Students gathered in the Anderson Center on Friday night as the Binghamton University Multicultural Resource Center hosted its first Multicultural Extravaganza.
Attendees were welcomed by a performance from the BU Gospel Choir, followed by speeches from administrators, including BU President Harvey Stenger. He said that events like these are important since they both unify and educate students.
Performances and presentations throughout the night included dances and skits from various campus organizations, such as a body percussion dance from student-led step team X-Fact’r.
MK Asante, a best-selling author, rapper, filmmaker and professor at Morgan State University, was the keynote at the event. He spoke about his journey from humble origins to the success he’s garnered today.
Nicholas Ferrara, president of the Student Association and a senior majoring in political science, said the event was a great success.
“Having so many of our multicultural groups there together was a great way to show the diverse opportunities Binghamton offers,” Ferrara said. “The performers were fantastic, the guest speaker was amazing and it was wonderful to see so many students and administrators turn up to support our multicultural groups.”
Shelsie Lindor, a senior majoring in integrative neuroscience, said she thought the event was highly beneficial for freshmen and she sees potential for the program in the future.
“The event was a great idea because this is the first time the University is holding an event like this,” Lindor said. “I feel like a lot of times freshmen don’t know what kind of organizations or even the kind of cultures that are on campus so this is a great way to showcase that. Just by looking at the program, you can see how much work went into putting this together and I definitely see it as a helpful and fun event for years to come.”