Portland is among many United States cities experiencing rapid diversity growth. I was a Sudanese refugee who came to Portland in 2001 but now turned United States citizen. Since my arrival, there is nothing more pleasant than diverse community get-togethers. Unfortunately, time and space gives communities limited opportunities to celebrate these events. 

Understanding the scope of diversity may vary from individual to groups. I started experiencing and celebrating some levels of diversity in Sudan. In Juba, tribes with slightly different cultural backgrounds celebrate the national cultural day at Nyakuron Cultural Center. There, people perform different dances, taste different foods and listen to different folk tales. When I move to Khartoum, in northern Sudan, there was an additional cultural and religious experience added to my previous experiences in south Sudan. For example, during Muslim celebration of the Ramadan, Muslim neighbors give us their special foods to taste and they showed us how to prepare.  

In Portland, the annual diversity celebrations organized by the multilingual and multicultural centers kept fresh my memory of cultural celebrations. I found this added more to my experiences in the Sudan, in that I have been exposed to a more diverse community that I ever expected. It’s more continental than tribal or regional as compared to those I learned in the Sudan.

I now developed the love of some foods such as seafood that I have never thought of eating. I encourage one of your newspaper crew members to cover this year’s celebration at the Portland Exposition Building scheduled for Saturday, June 13 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and invite others who would like the experience of a grand celebration of diversity to join us. 

Sabina Apollo, 

SMCC Student