This Friday, the Anderson Center will play host to author and filmmaker MK Asante as part of the inaugural Multicultural Extravaganza. The event, spearheaded by the Student Association (SA) and the Multicultural Resource Center, will feature performances by various cultural groups and the opportunity to win prizes.

“This is ME”: Binghamton’s Multicultural Extravaganza, has been in the planning stages since the beginning of the spring 2016 semester, and was established with the goal of uniting the students and University staff who work with and identify as part of the multicultural community, explained Jermel McClure, Jr., the vice president for multicultural affairs for the SA.

“At Binghamton University there is a large community of engaged students who are excited to welcome new students, and grow our community each year,” McClure, a junior majoring in political science, wrote in an email to Pipe Dream. “Starting the year off under the same roof celebrating the diversity on campus provides new students with a great opportunity to connect with returning students and find their fit within the Multicultural Community.”

The name of the event, “This is ME,” is both a nod to the abbreviation of Multicultural Extravaganza and a call to students to claim BU as a space for themselves in which they can flourish.

Asante was selected to echo this theme. He is well-known for his memoir, “Buck: a Memoir,” published in 2013. The book made the Washington Post best-seller list in 2014 and 2015. In 2014, Asante was a finalist for the NAACP Image Award.

In addition to the performances and keynote speaker, the Multicultural Extravaganza will include talks by University administrators. A call to students included in the event page on B-Engaged reads, “Come be inspired to dream big, claim your space and make your mark here at Binghamton University!”

Students who are unable to attend the Multicultural Extravaganza can find an introduction to these resources and student organizations at the Multicultural Resource Center culture fair from 1 to 4 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 1, in Old Union Hall and the Mandela Room in the Old University Union.