Students gathered Friday to learn about the Kent African Student Association (KASA), the Spanish And Latino Student Association (SALSA), the Philippines and Saudi Arabia. 

The event, organized by the Delta Sigma Theta sorority, included discussions on topics such as languages, the naming of children based upon cultural beliefs, fitting in at Kent State and becoming more culturally aware. 

The Delta president, Tyler Givens, said that students “know about these organizations but are scared to join them because they feel they have to be of that ethnicity or culture to join. That’s not true. All are welcome to learn and join.”

A member from USG discussed the Philippines and its diverging cultural values. Every island in the Philippines has a different language and different culture. A common theme is caring for family, especially the elderly like a lola, meaning grandma. 

“Family is most important in the Philippine culture. Your lola is always head of the family and when either of us is sick or not doing well, the whole family is there to help and support,” she said as she displayed pictures of her own lola and family. 

Students representing Saudi Arabia discussed how dates and most fruits were considered a delicacy because of the nutrition that they provide. Many people in Saudi Arabia get around by walking and can become quickly exhausted under the sun, so they wear traditional clothing such as the thawb, a white long-sleeved dress, to help deflect the intensity of the sun. 

KASA discussed the process of naming babies based on the seventh day from their birth. It is tradition to wait seven days after birth to see if the baby would live before naming the child. 

While it is still common to name a child on the day they were born, parents no longer have to wait do to modern medicine. SALSA ended the discussion panel by speaking about different types of hispanics and latinos. 

As said by SALSA, hispanic people are people who come from a Spanish-speaking background, whereas Latino people are people who come from a Latin-speaking background. They explained how people will use the terms interchangeably when the terms are different from each other culturally. 

The fair helps students realize that feeling welcomed due to having a common culture is a privilege outside cultures don’t often experience.  Educating people is a way to build a relationship with people who are different than us.

Brianna Canada is an international reporter. Contact her at [email protected].