Multicultural and Diversity Festival 2011

Expand Your World at the 9th Annual Multicultural and Diversity Festival

Philadelphia-area families looking for an escape from the winter doldrums will find plenty to do at the Multicultural and Diversity Festival, hosted by Chestnut Hill Academy and Springside School, on Sunday, February 27, 2011 from 3 to 6 pm in Chestnut Hill.

Throughout the afternoon, families, students, and community members come together to celebrate the wonderful array of cultures and traditions that are part of our city. Try your hand at making pasta, drumming, or writing Chinese calligraphy. Visit booths that highlight various nationalities, their cultures and customs. Dance the Merengue, Salsa, or the Mexican Hat Dance.

New this year and sure to be a highlight of the afternoon is the opportunity to meet and talk with two Tuskegee Airmen and learn about their experiences as African American pilots in the early 1940s. Eugene J. Richardson, Jr., D.Ed., who trained as a fighter pilot at the racially segregated Tuskegee Army Air Field (TAAF) in Tuskegee, Alabama just prior to the end of World War II, will be one of two Airmen at the Festival.  Dr. Richardson is one of 996 pilots who graduated from TAAF between 1941 and 1946 and one of six Philadelphia Tuskegee Airmen still alive today; the chapter originally had 48 members. He resides in the West Mount Airy section of Philadelphia. Interestingly, Dr. Richardson’s son, Eugene Richardson III, was also a fighter pilot and is now the Boeing 777 Fleet Standards Manager with American Airlines; he is responsible for the training and certification of American’s 777 pilots.

The 2011 Multicultural and Diversity Festival also includes performances by the Southeastern Cherokee Confederacy Dancers, led by Chief Buffy Redfeather Brown, The Cherokee Sisters Drumming Ensemble, a Chinese Opera Dancer, Moka Rising—an African American Experience; steel drummers, Latin Fiesta Music and Dance Ensemble; a multi-national flag parade, and Chinese student singers from Springside School. 

All in all the afternoon is a great opportunity for folks of all ages to meet new people, learn something new about another culture or tradition, and expand your world.

The Festival is being held at Chestnut Hill Academy, 500 West Willow Grove Avenue in Chestnut Hill. The event is free and open to the public. Snow date: Sunday, March 6, 2011. For more information: www.chestnuthillacademy.org or www.springside.org.