LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 27, 2014) — Tearing down the walls of diversity is a task that requires one to think outside of the box. 'Boxes and Walls' is hosted by CATalyst, which has teamed up with six other organizations to build a multicultural museum for students to explore.
The exhibits are designed to personalize the struggle of tearing down these walls of oppression and to educate attendees on the impact of this persecution over time.
Keeping with this year's theme, "Oppression through Time," participating organizations are building their exhibits to reflect the impact of oppression on historically oppressed groups.
Alexis Asamoah, president of the African Student Association, says that she hopes their exhibit will take attendees back in time.
“We would like students to understand the effects of colonization through an interactive experience they may not be able to have anywhere else. When students come into our room, we would hope that they would feel as if they are being transported to a different time period,” Asamoah said.
The goal is to highlight that oppression wears many masks, but underlying similarities can unite efforts toward inclusion against the common enemy of discrimination. The hope is that attendees leave with a better understanding and desire to take part in making our community a safer and fairer place for all students.
“Boxes & Walls is all about getting students to walk in the shoes of students who may have experiences that are widely different from their own. Through these different experiences, we gain insight into the realities of the world we live in, and we learn more about ourselves,” said Robert Cardom, CATalyst advisor and Boxes & Walls coordinator.
The six participating organizations that are working together to make this event possible are: NAACP, African Student Association, Latino Student Association, Sexperts, UK Center for Community Outreach, and the International Student Council. In addition, UK partners include Residence Life, Office of Student Involvement, and the Office of Institutional Diversity. It is a unique experience that allows students to study and celebrate the diversity of their campus.
This year's experience will take place from 4-7 p.m. April 7-9, in the Center for Student Involvement, located in the Student Center. Tickets are required for each tour departure time and are available online at http://boxeswalls.eventbrite.com. Tour groups are capped to 15 guests at a time, and tours begin every half-hour.
Boxes & Walls started at UK in 2010. Since then, CATalyst has managed to carry the torch, with the help of students from a range of partnering organizations. Each year, more than 200 participants go through the Boxes & Walls experience.
To learn more about this event, please contact Robert Cardom, by email at rod223@uky.edu or by phone, 859-257-6780 or visit the Office of Student Involvement in Room 203 of the Student Center.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 27, 2014) — La organización CATalyst ha juntado fuerzas con seis organizaciones para crear un museo multicultural. El objetivo del proyecto ‘Boxes and Walls’ es unificar y enfatizar la importancia de la diversidad cultural.
Las exhibiciones que se estarán presentando han sido diseñadas para que representen y muestren la gran división que la opresión puede causar en comunidades y para educar a todos aquellos que atiendan sobre el impacto que la opresión tiene en persecuciones de individuales.
El tema del año es “La Opresión a través de los Tiempos’, y las diferentes exhibiciones reflejarán como ciertos grupos sociales han sido afectados por diferentes tipos de opresión.
Alexis Asamoah, presidente de la Asociación de Estudiantes Africanos, espera que la exhibición regrese al público a tiempos pasados.
“Queremos que estudiantes entiendan los efectos que la colonización tuvo en la cultura, y queremos hacer esto a través de un método interactivo que no podrán tener en otros lugares. Queremos que cada estudiante que pase por nuestra puerta empiece un viaje a tiempos pasados.”
“Nuestro mayor objetivo es crear consciencia del hecho de que la opresión se esconde detrás de diferentes máscaras, pero que al final del día las similitudes entre culturas pueden derrotar la discriminación. Esperamos que los atiendan la exhibición salgan de la misma con un mejor conocimiento y una mayor voluntad de querer involucrarse activamente en hacer de la comunidad un lugar más seguro para todos los estudiantes.”
“Boxes and Walls busca que estudiantes vivan experiencias diferentes a aquellas a las que están acostumbrados, ya que a través de experiencias como ésta ellos podrán obtener conocimiento sobre diferentes realidades de estilos de vida y cultura,” expresó Robert Cardom, asesor y coordinador de CATalyst.
Las organizaciones que trabajaran junto con CATalyst son: NAACP, Asociación de Estudiantes Africanos, Asociación de Estudiantes Latinos, Sexpers, UK Center for Community Outreach y el Centro Estudiantil de estudiantes Internacionales. Junto con ellos, también colaboran UK Residence Life, Office of Student Involment y Office of Institutional Diversity.
La exhibición tendrá lugar de abril 7 al 9 de 4 a 7 p.m. en el Center for Student Involment dentro del Student Center. Es necesario obtener tickets para cada hora de tour, y éstos se pueden encontrar en http://boxeswalls.eventbrite.com. Los tours tienen una capacidad de 15 personas y comenzarán cada 30 minutos.
Boxes & Walls comenzó en el 2010. Desde ese entonces CATalys ha logrado crear alianzas con diferentes organizaciones estudiantiles, y cada año másde 200 participantes viven la experiencia de Boxes & Walls.
Para más información sobre este evento, contactar a Robert Cardom a rod223@uky.edu ó by p859-257-6780.