Le Provoc: Multicultural Affairs Article #3

"Imagine walking into a dimly lit Hagan Campus Center on a Thursday night after a long day full of school work and you notice 27 flags around a dance floor area representing Hispanic countries from across the globe. You then hear a live band playing machata and salsa music; you can't help but move your feet, grab a plate and relax. Earlier this month on October 9th, the ALANA Network, along with those who were in attendance, celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month with our 2nd Annual Latino Festival. Before I start talking about the celebration, here is a little background information about the inspiration behind this event.

Hispanic Heritage Month is a time period in which Hispanic Americans are recognized for their contributions to the United States. This is also a time to celebrate the Hispanic heritage and culture. Hispanic Heritage Month begins on September 26 and ends on October 25. September 25 is a very historic day for Latin America, especially for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. This date was chosen because it marks the anniversary of these countries acquiring their independence.

Hagan Campus Center Hall was a beautiful setting for a night full of great music, delicious food, and awe-inspiring performances. The night opened up with a prayer by Mary Anne Cappelleri from Campus Ministry. Then professor Arlene Guerrero-Watanabe, from the Modern and Classical Languages Department, recited three popular Hispanic poetry readings in both Spanish and English, which captured the essence of its rich culture. As the music started up again, people began to grab food to sit down at fully decorated tables to socialize and enjoy the warm sounds of the live band.

For the first performance of the night, there was a local Latin dance school, Ritmos Academy, who performed three traditional Hispanic dance styles and forms. They performed the mambo which is a Cuban dance form, a tango which is a traditional dance from Argentina, and the flamenco, which originated in Spain. The second performance was Assumption's own Latin Dance Team who chose to wow the crowd with a beautiful meringue number. The night concluded with an open dance floor and a chance for everyone to look at the Hispanic artifacts brought for display by various Assumption students.

Participating in and attending this event was a blast. There was a good turn out of faculty as well as students, and once again there was really good food, music and dance. It truly was a great escape from a regular day of schooling. In the process I learned a lot about different customs and practices from different cultures, which in the end made me appreciate the opportunity I have here in America more. So if you are reading this article, I highly recommend you to attend next year's celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. This is your personal invitation to the ALANA Network's 3rd Annual Latino Festival."


Lammar Cash '10
Secretary, ALANA Network

ALANA Consortium BBQ

The ALANA Consortium Support Network, established in August of 1999, is an organization of professional administrators affiliated with colleges and universities within central Massachusetts.

Central to their work is a concerted effort to support the recruitment and retention of ALANA (African - Latino / Hispanic - Asian - Native American) students. The Network is a thriving organization with active representatives from Anna Maria College, Assumption College, Clark University, College of the Holy Cross, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and Worcester State College.

The annual ALANA Consortium BBQ is an opportunity for students to meet and dialogue. This year’s BBQ was held at Clark University and it was a great success as there were over 100 students in attendance from the various consortium colleges. Students listened to music as there was a live DJ at the BBQ, and they also had a chance to win different prizes through the raffle.

All in all, this year’s ALANA Consortium BBQ was a great success.

Le Provoc: Multicultural Affairs Article #2

" At Assumption, the word diversity has been downplayed to only refer to racial diversity. As a result, we tend to forget that there are other forms of diversity, such as gender diversity, sexual diversity, and, in this case, religious diversity. Assumption College is a Catholic institution where religion and faith are taken seriously as an integral part of the human experience, and, at Assumption several Catholic traditions are upheld. As a non-Catholic Christian at Assumption, I sometimes find myself feeling out-of-place, and although Assumption is welcoming to people of all religious faiths, I can't help but find myself shying away from activities held in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit, such as candlelight prayer, and daily mass. Although my feelings are not representative of the entire non-Catholic population at Assumption, I know, through several conversations, that there are other students who share my sentiments. At a point, I asked myself, "If I, a Christian at Assumption, sometimes felt out-of-place, how must other students of different faiths, specifically Muslims, feel about going to Assumption, a Catholic institution?" This question resulted in a series of discussions, which eventually led to my interest in writing this article.

You are probably asking, "Why is he concerned specifically with how Muslims feel about attending Assumption?" In order for you to understand why such a question even came to mind, it is important that I give you a brief personal history of my life. I was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, in West Africa. In Nigeria, the two major religions are Christianity and Islam. We also have a variety of other religions which tend to vary regionally. As a result, I have been highly exposed to Islam since my childhood. I grew up having quite a number of Muslim friends who, even after middle school and high school, I am still in close contact with. As a result, during the times I felt out-of-place, I always wondered what their experiences were, or would have been, if they were enrolled in other Catholic institutions. In asking this question, I decided to find out what the Muslim population at Assumption was, as I am yet to meet any Muslim students at Assumption. My research opened my eyes to a lot of things.

