A UNIQUE CULTURAL EUPHORIA

WHEN:    SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 10^TH, 2000 at 3 PM

Hundreds of thousands of people from all cultural backgrounds yesterday thronged Madison Avenue to experience the 15^th International Cultures Parade, a yearly spectacle of cultures featuring an impressive pageantry and a colorful display of music, costumes, folklore and traditional dancing from all over the world. Established communities from Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas presented a unique and befitting tribute to the gorgeous cultural mosaic that makes up the United States of America.

In addition to truly representing an unforgettable "trip around the world in one day", the International Cultures Parade is also an event of inclusion that encourages unity among diversity and promotes inter-cultural relations in our society. A major goal of the Parade is to provide an alternative to the lack of knowledge of each other’s cultures - the kind of ignorance that fosters racism, discrimination, and the anti-immigrant sentiment that led to the passing of the Immigration Act of 1996.

The event is organized annually by the International Cultures Mission-International Immigrants Foundation (IIF-ICM) under the presidency of Mr. Edward Juarez-Pagliocco. Since the first performance in 1986 the International Cultures Parade has been acclaimed as the foremost event in New York City which brings together thousands of performers from the tri-state cultural communities to participate and to charm thousands of spectators with a unique educational and cultural experience.

Thousands converged on the location of the Main Stage and Reviewing Area between 38^th and 39^th Streets, where the event was opened by an Interfaith ceremony officiated by Mr. Bawa Jain from the Interfaith Center of New York. The ceremony was followed by the Official Presentation of Nations’ Flags wherein about 160 diplomats, elected officials, media executives, and prominent community leaders exchanged national flags amid the applause and acclamation of the international crowd that watched with ardent enthusiasm.

The International Cultures Parade and Celebration was sponsored by over $1 million worth of promotional advertising by TV stations such as NBC, Sinovision, Univision, RTP, and RCN; radio stations such as Kiss FM, Mega 97.9, and Amor; and newspapers, such as El Diario, Amsterdam News, Nowy Dziennik, the Portuguese Post, RCN, CaribNews, El Especial, Noticias del Mundo, The China Press, Luso Americano, and the Brasilians.

Diplomats, and media and corporate executives hailed the event as "a unique celebration of national and civic pride that honors the thousands of participating communities and all the people of New York". Similar flattering comments were made by several other media executives who described the Parade as "a cultures galore of international entertainment", "a colorful show of cultural creativity", "a lively expression of popular fantasy", "an exuberant spectacle of first-class artistry", and "a spontaneous extravaganza of joyful music and dazzling beauty".