Cultural Nights In Review

By Remy Zerber 
Culture Columnist 

    There are so many interesting cultures in the world, it is important that everyone explores them so they can experience the beauty of diverse cultures. Learning about the various cultures makes for a more well-educated person as it also helps defeat stereotypes and racism. Put on by the Intercultural Center and different clubs, cultural nights at SMC celebrate different cultures. The cultural nights at SMC help shine a light on the represented cultures and the issues they have.

The BASH
One of the cultural nights at SMC is the BASH. It is a celebration of LGBTQ+ culture. Students who identify as queer put on a show to entertain and educate people about the LGBTQ community. Students did different sets throughout the show. For example, some students showed a video, some talked about their coming out stories, and others did dances or sang songs. This year’s theme was “Over The Rainbow''.

Expressions of Blackness
“Expressions of Blackness” is a cultural night that celebrates Black students and culture. This year’s theme was “Homecoming”. I attended this year’s show and it turned out to be a beautiful event. There were students who sang songs, shared about their home countries, and performed dances. Specifically, one person who played the drums and another played the piano. 

Latino Cultural Night
Latino cultural night celebrates Latinos and Latino culture. The theme this year was “The Mountains Around Us”. There was music, dancing, and even speeches. For example, there were Ballet Folklórico dancers and someone dressed like a mariachi. All the participants showed their culture through their sets. 

Asian Cultural Night
The theme of Asian Cultural Night was “Discovering The World Through Our Lens”. It celebrated all Asian cultures. There were people who sang songs and did skits from their cultures. There was a cultural fashion show, showcasing traditional clothes from different Asian cultures including: Indian culture, Malaysian culture, Filipino culture and many others. Some students dressed up in a Karate Gi from Japan. There was also a Kabuki skit from Japan where a student wore a Kabuki mask.

Middle Eastern And North African (MENA) Cultural Night
MENA’s theme was “Hidden Gems”. This night had a lot of participants. There were musicians, dancers, singers, and storytellers. One student played the guitar, and a few students wore their native culture’s clothes. One of the students also read from a storybook. 

All the cultural nights were a huge success. It was interesting to see everyone’s native cultures and how diverse they are. Each cultural night taught the audience something new about another culture and they got to widen their perspective of the world. Overall, it is important to learn about different cultures so we can be respectful of them.