Mixing the Salad Bowl: A celebration of multiculturalism
By Lindsey Michael Miller

Administrators, professors and students have been making an unprecedented effort to demonstrate the desire and need for racial harmony. ORU saw a result of this effort on Feb. 24.

"Mixing the Salad Bowl," an evening of multicultural presentations, was a beautiful collection of ethnic history and culture mixed with a powerful emphasis on artistic expression. As a part of the cultural expression, the people selected to present were not only diverse by race, but by age as well. Faculty and students joined together in celebration of ethnic harmony here on campus.

The evening started out with a prayer by Dr. Kay Meyers and a devotional selected by Mme. Margaret Sehorn and read by Dr. Mary Alice Trent-Williams. Robbi Gungor played one of his own songs entitled "Only You," followed by Dr. Clarence Boyd giving the formal welcome (and later the closing remarks). Souls A' Fire and Jacki Damon performed several gospel songs during the evening. Lindy Spore, Lindsay Goodier, Caussandra White and Rachel Martinez read poetry and prose from different cultures.

The most interesting part of the evening was a 20-minute panel discussion with audience participation that covered canonizing ethno-American literature. The discussion concluded with the positive idea that as a people we need to keep our identity while still depending on all of those around us.

Trent-Williams, a writing professor in the English Department, has been championing this event for the past four years. She believes that this event is important to the campus to help progress racial unity. "All are created in the image of God, and everything He created is good," she said. She chose the "Salad Bowl" idea for the event because "our diversity is like flavors of a salad. If you take any of the ingredients out it loses its intensity, but when all the ingredients are there, the flavor is perfect."

Boyd, the Dean of Students, has also been working to bring the campus to a greater level of unity among diversity. His desire is to see the racial harmony transcend just a collaboration of events so that we are brought into an understanding of each other's cultures in our everyday lives.

The event was given a literary emphasis, and he explained, "Our heart is to bring academia into the mix as it relates to our celebration of our multicultural awareness. We want to give an opportunity for the classroom to partner with our overall efforts for racial harmony, to help students learn how to appreciate cultures outside of their own."

Overall, both Trent-Williams and Boyd were pleased with the turnout and the event. President Richard Roberts challenged us during the Martin Luther King, Jr., chapel that, "We have come a long way, but we're not there yet." It's good to see participation from across the campus bringing that dream closer to fruition.

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