Black Student Union to host Unity Day for cultural mixing
The University boasts excellence in diversity, but often, diverse groups do not have the chance to mingle with each other.
In hopes of promoting unity among the University’s diverse population, the Black Student Union will host its 37th annual Unity Day tomorrow at 2 p.m. at the Paul Robeson Cultural Center on Busch campus.
The free event will consist of live music and dance performances, food and opportunities to connect with various cultural organizations, said Iris Stevens, vice president of BSU. Sir Michael Rocks, from the hip-hop group The Cool Kids, will headline the event.
Stevens, a School of Arts and Sciences junior, said BSU facilitates both social and cultural awareness with its members and seeks to reach out to the rest of the University community through tomorrow’s event.
“Rutgers prides itself on its diversity … but diversity without unity actually comes off to be pretty pointless,” she said. “We do have all these groups and different people from different places but if they’re all in their different bubbles then you can’t embrace the diversity that the University has to offer.”
From interacting with different students on a daily basis, she said the group needs to be culturally conscious by understanding and accepting those differences.
“There are many different people and some people aren’t used to others. You [have] to be mindful of people … and accepting that difference isn’t a bad thing,” she said.
Kori Newallo, president of BSU, said they planned for the event to have a wide range of organizations to represent the entire University community.
“What we try to do with our statement of unity is show we aren’t just one organization — not just a black organization,” said Newallo, a School of Arts and Sciences junior. “We want to provide a unified environment for people to come, perform … and have a good time in a very stress free setting. That’s Unity Day.”
As the years progress, she said BSU hopes to expand the representation among organizations even further. She would also like to see this expansion in the performances as well.
“We have a big division whether you see it or not,” she said. “Most organizations stay within their cultural boundaries and with Unity Day, we’re knocking down those boundaries. We’re knocking down these walls and we want everyone to come together and be one … that’s what we are trying to promote.”
In doing so, the students will be able to see what they can offer each other when joined together, said Chris Bradshaw, BSU treasurer.
“The point … is to show that each of us brings something that is valuable to the table, that is significant and different at the same time that it is necessary … [respecting] each other’s humanity in the same atmosphere is something that is very necessary,” said Bradshaw, a School of Arts and Sciences junior.
He said this is especially important for University students’ generation since they tend to have a mental hierarchy when considering how people should be treated.
“It’s necessary in a time where people look at others, like those in the LBGTQ community, and think ‘less than,’” he said. “So being able to bring all those different lifestyles, cultures and faces together, we recognize each other’s humanity in a way that reaffirms us as human beings.”
Since variations in cultures may not always be easily understood, Stevens said the organization also aims to provide students with a sense of belonging.
“When you’re at such a large school it’s easy to feel lost and not have a place to call home … and that’s what an organization like Black Student Union is for a lot of people,” she said. “It’s like their second family here — a safe haven.”
Bradshaw said Unity Day would provide a different experience for those unfamiliar with cross-cultural interaction.
“We are introducing people who might not have had the chance to be introduced into different cultures in a comfortable environment and to be able to engage in those kinds of things and take away a cultural significance that will be reverberated,” he said.
Newallo said she wants the event to have a judgment-free environment where students can gain a deeper level of consideration toward one another.
“It’s open to anybody. We’re asking everybody who is a part of the Rutgers community to come out. We even have people from outside of Rutgers from different colleges … It’s really open to anyone, you don’t have to be a part of an organization to come to Unity Day,” Stevens said.
