Crimson Culture

Crimson Culture... 진홍 문화... cultura carmesí... قرمزي ثقافة... Crimson Kultur...

No matter what language you say it in, Crimson Culture means the same thing all across The University of Alabama campus. While working on our last event of the year, which was called Crimson Culture, I was finding myself questioning what culture even meant. While everyone has their own perspectives, I believe a person can define his or her culture as the aspect of themselves that distinguishes them from everyone else. While preparing and planning for Crimson Culture, I found the answer to what UA culture is.... It is the merging of all of the cultures throughout campus. In essence, the university can be viewed as a melting pot.

On Thursday, April 21, The Ferg was happy to host Crimson Culture at the Coleman Coliseum in an effort to expose students and community members to different aspects of Tuscaloosa's diverse culture. The Ferg also wanted to recognize and celebrate cultural diversity across The University of Alabama campus. Through Crimson Culture, students had the opportunity to learn about various cultures and express their own culture as well.

If you were not one of the 2,500 people at Crimson Culture, you missed out on an assortment of cultural activities, including henna tattoos, origami, martial arts demos, Chinese calligraphy and several other activities. Andy Hall, Blaine Duncan & The Lookers, The Lamb Family Violins and many other entertainers were also there to spice up the event. Plus, there were krump and hip-hop performers, as well as salsa and tango demos to keep everyone on their toes.

Overall, Crimson Culture was a hit and turned out better than we could have ever imagined. Sadly, it was the last event of the school year, but be prepared for bigger and better events to come starting in August 2011!

Pictures and video from Crimson Culture coming soon...

International Expression: Calligraphy

Last Wednesday night, April 13, I attended International Expressions: Chinese Calligraphy. It was an awesome event. I had a fun time and met a lot of new people. During the event, we learned how to write Chinese characters that represented words such as sun, moon, mountain, love, roll tide, etc., and we were even able to use actual Chinese brushes, ink and paper to write the calligraphy. International Expressions is a great way to learn new things and meet new, great people. Be sure to attend future International Expressions events next fall!

Roll Tide & Love in Chinese Calligraphy

                                               

Hot Topics: Culture Awareness

The Ferguson Center’s Hot Topics series focused on Cultural Awareness as the topic of discussion last Tuesday, April 12. This discussion was by far the most interesting to me! The event started of with the reading of a poem called "I am From" that left everyone feeling bewildered and intrigued. The poem illustrated how each of us is different but how we also may have a lot in common. During the discussion about cultural awareness, questions were posed and in-depth conversation began to unfold. Be sure to check out future Hot Topics events next semester! Have a suggestion for a topic? Email uapgrograms@gmail.com.

This event was catered by 
Moe's Southwest Grill.

YMLP/YWLP Community Service Project

I had the greatest opportunity to help The Ferg host a day full of fun and cheer for the students of Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary on March 28. Students of the Young Men's Leadership Program and the Young Women's Leadership Program received first hand experience giving back to the community by assisting with the Community Service Day, and I gained a new appreciation for both groups and the children.

As part of the event, the mentors, volunteers, and students refurbished the basketball court near McKenzie Court Housing Authority and the elementary school, which has been used everyday since the event. The Women's Resource Center of The University of Alabama, in partnership with The Ferg, celebrated the hard work of the students with a festival of fun. The celebration included lunch, popcorn and ice cream sundaes for everyone to enjoy. After eating, the MLK Jr. students took part in various acitivies to win give-aways and prizes, and the best part was that everyone was a winner!

I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to reach out to such a grateful group of children. Be on the lookout for more events hosted by The Ferg that you can take part in!

Movie Series: TRON: Legacy

The 1982 original version of TRON: Legacy has been recreated and revamped! The Ferguson Center was happy to introduce the new movie at this month's Movie Series event in The Ferg Theater. The popcorn and refreshments were, as always, overflowing and so were the students! We are happy to say we had over 70 come out and enjoy the movie.

TRON: Legacy is about "the son of a virtual world designer who goes looking for his father and ends up inside the digital world that his father designed. He meets his father's creation turned bad and a unique ally who was born inside the digital domain of The Grid."

The next Movie Series event will be held on Sunday, April 17 in The Ferg theater. We will be showing The Green Hornet with FREE poprcorn and refreshments for everyone to enjoy. Come make Sunday night a movie night!

Druid City Arts Festival 2011

I spent my Saturday afternoon downtown at the Governor's Plaza at the Druid City Arts Festival! The festival was great. There was a main stage line up with different bands, several vendors, and stations for kids to play. While I was there, I was introduced to a new band, Alice and Thunderland. I also stopped by some of the booths to buy little trinkets. I even ran into some old high school friends! Overall, the festival was wonderful. The weather started off rainy but ended with sunshine. UA students, families, and community members seemed to enjoy this event. This is an annual event that will definitely attend next year!

Hot Topics: Sexism and Gender Discrimination

The latest Hot Topic discussion took place on March 8, and addressed the issues of sexism and gender discrimination . The hot topic discussion was very interesting and insightful. Markus Harris, the moderator, for the discussion brought up interesting questions and thoughts that fed your mind. Some of the more interesting questions included, "What determines who you are? Sex or Gender?" and "When you hear gender discrimination, what is the first thing that comes to mind?" After leaving the Hot Topics discussion, I felt like I had a different view on how I identify myself as a woman. As a student at The University of Alabama, I enjoy the Hot Topic discussions. The discussions bring up issues that you do not think of on a daily basis. The next Hot Topic discussion is April 12 and will address Cultural Awareness. Don't miss out on this great opportunity!