Ventura College Celebrates the County with its Inaugural Diversity in Culture Festival

    VENTURA, CA, March 27, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Ventura County is a mosaic of cultures and ethnicities, with residents hailing from around the world. To celebrate the multicultural diversity of the county and its campus, Ventura College is holding its inaugural three-day Diversity in Culture Festival, April 12-14 on the Ventura College campus, 4667 Telegraph Road, Ventura.

The festival is open to the public and will feature dance and music performances, film, art and literature events, speakers and discussion panels. Performances will take place throughout the campus beginning at 11 a.m. each day and run until 8:30 p.m. A schedule of events will be available via printed program and posted online at VC Diversity in Culture Festival.

"We are excited that President, Dr. Greg Gillespie is supporting us in bringing together cultural groups, performers, advocates and educators from throughout Ventura County and beyond, to raise public awareness, foster education and promote cross-cultural tolerance across Ventura College and throughout our multicultural community," said Gwendolyn Lewis-Huddleston, Ed.D., Ventura College dean of arts, social science and humanities.

Entertainment highlights include dance and music performances by the Latin/Caribbean group Cascade de Flores, featuring lively dancing, singing and bilingual storytelling; the high-energy Versa-Style Dance Company, a talented ensemble of young artists representing the diversity and complexity of Los Angeles through hip-hop, Boogaloo and Afro-Latin styles; the Clan MacColin of Glenderry Highland Dance & Music; and the Los Angeles-based Gypsy Folk Ensemble performing and teaching Greek folk dances.

Musical highlights include a performance by award-winning musical artist, performer, inspirational speaker and Dream Coach, Sade Champagne, and a classic piano performance by local artist and musical savant Rex Lewis-Clack, who has been blind since birth and also on the autism spectrum.

Additional events include a poetry slam contest featuring Ventura County's poet laureate Phil Taggart; director Jonathan Carlander presenting his short film on Asperger Syndrome, "The Pleasing List," and sharing his own experience as a writer with Asperger's; Lanny Kaufer's acclaimed musical multimedia presentation "MLK & the Spirit of the '60s" about his experience working for Dr. Martin Luther King's 1965 SCOPE Project; the Ventura College International Film Festival's showing of "Sophie Scholl," a film about a 21-year-old member of the anti-Nazi non-violent student resistance group the White Rose; and Margaret Zhao, author of "Really Enough," the true story of a Chinese woman overcoming great odds and transforming her life.

Food trucks offering a variety of ethnic cuisines will be onsite for attendees to purchase food. The event is free; parking is $2.00.

For more information about the Diversity in Culture Festival, visit the Ventura College website.

# # #