A FIRST AMENDMENT PUBLICATION Vol. 144, Issue 9
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Wednesday, April 29, 2026
Multicultural Day celebrates the power of representation By Jake Gregory Photographer
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n a campus composed of students and faculty from diverse backgrounds and cultures, the Pierce College community celebrated its multitude of identities during Multicultural Day on Thursday, April 23. Multicultural Day is a threeday event meant to showcase the spectrum of heritages and communities at Pierce and share them with others. There were a variety of presentations on Thursday across campus that included international and English as a Second Language (ESL) students, Jewish identity, the impact of society and culture on psychological science. Organizer of Multicultural Day and Librarian Michael Habata said the event began in 2019, with different themes each year. This year’s theme was “The Power of Representation at Pierce College.” Habata said that the event is a chance for people to bond over their personal experiences and unique perspectives. “It’s an opportunity for students and staff and the college community to just be exposed to all kinds of different cultural, gender and religious things, to see the wealth of experiences and to come together over our shared differences,” Habata said. He also said that it gives students a chance to connect with others and engage in exciting activities. “It’s a good opportunity, especially for students who don’t come to campus
Jake Gregory / Roundup News Performers from the Unidos Por La Danza dance to ballet folklorico during Multicultural Day at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif. on April 23, 2026.
often,” Habata said. “It’s a chance to come here and do something in person that’s fun, that’s educational, that
makes you feel like part of a community.” For kinesiology professor Shannon Rohrer, Multicultural
Day was an opportunity to introduce people to the art of T’ai Chi Ch’uan in her workshop. Rohrer said that it
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is an activity that benefits all aspects of a person’s wellbeing. “It’s a really lovely way to balance the mind, body and spirit,” Rohrer said. “So it’s not just about being an internal martial art, but it’s also channeling our emotions, our energy, our soul, into finding balance in our lives.” In addition to physical workshops, the presentations gave attendees a chance to exercise their mental muscles. Michael Schuster is a humanities professor who gave a presentation titled “Framing Reality: How Art and Media Shape our Standards of Beauty.” Schuster said that teaching, given its roots in the ancient world, is as important as ever today. “Teaching for me is trying to get this palpable, sort of aha moment,” Schuster said. “It’s like, ‘Oh, you get what I’m saying.’ And this goes all the way back to Socrates, and the whole dialectic of transmitting one piece of wisdom from one mind to another, and yes, that’s totally right. I get it now, Socrates. That was happening 2,500 years ago, and it happens today.” Habata said that the day is an opportunity to include and uplift people who are often marginalized in society and to show that they are valued equally with others. “There’s this fear of the other and the idea that the other is something that needs to be pushed away or is not valued,” Habata said. “But the idea of Multicultural Day is to say that all the things that are distinct, that all those things bring value, and those things should be celebrated.” Olivia Muñoz contributed to this story.
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Armenian Genocide remembrance
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