Conference gives Valley students lessons on culture
Hundreds of students took a peek into the Central Valley's diverse community during Friday's first Multi-Cultural Unity Conference and Dance.
They absorbed lessons on fasting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, learned about the differences of American Indian tribes and looked at videos about Hispanic heroes. The schedule of workshops included the history of Hmong culture, Armenian- Americans, Greek-Americans and African-Americans.
"It broadens our minds a lot about the different cultures. ... I'm kind of excited," said 16-year-old Miranda Vang of Central West High School in Fresno.
The conference was meant to educate youth about the different cultures in the Valley and dispel stereotypes. Many of the students looked eager to learn and asked questions in the workshops.
Helping Our Own Destiny, a grass-roots group that puts on programs for students to dispel stereotypes and teach about different cultures, held the conference in downtown Fresno. Paul Copeland, president of the group, helped organize the event.
About 500 students attended the conference, danced and made new friends.
Students moved from classroom to classroom to get a taste of the Valley's diversity. In one room, Kamal Abu-Shamsieh, director of the Islamic Cultural Center of Fresno, asked students whether they knew what Ramadan is. A moment of silence followed.
One student said, "I've heard of it."
Abu-Shamsieh then surprised a few of them by explaining that Muslims drink neither water nor juice when they fast from sunrise to sundown during the month of Ramadan, based on a lunar calendar.
About four doors down, students heard the pounding of a drum and high-pitched American Indian singing. Some of the students, taking in a lesson on American Indian history, said they didn't know about the genocide of American Indians. They said the only thing they learned or remembered in school was hearing about how American Indians were removed from their land.
Thirteen-year-old Kimmy Nammavongsa of El Capitan Middle School called the event a new experience.
"It's pretty cool. Most people don't know about a lot of other cultures. Some people just assume they know about it," Kimmy said.
Tyrone Bradley, a school counselor at Alta Sierra Intermediate School in Clovis, said the conference was needed in the Valley. "Fresno is still a racially divided city. ... I'm glad Mr. Copeland put this thing on. Believe it or not, this is the future of Fresno County."
The reporter can be reached at vcolon@fresnobee.com or(559) 441-6313.