Since we are in our final days of Multicultural Literature… our blogging team has been discussing ways that we can take what we have learned from this course and how we can apply these ideas and themes in our individual lives. (“Text to world connections.”)
I realized that after this course, I pay more attention to a lot of news stories that deal with different ethnicities than I used to (hence the former post about the ADA racial discrimination). I think it’s amazing that these multicultural course themes, ideas, and problems are everywhere around us, but most of us are so self absorbed in our own lives and with the people who are similar to us that we have no idea about what’s going on in the rest of the world.
I came across this website that features dates and locations for multicultural celebrations all over the USA (and the rest of the world if you keep navigating through the site). The best way to search for a specific type of festival is to use the “Find” feature and search “multicultural,” since all the festivals have tagged key words in their descriptions. As a future teacher, I think it would be fantastic to have my students attend one of these festivals so that I could take some of the themes that I have learned in this course and pass it on to my own students. Many of the festivals that are held in the south wouldn’t be difficult to attend during a day trip or something. I have enjoyed this course, the literature and especially the discussions from a variety of perspectives and different walks of life. It has really helped me become more aware of what’s happening in my own life.
Here is the website for those who are interested; let me know if you ever decide to attend one and I’ll join you! :)
http://www.2camels.com/festivals/usa.php
Festivals can be a fun celebratory way to get a glimpse or two--I'd combine it with reading and a good film, though. Otherwise, it can turn into a party (self-serving--of the "where's the snacks" variety).
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