The 32nd Annual 2025-2026 Cultural Awareness Series
Over the past 30+ years, the Cultural Awareness Series has grown more successful and has become highly anticipated thanks to your continued support. We invite you to join us for a new and exciting year.
The James Farmer Multicultural Center strives to honor the late Dr. James L. Farmer and to keep his legacy alive. Dr. Farmer was a dynamic civil rights leader and advocate for social change, and we hope that the Cultural Awareness Series helps members of the Mary Washington family and surrounding community to the appreciation for the many different aspects of culture.
The James Farmer Multicultural Center believes that one way of educating about culture is through the arts. Arts allow individuals to see culture through a fresh lens. Artist Abby Willowroot said it best; “Art speaks the soul of its culture.” By highlighting the distinctiveness of culture through such media as poetry, theater, music, food, literature, and dance, the James Farmer Multicultural Center hopes to help students grasp new and meaningful concepts about culture.
As the world becomes increasingly globalized, we hope that the programs in the Cultural Awareness Series open minds among all individuals to appreciate our differences and commonalities. We also hope that our programs will encourage dialogue about these topics. The programs in our series are collaborative partnerships. Thanks to the offices acknowledged in this brochure, we are able to sponsor this inspiring line-up of authors, performers, pioneers, and activists. We thank you in advance for considering this invitation to join us throughout the year.
With best wishes and kind regards,
The James Farmer Multicultural Center Staff
2025-2026 Cultural Awareness Series brochure coming soon.
| Cultural Program | Date |
| Cross Cultural BBQ | Thursday, August 28 | 4 p.m. |
| Latino Identities Month | Mon., Sept. 15—Wed., Oct. 15 |
| Disability Awareness Month | October 2025 |
| GSMA Celebration | Mon., Oct. 20—Sat., Oct. 25 |
| Asian Cultural Celebration Taste of Asia | Sun., Oct. 26—Sat., Nov. 1 Sat., Nov. 1 | 4 p.m. |
| Native American Cultural Celebration | Mon., Nov. 10 – Fri., Nov. 14 |
| Jewish Cultural Celebration | Mon., Nov. 17—Fri., Nov. 21 |
| Kwanzaa | Wed., Dec. 3; 6 pm |
| Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration | Sun., Jan. 18—Sat., Jan. 24 |
| Black History Month Celebration | February 2026 |
| Women’s History Month Celebration | March 2026 |
| Islamic History and Heritage Week | Mon., Apr. 6—Fri., Apr. 10 |
| Multicultural Fair | Sat., April 11; 10 am – 5 pm; Rain or shine |
| Passover Seder | Thurs., Apr. 2nd; 5 pm |
Suggested Readings
Martha Beck
The Way of INTEGRITY: Finding the Path to Your True Self.
James Farmer **
Lay Bare the Heart: An Autobiography of the Civil Rights Movement. Penguin, 2013.
Jeffrey A. Grossman *
The Discourse on Yiddish in Germany to the Enlightenment to the Second Empire, 2000.
Captivating History
Modern Latin America: A Captivating Guide to Modern Latin American History (South American Countries), 2024
Cathy Park Hong
Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning, 2020.
Dr. Nathaniel Jeanson
They Had Names: Tracing the History of the North American Indigenous People, 2025.
George M. Johnson
All Boys Aren’t Blue, 2020.
Robert McRuer *
Crip Theory: Cultural Signs of Queerness and Disability, 2006.
Eugenia Ortega
A Look Into Our Window, 2021.
Kennedy Ryan
Before I Let Go, 2022
* Cultural Awareness Speaker or Performer
**Late or current faculty member at the University of Mary Washington
Special Thanks
African Student Union, Associate Provost for Community Relations and Complicance, Asian Student Association, Best Buddies Club, Black Student Association, Black History Month Committee, Brothers of a New Direction, College of Arts and Sciences, Delta Alpha Pi Honor Society, Department of Athletics, Design Services, Office of Disability Resources, DiversAbility Club, Diversity and Unity Coordinating Committee of the SGA, Echo Trends Club, Facility Services, Inter-Club Association, Islamic Student Alliance, Jewish Student Association, Latino Student Association, Multimedia Services, Music Department, Native American Student Association, Office of the President, Office of Public Safety, People for the Rights of Individuals of Sexual Minorities, Praise Dance Team, Simpson Library, Office of Student Activities and Engagement, Student Affairs, Students Educating and Empowering for Diversity, Office of Student Involvement, Student Life, UMW DiversAbility, UMW NAACP College Chapter, Talk to the Hands Club, University Bookstore, University Police Department, University Relations and Communications, Voices of Praise, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program, Women’s History Month Committee, Women of Color.