A collection of cultural foods, performances and organizations fundraised for local initiatives

“Your presence is all the world needs/And the fact that you go beyond that is nothing short of incredible/So thank you for existing/It means a lot,” read the inspiring affirmation note cards that senior Jeremiah Rufus handed out after performing a powerful spoken word piece on Sunday afternoon.

His performance was just one of many at the Multicultural Center’s 37th annual Global Village on April 16. The event is a place for the MCC student organizations to engage with each other and their wider community through food, fundraising, performance and activities with the goal of sharing and celebrating their cultures. It highlighted 16 of their on-campus clubs that fundraised for an organization of their choosing.

“All the different artists that we see, all the food that they create–I just love seeing what people come up with and how they bring their culture to the table,” said the center’s Associate Director Zakiya Cooper. “I'm always excited for opportunities like this for everybody to just hang out with each other and intermingle and see what we have in common.”

The five-hour event took place on the courtyard between the Learning Commons and Benson, attracting students, faculty members and even Santa Clara’s President Julie Sullivan.

Students and local community members performed at the event, including Ballet Folklorico’s traditional Mexican dance, Hipnotik’s Hip-Hop and Pop performance as well as other student organizations and dance groups appearing center stage at the event.

Every performance was lively and energetic, riling up a cheering audience below the stage. Dance performances were just a portion of the production, as other artists performed R&B songs, instrumental pieces and other acts.

Off-stage, each club was stationed at a table, selling food or merchandise to donate the proceeds to their selected organization. For example, The Asian-Pacific Islander Student Union sold steamed and baked pork buns for just $2 to $3, donating their earnings to Our Time to Act United.

A place like Global Village is rich with variety and culture, Asian-Pacific Islander Student Union student vendor Rachel Choy said.

Students and local community members performed at the event, including Ballet Folklorico’s traditional Mexican dance, Hipnotik’s Hip-Hop and Pop performance as well as other student organizations and dance groups appearing center stage at the event.

“We really resonate with their mission because we are all youth and we are API,” Choy said. “What they're doing is trying to increase our representation, specifically in the government. So, they do API voter registration initiatives.”

The organization of Global Village was professional yet inviting, where student clubs were displayed against an exciting backdrop of constant music, performances and conversation. Organizations outside of Santa Clara’s student associations also tabled at the event, including Magic Nail Shop where attendees could get their nails painted.

The creation of safe spaces for celebration on campus, like Global Village, is important to support all students in the Santa Clara community.

“I think it's so important for us, specifically the BIPOC community, to have a space like this for us to demonstrate our culture and just be able to share and celebrate,” MCC Community Outreach Director Olivia Owens said. “We are here and making our voices heard, especially whenever we often feel drowned out going to predominantly white institutions, so having events like this, in such a central place on campus, we're able to really show we are here and we belong to this space as much as the rest of y'all do.”