In my research, I was unable to find data on the student body as a whole, but I was able to get data on the freshman and senior class from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) Freshman Survey and the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). In the 2008 CIRP Freshman survey, concerning students' current religious preference, of the 591 students who responded, 67.8 percent were Roman Catholic, and 0.0 percent were Islamic/Muslim. The data from NSSE concerning students' current religious preference in 2007 shows that, of the 125 seniors surveyed, 74 were Roman Catholic and none were Islamic/Muslim. This finding amazed me for reasons different from what you might expect. I was in no way expecting to find a high percentage of Islamic/Muslim enrollments, so these findings did not come as a shock to me, they merely proved my earlier assumptions. I was more amazed at how I had been oblivious to all the other religious faiths besides Catholicism and Islam. In my quest to raise awareness about one religious faith, I had subconsciously excluded a host of other religious faiths. I had ignored that fact that there were other religious faiths besides Catholicism and Islam, such as Hinduism, Judaism, Quakers, Later Day Saints and countless others.

At this point, you are probably wondering where I am going with all of this. My whole point is that as we go through our daily activities, we must remain cognizant of the fact that all people do not share similar religious beliefs, and in our expression of our own religious faiths, we should be respectful of all other religious faiths. We must ensure that Assumption continues to truly remain a welcoming environment for people of all faiths."

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Usen Esiet '10

Vice President, ALANA Network

Spain National Day 2008

Spanish National Day is a major public holiday celebrated every year on October 12, to commemorate Spain’s reunification and the successful voyage of Christopher Columbus to the Americas in 1492. The parade goes through the capital city of Madrid and is attended by the Spanish royals and government officials. Other festivities and processions occur all over the country.

In celebration of this year’s Spanish National Day, soldiers took part in the parade in Madrid, Spain on the 12th of October, 2008. At the ceremony, some 4,000 officers and soldiers, 250 military vehicles and 70 warplanes were in attendance. Spain’s Royal Family also joined the rest of the country in celebration at the National Day Parade last Sunday.

Here are some pictures from this splendid event:

In the picture above from left to right, Princess Letizia of Spain, Crown Prince Felipe, Princess Elena, King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain. Also in the back ground are Princess Cristina and Inaki Urdangarin.

Here are some other pictures:

Pictures courtesy of english.sina.com and merryroyals.com

Dedication Honors the Works Martin Luther King Jr.

"A boulevard fit for a King"

By Sandy Meindersma CORRESPONDENT



WORCESTER— City Hall’s foyer echoed with the sounds of a gospel choir at the beginning of yesterday’s commitment march and dedication ceremony for the newly named Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Central Street was renamed Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard effective July 1, 2008, after a June 2007 vote by the City Council to change the street’s name.

In celebration of the newly named street, a crowd of nearly 300, including members of five black churches, gathered at City Hall before marching down Main Street to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard for the dedication ceremony at the DCU Center.

Stacy DeBoise Luster, human resource manager for the Worcester public schools, welcomed the crowd to City Hall, declaring that the Knights of Zion “had awakened the gospel in all of our souls.”

“This is where all the black leadership is,” Mrs. Luster said. “It’s in our churches, our pastors, our leaders and our choirs. It’s all of you.”

Following a welcome address from Mayor Konstantina B. Lukes, the crowd, led by the Worcester Combined Church Choir, marched the six blocks down Main Street to the renamed boulevard and gathered at the DCU Center for the dedication ceremony.

At the DCU Center, state Sen. Harriette L. Chandler, D-Worcester, called the day “one to honor the memory of a man who is an icon in American history.

I’m delighted to see this black community so united,” Mrs. Chandler said. “But this is not just a one-day event. To honor Dr. King’s legacy, you must stay united.”

The keynote speaker, state Rep. Byron Rushing, D-Boston, called on the audience to honor Dr. King with their own lives.

“We are gathered here to commemorate Martin Luther King,” Mr. Rushing said. “But not just one man, but a whole race, a whole movement. We honor all who by faith have been true to what they know is right.”

“To be faithful to the name of this street,” Mr. Rushing said, “we must ask the question: Can we commemorate ourselves in this legacy — where do we fit?

“If Martin Luther King were alive today, he would be working for decent jobs at decent salaries, for unions and for the poor and working people. He would still say that nonviolence is an effective strategy.

“As we reflect on his life, these words and why we named this boulevard, work for justice, freedom and peace and to end oppression,” he said.














Courtesy of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette