On the first Tuesday of every month, in room 214, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) club brings together a myriad of cultures through the medium of food.
Students from diverse backgrounds provide foods from their culture to DEI, which is then distributed to the attendees at their meetings. This way, students can get to meet people of diverse cultures and present their own culture through food. According to club co-president Digonto Chatterjee, DEI aims to gather students together and create an environment where they can “share cultural food with each other.”
The school is a melting pot of cultures that tend to group along cultural lines. DEI aims to erase these cultural lines that divide the school body and nurture a place where students can familiarize themselves with the backgrounds of their peers. According to Co-President Ethan Wang, these monthly gatherings “allow us to learn more about each other.”
Taking their inspiration from International Night, DEI looks to replicate this cultural event at their get-togethers. As a result of their flexible leadership, DEI’s meetings vary in theme. For their upcoming event, DEI is considering hosting a curry theme, a breakfast from around the world theme or a pastry theme. Additionally, every meeting brings a competition for the best food, whose winner is entitled to a prize by the club. This is another outcome of DEI’s flexible Leadership.
To that end, DEI’s monthly International Nights’ success depends on whether students are willing to supply food. If students are not willing to share their cultures, then it will be challenging to sustain diversity. In talking about how students can help ensure a successful and enjoyable get-together every month, Chatterjee said that bringing food is “a great way to contribute.”
Successful in gathering Indian cuisines for their first meeting, DEI was faced with a large crowd. Indian cuisines, such as samosas and biryani, were displayed in a potluck manner where students had the opportunity to serve themselves. DEI was successful in achieving its mission of diversity as people from a variety of cultures showed up. According to junior Artin Noori, an Iranian student, “I really enjoyed sampling Indian foods I had never tried before.”
The biggest challenge that DEI faces is establishing a distribution system that ensures everyone gets an opportunity to eat. In their previous meeting, the crowd of attendees finished the food in a small amount of time. Additionally, a large number of people indulged in more than was necessary. DEI wants everyone to have an opportunity to participate and try foods from different cultures. Accordingly, they are considering moving from a potluck-style system to a plating method, where their supply is divided on plates and handed out to students. This way, attendees do not miss out on having food.
DEI gives students an opportunity to bring their cultures to the school community through their love for food. With few school-wide events focused on this intersection of food and culture, other than International Night, DEI represents an opportunity to better understand the diverse student body.
