Members of the Upper School’s Indian Subcontinent Affinity Group (ISAG) teach Bollywood dance in the Middle School during Ubuntu 2019.
As the great Nelson Mandela says, “In Africa, there is a concept known as ‘Ubuntu’—the profound sense that we are human only through the humanity of others; that if we are to accomplish anything in this world, it will, in equal measure, be due to the work and achievement of others.”
Inspired in part by Raleigh’s International Festival, the Middle School’s World Language department started an International Festival in 2001. It later (around 2009) merged with another CA event, US Nationality Night, which was aimed at enjoying food and performances representative of student cultures. Attendees bought tickets for food items, and money was used for our still active ESL peer tutoring program at Reedy Creek.
Now, across countless conversations, challenges, and a whole lot of caring, we arrive at today, wondering what story Ubuntu 2020 will tell.
The Ubuntu Celebration at Cary Academy is an important community event, one that supports our mission by helping students see how they can impact the school, their community, and the world. It allows students to experience different cultures, food, work, and other topics through different lenses, piquing their interests and allowing them to take a deeper dive into a variety of issues.
The diversity of our community is one of our greatest assets. And, it is one to be celebrated. We see incredible value in sharing the wealth of our diverse experiences and identities with each other. We want our families and teachers to share aspects of what they do and who they are so that we can gain a greater understanding of our community, to connect with one another. We know—and have seen in years past—that this celebration brings many things to the forefront that we may not have known about each other before.
Ubuntu is a time that we come together, and you—our community—are an integral part of the process. We look forward to partnering with you and the PTAA Diversity Committee to make this an exceptional day. There are many ways to get involved:
- Present a workshop. Maybe you were born/raised somewhere different. Perhaps you have experiences that speak to one of the cultural identifiers, and you’d like to discuss and explore what that means to you.
- Prepare and serve that delicious recipe representative of your family’s heritage.
- Maybe you know someone who would be a great presenter. Tell us!
- Maybe you just want to be a worker bee and part of the action. Yes, yes, yes!
“Ubuntu tells us that we can create a more peaceful world by striving for goodness in each moment, wherever we are.” —Desmond Tutu
Please join us in spreading goodness on February 28, 2020. We look forward to having you join us!
