Why the Celebration

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Discrimination, racism, bias, and prejudice are direct results of the lack of knowledge of the cultures that are part of our own society and the many opportunities that they offer. This ignorance, in turn, is due to the absence of incentives that motivate people to interact with others from different cultural backgrounds and to learn about their cultures.

For the past 28 years the International Immigrants Foundation has sought to provide a solution to this problem through the development of the International Cultures Celebration. The Celebration considers cultural harmony and unity as an indispensable element of all economic development that activates society.

The Celebration traces its origins to the pioneering work of Mr. Edward Juarez Pagliocco, Chairman of the IIF, who, in the early 1980s, invited the leadership of umbrella socio-cultural organizations to meet for the first time in the history of New York, set aside all social and political differences, and start a dialogue to develop together a series of events to promote positive intercultural relations. At the time, an event of this nature had never taken place; there was no previous history, no pattern to follow, and fear of the unknown by politicians, provoked the Mayor’s office to oppose the concept. As a result the administration even expressed the concern that bringing the City’s segregated communities together "may cause bloodshed".

Thanks to the foresight, determination, and struggles of the Celebration’s founding members, in the last 16 years communities and their leaders have been able to overcome social, political, and cultural barriers to celebrate together in harmony and peace. Celebration programs such as the Annual International Cultures Festival, the International Film Showcase, Handshakes Around the World, the Official Presentation of the Flags, Annual International Cultures Conference and the International Cultures Parade – to name a few – have served as bridges that link up populations from various cultural backgrounds. As a result of the Celebration, for instance, Turks, Greeks and Macedonians, Greek and Turkish Cypriots, Jews and Arabs, Indians and Sikhs, and other cultural groups pool their intellectual resources to produce an event that promotes unity from diversity. A most rewarding achievement of the Celebration was its ability to foster stable relationships between the members of inter-cultural organizations and their constantly changing leadership.

Despite the Celebration’s significant inroads in promoting positive inter-cultural relations, fear and ignorance still dominate our society. The IIF, therefore, continues to make it its responsibility to educate the individual and the communities’ leadership through its Celebration programs. In this way the International Cultures Celebration goes far beyond rhetoric to promote cultural understanding through a unique and dynamic educational and cultural experience.

We, at the IIF, are committed to continue making a difference. Through the Celebration the IIF can continue to: (1) combat fear and ignorance by impressing upon individuals and their families the importance of cultural understanding; (2) provide the leadership of educational, religious, social, and cultural organizations with multicultural experiences; (3) strengthen relations between the leadership of social, and cultural organizations and their communities; (4) stimulate communication and business exchange between the communities; (5) encourage an interplay of individual and collective responsibility; and (6) enhance the economic development of our society by providing mutually advantageous business opportunities.