The 30th Annual
2023-2024 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 speakers and performances scheduled for this year’s Cultural Awareness Series aim to promote a greater understanding and appreciation of diversity in race, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, religion, age, and culture.
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 appreciate all aspects of diversity.
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 in celebrating diversity.
With best wishes and kind regards,
The James Farmer Multicultural Center Staff
2023-2024 Cultural Awareness Series brochure coming soon.
| Cultural Program | Date |
| Cross Cultural BBQ | Thursday, August 31 | 4 p.m. |
| Latino Identities Month | Fri., Sept. 15—Sun., Oct. 15 |
| Disability Awareness Month | October 2023 |
| GSMA Celebration | Mon., Oct. 23—Sat., Oct. 28 |
| Asian Cultural Celebration
Taste of Asia |
Sun., Oct. 29—Sat., Nov. 4
Sat., Nov. 4 |
| Native American Cultural Celebration | Mon., Nov. 6 – Fri., Nov. 10 |
| Jewish Cultural Celebration | Mon., Nov. 13—Sat., Nov. 18 |
| Kwanzaa | Wed., Dec. 6; 6 pm |
| Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration | Wed., Jan. 17—Sat., Jan. 27 |
| Black History Month Celebration | February 2024 |
| Women’s History Month Celebration | March 2024 |
| Islamic Cultural Celebration | Mon., Apr. 1—Fri., Apr. 5 |
| Multicultural Fair | Sat., April 13; 10 am – 5 pm; Rain or shine |
| Passover Seder | Wed., Apr. 24th; 5 pm |
Suggested Readings
Mahzarin R. R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald
Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People, 2016.
Tia Brown McNair, Estela Mara Bensimon, and Linsey Malcom-Piqueux
From Equity Talk to Equity Walk: Expanding Practitioner Knowledge for Racial Justice in Higher Education, 2020.
Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States, 2015.
James Farmer **
Lay Bare the Heart: An Autobiography of the Civil Rights Movement. Penguin, 2013.
Yamile Saied Mendez
Furia, 2020.
Dr. Gayatri Sethi*
Unbelonging, 2021.
Nikesh Shukla and Chimene Suleyman (Editors)
The Good Immigrant, 2019.
Nic Stone
Dear Justyce, 2022
* Cultural Awareness Speaker or Performer
**Late or current faculty member at the University of Mary Washington
Special Thanks
African Student Union, Alter Egos, Arab Culture Club, Asian Student Association, Black Student Association, Black History Month Committee, Brothers of a New Direction, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Education, Department of Athletics, Design Services, Office of Disability Resources, DiversAbility Club, Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion/Chief Diversity Officer, Diversity and Unity Coordinating Committee of the SGA, Eagle Bhangra, Facility Services, Inter-Club Association, Jewish Student Association, Khatib Program in Religion & Dialogue, Latino Student Association, Multimedia Services, Music Department, Muslim Student Association, 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.