Spring Break
ICC celebrates an eventful 15 years
by Michah Barth-Rogers and Aaron Mitchell Feingold
News | 3/6/07
Posted online at 11:34 PM EST on 3/5/07
/ Last updated at 4:48 AM EST on 3/5/07
CORRECTION APPENDED--SEE BELOW
The Intercultural Center celebrated its 15th anniversary Sunday afternoon by looking back at its history as various speakers shared personal and emotional accounts of their involvement in the Center's inception and growth.
People affectionately described the celebratory luncheon in Levin Ballroom as a family affair, and like any birthday party, there were comfort foods, a big cake, and a surprisingly soulful rendition of "Happy Birthday," sung by Jerome Frierson '07, the co-president of the Brandeis Black Student Organization.
This all combined to create the communal atmosphere that many of the speakers alluded to in their praise for the ICC. Fitting the celebration's theme of "Telling our Story," most speakers emphasized how the Center had been meaningful for them, while also offering advice on the future of the campus and the ICC.
A cabaret of cultural expression and performances filled out the afternoon.
"Honestly, without the ICC, I don't know what my experience would be like here," Micheline Frias '07 said in an interview. She was particularly happy to have seen people from outside the Center get involved for the first time. Indeed, the need to better integrate the ICC with the rest of the community often took center stage.
The Center, founded in 1992, seeks to acknowledge cultural diversity on campus and to promote discussion and education about cultural differences and similarities. It is an umbrella organization for an increasing number of smaller cultural groups. The ICC has also recently pushed the administration to renovate its space in East Quad.
Anthony Brooks '92, a social studies teacher in Long Island and the event's keynote speaker, was just one of many voices from the past that emphasized how much has changed in 15 years.
A member of the original campus committee that first petitioned for an African Cultural Center, Brooks and other visionaries broadened their goal to creating a location that would foster interaction between different cultural groups and provide resources for the increasing cultural diversity on campus.
The Intercultural Center celebrated its 15th anniversary Sunday afternoon by looking back at its history as various speakers shared personal and emotional accounts of their involvement in the Center's inception and growth.
People affectionately described the celebratory luncheon in Levin Ballroom as a family affair, and like any birthday party, there were comfort foods, a big cake, and a surprisingly soulful rendition of "Happy Birthday," sung by Jerome Frierson '07, the co-president of the Brandeis Black Student Organization.
This all combined to create the communal atmosphere that many of the speakers alluded to in their praise for the ICC. Fitting the celebration's theme of "Telling our Story," most speakers emphasized how the Center had been meaningful for them, while also offering advice on the future of the campus and the ICC.
A cabaret of cultural expression and performances filled out the afternoon.
"Honestly, without the ICC, I don't know what my experience would be like here," Micheline Frias '07 said in an interview. She was particularly happy to have seen people from outside the Center get involved for the first time. Indeed, the need to better integrate the ICC with the rest of the community often took center stage.
The Center, founded in 1992, seeks to acknowledge cultural diversity on campus and to promote discussion and education about cultural differences and similarities. It is an umbrella organization for an increasing number of smaller cultural groups. The ICC has also recently pushed the administration to renovate its space in East Quad.
Anthony Brooks '92, a social studies teacher in Long Island and the event's keynote speaker, was just one of many voices from the past that emphasized how much has changed in 15 years.
A member of the original campus committee that first petitioned for an African Cultural Center, Brooks and other visionaries broadened their goal to creating a location that would foster interaction between different cultural groups and provide resources for the increasing cultural diversity on campus.
Be the first to comment on this story