BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University’s 2021 Diversity Celebration, held April 8–9, marked the 20th anniversary of this annual event. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s celebration offered primarily virtual events as well as an in-person festival on Sanford Mall — all focused on showcasing diverse cultures.

Lamont Sellers, App State’s director of intercultural student affairs, said the Diversity Celebration is designed to give attendees a sense of “what differences and commonalities we all have” and that attendees had a chance to “celebrate what makes us a great and increasingly diverse community.”

The two-day celebration included:

• The Black Student Association’s Black Arts Gallery Walk, available through May 5 in Plemmons Student Union.
• A performance by Paul Tran, an award-winning slam poet and author. Tran also presented a creative writing and poetry workshop during the celebration.
• An opportunity to listen and share stories through the Way of Council-facilitated dialogue.
• A lecture focused on the role of environmental racism in amplifying health inequities in minoritized and underserved communities.
• A festival on Sanford Mall with a live DJ, museum displays, dance lessons, giveaways and global cuisine offered through Campus Dining’s partnership with local food trucks.
• Virtual presentations by two App State students — one who shared a personal experience of living on three different continents and one who described the cultures, languages and ethnicity, food and music of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• A lecture by an App State professor about the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion within the academic fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The Diversity Celebration began 20 years ago as the idea of App State alumna Amy Hathcock ’01, then a graduate student in student development who worked with two App State staff members to host the first event.

In 2006, the celebration partnered with the Unity Festival, a local community festival scheduled around Martin Luther King Jr. Day activities, to feature hands-on educational and entertainment activities from other cultures.

Prior to COVID-19, hundreds of K–12 children from area schools participated in the Diversity Celebration. They did not participate this year for safety reasons due to the pandemic. The Diversity Celebration Planning Committee consisting of students, faculty and staff members plans to explore including K–12 students in next year’s event.

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About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, cost-effective education. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.