Combine a taste of Thai food with a pinch of Spanish food and a dollop of Italian food, and that’s the recipe for Lawrence Township’s annual Diversity and Cultural Festival.
Set for May 5 at Lawrence High School, the event will bring together members of different cultures in Lawrence so they can make new friends and learn about each other.
The event, which is free, runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Lawrence High School Commons.
The festival is sponsored by the Lawrence Township Human Relations Committee, which was formed following the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. The goal was to help improve relations between ethnic groups in order to avoid hate and bias crimes.
The purpose of the Human Relations Committee is to help Lawrence Township celebrate its diversity and also to advise Lawrence Township Council on cultural affairs.
“Diversity ensures that a community has a variety of viewpoints and approaches to confront and solve problems,” said John Gaskins, who is the co-chairman of the Human Relations Committee.
Teresita Bastides-Heron, who also serves on the committee, agreed that diversity is important because it enhances society, organizations, schools, government and business “with a unique perspective and new ideas.”
This year’s keynote speaker is Tahirih Gomez-Smith, who is a founder of the Greater Eldridge Park Neighborhood Association and a 24-year resident of Lawrence Township. She also is a former executive director of Sustainable Lawrence.
Gomez-Smith was born in the Dominican Republic, but moved to Puerto Rico with her family. She graduated from the University of Puerto Rico with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and science education.
Meanwhile, the Diversity and Cultural Festival program will be as diverse as the community.
There will be performances of Chinese yo-yo, as well as demonstrations of the arts of Chinese calligraphy and Chinese paper folding.
There will be henna tattoo painting, Arabic name writing, classical Indian dance, and demonstrations of the Korean martial art known as tai kwon do.
And of course, there will be food – and lots of it.
There will be classic American hot dogs and pizza, plus traditional foods from China, Ecuador and Mexico. Kosher and hallal food will also be available to sample.
