On Friday, the Diversity Affairs Council hosted the Multicultural Night in the BMU Auditorium. The event featured performances from various multi-ethnic organizations on campus. The theme for the night was unity and each performance represented just that.

Greek organizations performed various acts of stepping and dances. It was important for each organization to represent themselves and emphasize on cultural diversity.

The Greek organizations that participated were:

• Epsilon Sigma Rho Multicultural Fraternity Inc.
• Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc.
• Delta Xi Phi Multicultural Sorority Inc.
• Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity Inc.
• Upsilon Kappa Delta Multicultural Sorority Inc.
• Lambda Theta Nu Sorority Inc.

“Multicultural night is important to us because we are a multicultural fraternity and the only one on campus,” said Keandre Madkins-Hal, a member of Epsilon Sigma Rho Multicultural Fraternity Inc. “We believe that all cultures are important and should be celebrated, especially during a time where we want to uplift and help all cultures embrace their differences and recognize that they only make us stronger.”

Epsilon Sigma Rho Multicultural Fraternity Inc. performed a series of step dances that had the crowd going wild.

“Overall, the event was wonderful and a great way to show various cultures,” said Madkins-Hal. “Everyone that I have talked to about the event loved it.”

Other communities that performed included FASO, TADO, UKD, HSA, Envy dance team and Full Force dance team. A lot of emphasis was focused on Hip-Hop, Latin, Asian and African music, as well as language and dance.

“I love how other multicultural fraternities and organizations came together and supported each other,” said Cynthia Sarabia, a member of Lambda Theta Nu Sorority.

Before their performance, a video clip centered around unity among minority groups such as the LGBTQ, Black Lives Matter, and support for DACA was shown. The sorority also included dances with machetes, stepping and strolling.

Another focus point for the night was to demonstrate important messages of solidarity.

“It’s not very diverse at Chico State and this gives us an opportunity to shine and show everyone what we got,” said Dulce Duque-Pineda, a member of Delta Xi Phi Multicultural Sorority.

The sorority also pointed out how dances that included stepping and strolling originally started within the African American community. Multicultural awareness is one of their founding pillars and recognition of cultural history is important to them.

The highlight of the night was when the Full Force Dance Team ended the night with a killer Hip-Hop performance that had the crowd up on their feet. Multicultural night was an event that was very needed on our campus. A lot of students sometimes feel excluded and underrepresented in an environment that doesn’t showcase various cultures.

The Diversity Affairs Council does a great job at putting together events like these for everyone to enjoy. Representation and inclusion is crucial at a university campus and it’s our responsibility to recognize, celebrate and unify each other.

Niyat Teferi can be reached at [email protected] or @Tayintee on Twitter.