By MEGAN OMOLO
The Sun
The township celebrated diversity with its annual entertainment, food and cultural learning event at Harrington Middle School on May 15.
The school’s parking lot was the scene of global music, ethnic cuisine flavors, stage performances and a welcoming community. The cultural fest is sponsored by the Mount Laurel Education Association Committee.
As volunteers passed out passports to incoming participants, spectators were encouraged to explore other heritages through culture presentations that bordered the lot. Residents dined on paneer butter masala at the Indian presentation, danced to the rhythm of traditional Puerto Rican music as they played the guiro and learned to say hello in Nigerian.
The three-hour event not only introduced residents to the community’s cultural riches, but furthered the broader commitment of township schools to create an inclusive environment for families of all backgrounds. That effort to uplift diverse cultures has had an increasingly positive impact on the community, according to Shannon Graddy, the association committee’s chairman and a teacher at Hartford School.
“Mount Laurel is a growing community, and it is very diverse,” she explained while overlooking a sea of tables where cultural flags waved. “I think it’s super important that we learn more about each other, because it helps us understand our similarities and differences and makes our community all the better.”
The cultural fest was years in the making and is made possible with township assistance. Reflecting on the event’s journey, Harrington teacher Chandni Langford recalled laying the groundwork a few years ago.
“We thought of the idea of a cultural fest,” she explained, “which was inspired by my sister’s similar culture event at another district, and decided to create one on a larger scale.”
It wasn’t until after COVID that the idea came to life. It is now in its fourth year of shaping how students, educators, families and the community embrace cultural diversity.
Shamara Ijames, a member of the township’s board of education and a school district mother, shared her perspective on growing diversity in the schools and how the cultural fest helped her learn about her own Yoruba heritage, which represents people in Niger and the Congo in West Africa.
“I’ve been living here since 2007,” she noted of the township, “and I haven’t seen celebrations like this. Everything we do to display more diversity is important, because there’s a lot here”.
