Muncie's multicultural community will be celebrated during Unity in DiverCity's second ever event, "The Many Faces of Culture", from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday.
"We recognize the differences," DiverCity Group chairperson Pierre Atchade said. "Because we are different in order to be together we need to unite, to discuss, to have compromise, to work together," Atchade said.
Unity in DiverCity is hosted by the DiverCity Group, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to promoting diversity throughout Muncie, according to divercity.s5.com.
Unity in DiverCity will feature many groups and individuals putting on events, creating display booths and selling food and goods from different cultures. Events will include Native American, Indian and Bangladeshi dancing, Korean opera and a Japanese tea ceremony.
The event is focusing on ten kinds of diversity: race, ethnicity, nationality, language, gender, disability, sexuality, religion, social class and region.
Ball State University's gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and straight ally association, Spectrum, will be participating, Atchade said.
"This year we wanted to do a broader conceptualization on diversity, not just race and culture," Kevin Harris, DiverCity Group media relations officer, said.
Harris said last year's event, "Roots and Heritage", focused on ethnic, racial and international diversity. Some groups had to be turned away last year because they did not fit into the theme, Harris said.
Atchade said he wanted to expand the focus, and as a result he expects last year's numbers of 350 participants and around 1000 attendees to increase this year.
Atchade, a native of Benin in West Africa, has a history of helping promote diversity in the Muncie area. He helped bring students from the Ivory Coast to America in 2000. Atchade also helped when the renaming of Broadway Street to Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard in 2004 stirred up racial tensions in Muncie. Atchade said the renaming divided the city based upon race, with blacks and other minority groups supporting the change, and some of the white community opposing it.
"One of our objectives is to try to work out our differences," Atchade said. "All the hurt, resentment, consequences, and also you know that Ball State has a lot of issues about race."
This includes the incidents of racial slurs being yelled at black students walking down McKinley Avenue last November. Although the event was not designed in response, the timing helped to emphasize the need for unity, Atchade said.
Atchade said he hopes Unity in DiverCity will continue in the future.
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