The Associated Student Government’s Spring Cultural Summit brought live music, activities and cultural exchange to Norris University Center on Saturday.
Complete with a stage, multicultural coloring books, online crossword puzzles, tables for affinity groups and Greek food, the Louis Room housed the summit. It was organized by ASG’s Justice and Inclusion Committee.
“The mission of the Cultural Summit is to bring together a bunch of cultural orgs and showcase some of the events and activities for their culture,” said Weinberg freshman and ASG co-Executive Officer of Justice & Inclusion Catherine Ndovu.
The Spring Cultural Summit was initially planned for April 7 but was rescheduled due to an issue with the room reservation, Ndovu said.
ASG hosted its first Cultural Summit in November. Weinberg sophomore and co-Executive Officer of Justice & Inclusion Malik Rice said ASG plans to host one summit per year in the future, as several organizations were unavailable to participate during Spring Quarter. While 10 groups signed up to table or perform, only six attended.
The summit featured performances from Latin Music Ensemble, Northwestern Community Ensemble, Starlight and Mariachi NU. Vibrant Colors Collective and the Greek American Legacy Association promoted their organizations at the event.
Weinberg junior Patrick Reyna performed as a part of both Latin Music Ensemble and Mariachi NU.
“I’m happy that ASG is committing to spending some of their funds to promote the cultural groups on campus,” Reyna said. “I’m really happy that we had the opportunity to perform here.”
The Justice & Inclusion Committee received $9,750 in funding from ASG’s Student Activities Finance Committee for the two Cultural Summits this year. The committee will receive $10,500 to host one summit next year, according to Weinberg sophomore and ASG Co-President Ty’Shea Woods.
Communication junior Ciel McDaniels, who recently performed at Dillo Day, took the stage representing Starlight — NU’s student-run record label — and shared his upcoming rap songs.
“Giving a space for people to represent where they come from, or what a whole organization stands for — I think that’s really powerful,” McDaniels said. “That’s really what makes art so powerful, because it’s coming from different places.”
He added that it is imperative for students to learn about other cultures as part of a complete education.
Rice said the J&I Committee began planning the Spring Cultural Summit in early March. Unlike the Fall Cultural Summit, the Spring Summit offered a rehearsal room for performers and lasted two and a half hours instead of four.
Moving forward, Ndovu and Rice said they hope the Cultural Summit will be held in Fall Quarter, when students tend to be more open and available to try new activities.
“Every culture deserves to be learned about,” Rice said. “We’re at a place committed to learning. I think learning outside the classroom is just as important, if not more important, than learning in the classroom.”
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