MOSAIC, an organization dedicated to providing a community for racial and ethnic minorities on campus, hosted a multicultural potluck in the Bowld Student Commons on Friday, April 22.
The event’s purpose was to bring people together in a fun environment and to make people aware of the different cultures that are represented on campus.
“We wanted a fun, chill event that people could come to to get to know new people and try food from other cultures,” executive council member Emmanuela Arango said.
“MOSAIC has had a difficult time doing large-group events due to the COVID pandemic and restrictions. We wanted to organize and host an event that would emphasize the cultural and culinary diversity of Union’s community while making space for that precious time of fellowship that had been lost during COVID,” MOSAIC executive member Lydia McGinnis said.
Arango hoped the event would introduce new people to MOSAIC because the organization is trying to rebrand itself as being a door for minorities on campus. McGinnis said that though MOSAIC is going through a transitional period, they wanted Union to be aware that the group was still active.
Around 50 people attended the event, including students, professors and their families. Everyone mingled, meeting new people and learning about the different cultures represented in the people and their dishes. There was “a myriad of dishes from Korean, Chinese, Indian, Italian, Mexican, Colombian, and Ugandan origin,” according to McGinnis.
“It was so inspiring and heartwarming to see everyone gathered around tables enjoying all the delicious food, playing games, talking, and laughing—such a wonderful reminder of what community can and should look like,” McGinnis said.
Junior Maria Wentley was invited to the event by a friend with whom she cooked and brought a dish. They enjoyed all of the other home-cooked dishes while learning about the cultures represented. Wentley said she was able to meet new people: students and professors with their family members.
MOSAIC advertised the event for the past several weeks through flyers and graphics asking that attendees sign up for a dish to create and bring to the potluck. According to Arango, the idea for the potluck came from a MOSAIC member from China who had a similar event to celebrate Chinese New Year.
Arango said that MOSAIC will hold the event again in the future to help continue to foster the community that Mosaic strives for.
