TOP STORY>>Inaugural Diversity Day comes to The Rock

By Staff Sgt. Jake Barreiro
19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

Early on the morning of Aug. 2, Team Little Rock gathered outside the 19th Airlift Wing’s headquarters to come together and celebrate the base’s first ever Diversity Day.

Diversity Day combined at least nine other monthly observances, traditionally observed in specific months throughout the year, into one big multicultural celebration. The purpose of the day was to highlight the sacrifices and contributions that all cultures and backgrounds bring to being part of the military.

“Diversity Day is about opening up to all cultures,” said 1st Lt. Rachel Jarrell, diversity director of Diversity Day. “It’s about embracing each other’s differences and respecting them.”

The day started with a “Unity Walk” from the 19th AW’s headquarters down to Hangar 233 on the base’s flight line. Team Little Rock personnel were accompanied by the Little Rock Central High School marching band, who played music during the march.

On top of the live music, people were garbed in traditional cultural attire and carried signs celebrating the diversity of ideologies, cultures and ethnicities that make up the armed forces of America.

After the Unity Walk ended at Hangar 233, the audience saw a performance from an Eleanor Roosevelt impersonator who performed a monologue of “What We Are Fighting For” set during World War II. After the monologue, the “First Lady” took questions from the audience, and the impersonator gave her best Eleanor Roosevelt answer.

After the performance, Diversity Day moved to Hangar 1080 on base for a cultural cuisine sampling. The dishes served during the event included Pork Schnitzel (German), Chicken Katsu with white rice (Japanese), Bulgogi with kimchee (Korean), Candied Plantains (Latin American), Palak Paneer (Indian), Beef Tangine (Moroccan) and Huut (Native American).

After the cuisine, the celebration shifted to the Thomas Community Activities Center, where an array of performances were given along with separate display booths providing information about a wide array of cultures and ethnicities.

Booths set up at the TCAC provided information on a variety of topics such as: Disability Awareness, Women’s Health, Asian-Pacific Heritage, Native-American Heritage, Hispanic-American Heritage and a Holocaust Memorial amongst others.

Performances at the TCAC included, hula dances, salsa dances, poetry readings, karate demonstrations, Irish dances and an authentic Celtic band.

“It was great to be able to see all these different cultures come together. I was overwhelmed with all the many cultures that turned out to be a part of this day,” said Jarrell.

Jarrell said she thinks the first ever Diversity Day was a success and is excited to start planning for next year.

“I’m looking forward for next year’s diversity day to be bigger and better,” she said. “This year we had 11 cultures. Next year I’m going for 20.”