By Noelle Friedberg

Opinion Editor 

October is National Diversity month, so now is the perfect time to learn something new about a different culture. One way to learn about a new culture is to build a friendship with someone who has a different cultural background than you.

Another way is to attend the diversity events offered on campus. I’ve attended two such events this month that each taught me something new about cultures other than my own.

The first event was called “A Land Twice Promised,” and was about encouraging a better understanding of the complex relationship between Israelis and Palestinians. The event involved Israeli storyteller Noa Baum doing a theatrical one woman performance which explored the idea that perhaps Israelis and Palestinians have more in common than they think. Something she said that really stuck out to me is that “once you hear someone’s story, there’s no going back.” Which leads us to the wise words of Gene Knudsen Hoffman when he says, “An enemy is one whose story we have not heard.”

The second event was the first installment of the three part Community and World Literary Series that’s being put on by the Literature and Writing Department. Toni Jensen, a published author and professor of creative writing at the University of Arkansas, was brought to campus to read from her collection of short stories entitled From the Hilltop. Her work explores issues of gender and Native American identity. Going to literary readings is a great way to learn more about different cultures. This event shed a new light for me on the struggles being faced by Native Americans in our society. It was also a great time because Jensen’s work is funny and refreshing.

All of this to say that attending the different events and lectures which the campus offers for free to students is a fruitful way to learn new things about different cultures. I encourage all students to attend at least one such event each semester in order to engage more fully with the diverse world that surrounds us all.