The Midland Area Cultural Awareness Coalition, a proud initiative of the Midland Area Community Foundation, invites all residents of Midland County and beyond to join in celebrating Cultural Awareness Month during October 2023. A celebration of culture and community in all its forms, Cultural Awareness Month, is a long-standing initiative of the Coalition that brings together events from various groups in the community that explore and celebrate the idea of culture.
“When talking about culture, we really mean all ways of life. Culture is made up of our values, language, art, food, beliefs, and more passed down through generations and connecting us to one another. Culture is really those details of daily life that communities share,” shares Kelsey Hockaday, a volunteer with the Coalition who serves on the Cultural Awareness Month subcommittee. “We choose to celebrate Cultural Awareness Month to connect with one another, to learn and understand each other and grow together. When we celebrate these differences, we’re more connected to each other. When we learn about cultural practices, we have more understanding and empathy, and we reduce our bias and ignorance.”
The Cultural Awareness Coalition is excited to partner with organizations like the Islamic Center of Midland and help promote their first Cultural Awareness Month event, the Meet Your Muslim Neighbors! Open House, happening on Saturday, October 21, from 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM. The event, hosted at the Islamic Center on Stark Road, will feature cultural displays representing Muslims worldwide, speakers sharing about faith and culture, and time to meet and talk with members of the local Muslim community.
This event is the first time the Islamic Center has hosted this sort of gathering in seven years. Raheef Alturkmani, a community leader at the Islamic Center, appreciated the chance to participate in this community-wide celebration. “We are looking forward to welcoming our community neighbors to the open house so we can together celebrate unity and embrace cultural exchange. We welcome everyone to experience the rich traditions, warm hospitality, and a deeper understanding of the Islamic faith.”
Details on all the community events that make up Cultural Awareness Month can be found on the Max Loves Midland Community Calendar at maxlovesmidland.com. All events are tagged with “Cultural Awareness Month” for easy searching.
Other events this month include:
- October 13, 7:30 PM – The Gavilán Brothers Concert and Post-show reception with The Cultural Awareness Coalition at the Midland Center for the Arts
- October 14, 7:00 PM – Midland Folk Music Society Concert at Creative 360
- October 17 – October 31 – Global Eats at Midland Public Schools’ dining halls
- October 19, 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM – Soup and Substance discussion – A Conversation on Culture at Northwood University (located in the lobby of the Sloan Family Building
- October 21, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM – Pickleball Open House at the Greater Midland Tennis Center
- October 24, 6:30 PM – Including You Live Show with The Breaking Bread Village at the Grace A. Dow Memorial Library
- All month – Public Art Scavenger Hunt with Public Arts Midland
The Cultural Awareness Coalition is actively working to promote a community where ALL people have the opportunity to thrive. To be culturally aware is to be conscious of and to directly know, perceive, feel, and be cognizant of the total way of life of particular groups of people, including everything that a group of people thinks, says, does, and makes its systems, attitudes, and feelings. Supported by the Midland Area Community Foundation, the endeavors of the Coalition open doors to understanding and helps to create an inclusive environment in Midland County where everyone is accepted, included, and feels a sense of belonging.