The Center is planning a day of celebration for all of the cultures that make up the city of Utica.
The Many Cultures, One Community celebration will take place from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 9 at Mohawk Valley Community College in Utica and The Center is trying to line up sponsors, vendors and volunteers now.
Although The Center is known for its resettlement of refugees, the celebration will include all cultures within the city, Executive Director Shelly Callahan said. For example, it will include German dancers and even an Elvis impersonator, she said.
“I think we need to remember who we are and celebrate who we are in this moment,” Callahan said. “Utica, I think , should stay Utica, which is a place of many cultures, one community. And so I want us all to remember that, but also celebrate it.
“What a fabulous small city this is and what incredible work has gone on here these last nearly 45 years, welcoming refugees and immigrants.”
Much of the growth taking place in and around Utica now is based on “who we are and who we’ve been,” Callahan noted.
Uncertain future
The celebration comes at a time when Utica’s future as a haven for refugees is uncertain.
During the current federal fiscal year, which runs from October through September, The Center has helped to resettle 202 refugees from places including Congo, Myanmar, Sudan and Somalia, Callahan said. That includes 77 who arrived in January of this year.
But, since President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, no more refugees have come to Utica, Callahan said.
Officials remain hopeful, though, that refugee resettlement will resume, Callahan said.
“It is the right thing to do for so many reasons,” she said. “We work with 100-plus employers locally and they’re all hoping that refugee resettlement resumes.”
About the event
And, in fact, the Many Cultures celebration will include a job fair from noon to 2 p.m. with 10 confirmed, local employers so far. The job fair is for anyone, not just immigrants and refugees, Callahan said.
And the day will begin with an event The Center has done in the past — Walk in Their Words. Participants can walk around the campus quad as many times as they want —— while listening to stories recorded by refugees and immigrants about how they came to Utica or how they feel about Utica, Callahan said. New stories have been recorded for those who have done the walk in the past.
Participation costs $25 and walkers receive a link to the stories and a T-shirt.
“It’s just a nice way to connect the stories of the communities that are now our community here in Utica,” Callahan said.
Then she added, “It’s about empathy. And I think the more we share our stories, the more connection and the more empathy we have for each other.”
The free festival will then include, both indoors and outdoors, food, dance performances, music and a fashion show reflecting different cultures as well as food trucks, the ICAN Mobile Museum with children’s activities and the Utica City Fire Department. The specifics of performances are still being determined.
For more information on becoming a sponsor, vendor or volunteer, on registering for the walk or on general event information, go here.
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Many Cultures, One Community celebration planned
Reporting by Amy Neff Roth, Utica Observer Dispatch / Observer-Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
