As part of the Cultural Arts Center Blog we seek to share a
little bit of personal perspective of how the staff and community embrace the
working mission of our program. To kick
off the series, this week's offering is from Siobhan Quinn, Director of the Cultural
Arts Center.
Loving Across Boundaries
Valentine’s day. Some
view it as strictly commercial, some don’t.
Many recognize the day in the United States as a way to celebrate their
love. Love across boundaries is a
common theme in many films, music, dance, and other methods of story telling
In my own family, love has taken many directions across
cultural, geographic, religious, racial, and political lines. My five siblings and I are first generation
American, and were born of an Irish father and an English mother. My Irish Catholic sister married a Jewish
man. My brothers have married in four very different directions. My sisters in law include a first generation
combination of Japanese & American, first generation German American, a
woman of Irish descent, and one of my eldest brothers moved to Paris, where
that sister in law is a first generation combination of French &
Senegalese.
Honestly, the kids at our family reunions begin to look a
little like they are part of a United Nations event. We often discover more similarities than
differences. The children have grown to
embrace all sorts of traditions with a kind respect for people different from
themselves. They will find even more in
common as our world shrinks through social media, but they will also continue
to find some fascinating differences. Perhaps they will partner across traditional
divisions as well.
As Director of the Cultural Arts Center at Montgomery
College, I recognize that it is in our mission to explore and share different
cultural perspectives. This is not an
effort to create a mere tolerance for one another, but to create a true
understanding of where we come from, and what our neighbor’s perspectives are
as well. I am consistently impressed
with the conversations taking place before and after programs at the CAC. Our
community of diverse friendships has grown exponentially.
This St. Valentine’s Day, distance is the line I must cross. I grew up in New York and my husband is a
child of the United States—he was born in the south, growing up in a military
family, and moving frequently. For the first time in nine years we will be
apart. He is currently in a Spanish immersion program
in Mexico, learning to communicate more fully with those around him. Like
many of our students here at the college, Skype makes it easier to communicate
with home.
It’s a big world out there with many blurred boundaries. In
the spirit of this celebration of love where people express themselves in so
many different ways—chocolate, flowers, a special event or meal— I hope that
today we can all show a little bit of love and kindness to one another.
Happy Valentine’s Day.
I’ll enjoy celebrating Spanish culture this Saturday with Ensemble Español. I hope you’ll join me. If you would like to share your cultural
connections and experiences of living and reaching across the line, we welcome
your comments.
