand the history behind it,” Allen said. “When you think about groups that are what I call ‘minoritized’ they have to be highlighted in ways like this because you do not necessarily hear about in everyday conversations or curriculum.”
To find more information about the following awareness months go online to www.diversitycentral.com.
West-Indian American:
People who trace their ancestry to the Caribbean are known as West-Indian Americans or Caribbean Americans. In the 2008 census approximately 0.83% of the population reported Caribbean ancestry. West-Indian American awareness month is June.
Irish-American:
Saint Patrick’s Day is not the only Irish event in March, it is also the month set aside to bring awareness to Irish-Americans. In 1991 the president and congress proclaimed that March was to be used to honor the contributions and achievements of Irish immigrants living in the U.S.
Arab-American:
Arab-Americans are celebrated in April. It is to commemorate all of the contributions that have made to society and the world. They are Egyptian, Lebanese, Iraqi and more. The month is set aside to give credit to all the good they have done instead of focusing on what mainstream media depicts.
Asian-American:
To celebrate Americans of Asian descent, May is Asian-Pacific-American-Heritage Month (APAHM), now officially proclaimed Asian-American and Pacific-Islander-Heritage Month. It celebrates the traditions, history, and culture of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States.
Jewish American:
In 2006 George W. Bush proclaimed May will be used annually to celebrate Jewish-American achievements and contributions to the U.S. Along with the national awareness month, Florida has its own Florida-Jewish history month in January.
Hispanic Heritage:
In 1988 Ronald Reagan implemented a change to the National Hispanic Heritage week and changed it into the National-Hispanic-Heritage Month to celebrate the group’s heritage and culture. The month takes place from Sep. 15 through Oct. 15.
Polish-American:
October is Polish-American-Heritage Month. It began being celebrated in 1981. It was first celebrated in August; however, in 1986 the month was changed to October, which holds is the month the first Polish settlers immigrated to Jamestown, Vir.