By Alice Roche Cody
A Bahamian Junkanoo Parade kicked off our Third Annual Culture Night last Thursday, followed by something for everyone – South African Jerusalema dance lessons, Italian cooking tips, Henna art demonstrations, and even a talk about the Greek evil eye. More than 50 families celebrated the many heritages at GSB through virtual presentations of food, music, and discussions highlighting countries and traditions from around the world.
Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Tracey Goodson Barrett cohosted the event with PA Diversity Committee co-chairs, Reema Puri P '19, '21 and Antoinette Segreto P '32, '32. Ms. Barrett expressed her appreciation for the PA Diversity Committee's support. "I am so proud of how Culture Night has evolved each year," she said. "Community is at the heart of what we do at GSB. Our Culture Night helps to promote inclusion and belonging by engaging our students, families, faculty, and staff to share their cultures, heritage, and traditions."
Presentations proved fun, inspiring, and educational, including Anne Wang '22 and Madelyn Most '21 highlighting the Jewish faith by sharing the story of Passover. During the Land of Coffee and Culture, Soraya Dominguez P '25 shared breathtaking images of the Colombian landscape and many attendees added the South American country to their travel destination bucket list. Both Italian and Ecuadorian recipes were shared, and the evening wrapped up with a live performance by Angela Johnson P '22 of her original song called Inclusion.
Each family who attended the event received a swag bag filled with fun items from around the globe, including among the items, an African Kente cloth, paper lanterns from Asia, a Henna art design kit, and a Greek evil eye.
Thank you to all who joined in the fun!