District 97’s Ethnic Festival on May 5 went much smoother than last year’s event, says Lynn Allen, coordinator of the district’s Multicultural Education Department.
Last Saturday was the second year the festival has taken place at Julian Middle School, 416 S. Ridgeland, following many years at Whittier School. The new downsized festival resulted in some logistical issues last year, such as squeezing some of the vendors into one section of the building. This year, they were spread out in the hallways. Allen wasn’t sure there would be enough space for them in the halls last year.
“There were some bumps and bruises last year, but we had a good festival this year,” she said.
An altered festival format is among a handful of changes for the department, the result of a smaller budget and a still-to-be-determined new vision for the center, said Allen. D97 Supt. Albert Roberts will have the final say on what that vision is, but Allen is hopeful the department will continue to exemplify the district’s commitment to diversity.
She now runs the multicultural center at Julian by herself; her two-person staff was let go this school year. The budget is just over $100,000, down from nearly $200,000 the previous year.
The center, which houses books, clothing and artifacts from various cultures, has existed for 32 years, as has the annual Ethnic Fest, featuring food, vendors and entertainment celebrating diversity. It was 11 years ago that the district and school board formally adopted the Multicultural Education Department. Though Oak Park has long championed its diversity, the center has had its critics over the years. When the district sought to create a diversity department, some in the community expressed fears that its focus would be exclusively on African-American education, but that was never the intention.
Following the retirement of Bette Wilson, who founded and ran the resource center, Delores Register took over when it became a department 1991. Allen has been in charge since 2003. The center was located at Whittier, 715 N. Harvey, before relocating to Julian after the new middle schools were built. Allen notes that the official name is the Multicultural Education Department and Resource Center. Her title has changed over the years, from director to coordinator to administrator; currently she is the coordinator.
But for Allen, the community’s and district’s support for multicultural education is more important than titles.
“When people come out and support what we do, what that tells me is that this is important,” she said.
Diversifying: The halls of Julian Middle School were filled with vendors during the 32nd Annual Ethnic Festival last Saturday.
