Women gather for cultural appreciation

Female faculty, staff and students attended the Women of the World Potluck Thursday at the Women's Resource Center. The gathering was a joint sponsored presentation with the Center for International Education.

The event was organized to encourage women to learn about each other's cultures with the different foods brought by the women who attended. The women who presented were from different cultures from various parts of the world.

Kenna Johnson, the director of WRC and the Stryker Institute, said this is the fourth year for the event, and they began by organizing it once a month and gradually went to organizing it once every semester.

"We love the partnership that we have with the CIE Office," Johnson said. "And now, we average about 40 to 50 women at every event."

Fabiola Mora, a graduate assistant with WRC, said they invited Black Women of Today, a student organization at UNC, to present about the exploitation of black women.

"Today, the women brought some Pastelitos de Picado, which are cakes with vegetables and meat," Mora said.  "It's a dish from El Salvador. There's also some cabbage with carrots and chili, so it is a little spicy. The food served is mainly food from Central America and the Dominican Republic."

Mora also said the event is organized every semester and it is important for people to learn about each other's cultures and backgrounds in a safe environment. She said because of the cultural beliefs of some of the women who were attending the potluck, they respectfully requested an only female attendance.

"I have been in Greeley and have been volunteering for English as Second Language classes at the CIE Office for five months — just helping people to settle in Greeley," said Ava

Adriana Hoyos, a volunteer at CIE who said she came to the U.S. on an F-2 Dependent Visa from Colombia. "I have done other get-to-know sessions, and my friends are here today."