June 28, 2010
Anxious paddlers stretch in unison on the warm, green grass while excited spectators patiently cheer them on. For Dragonboat teams, weeks of Saturday or Sunday morning practices culminated at Ramsey Creek Park in Cornelius on May 15. Here, festivalgoers enjoyed ethnic food, entertainment, cultural pageantry, arts/crafts, and dragonboat races.
The annual Dragonboat/Asian Festival is co-sponsored by the Carolinas Asian American Chamber of Commerce, Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation, and the Charlotte Dragonboat Association. It showcases Charlotte’s growing cultural diversity while promoting racial harmony and cultural understanding.
June 28, 2010
Wells Fargo works to ensure its supplier base is diverse
by Edward Cates
photos courtesy of Wells Fargo
Achieving progress in supplier diversity and development requires a shared vision and coordinated effort across multiple teams. Wells Fargo is executing an integrated approach toward including minority, women and disadvantaged businesses (diverse suppliers) into its supply chain by developing suppliers ...
June 28, 2010
From Bangladesh to Boston, one aspect of life we all share, regardless of our cultural backgrounds, is the arts. As Charlotte’s population expands in diversity, so have the offerings by the city’s arts and entertainment community.
June 28, 2010
On May 16, 2009, a wedding reception took place at the Mint Museum of Craft + Design. An unusual idea? No. A unique event? Definitely.
Raised in Chandigarh, India, Vatsla Kohli Watkins, 31, and her husband, Curtis, 32, a Charlotte native, celebrated their union with a mix of Indian and American cultures. The wedding was a conservative Christian church ceremony. Afterward, however, the couple decided to “spice it up a little” and make it more memorable.
The reception took on an Indian flair, from the food to the favors. They traded in their traditional wedding attire for Indian garb, including a dress that Vatsla flew all the way to India to pick out. Her hands were also painted with an Indian henna design. Guests enjoyed a buffet of chicken tikka masala, rice pulao, saag paneer and naan bread; DJs played a mix of Indian and popular songs; and the couple performed moves from a Bhangra dance. The result was an event every bit as interesting as how they met.
June 28, 2010
A Caucasian former associate editor at Glamour magazine infamously ignited a firestorm of controversy when she told a roomful of female attorneys during a “Dos and Don’ts of Corporate Dress” presentation that afros are a real “no-no,” and said about dreadlocks, “How truly dreadful!” She went on to say, “It was shocking that some people still think it appropriate to wear those hairstyles at the office. No offense . . . but those political hairstyles really have to go.” No, this didn’t happen in the 1960s. The year was 2007. Despite the progress African Americans have made in the corporate arena, ethnic hairstyles may be the final hurdle when it comes to full acceptance in the workplace.
June 25, 2010
What was once CrossRoads Mall, an unassuming shopping center off I-77 at Exit 90, has blossomed into a colorful, bustling 200-store retail space catering to a multicultural clientele. Despite its name, Plaza Fiesta of the Carolinas boasts a diverse roster of vendors, customers and merchandise beyond the Hispanic community.
“The idea behind the concept is to share and promote diversity in this country,” says Arturo Adonay, managing partner of Plaza Fiesta.
A native of Mexico City, Adonay moved to the United States 13 years ago and to Charlotte just three years ago. He opened Plaza Fiesta in 2007 after researching the area and discovering the “growing potential in the Carolinas.” He wanted to recreate a plaza atmosphere akin to the ones in found in Europe and Latin Amerinca and give various ethnic groups a place to gather.
