United Cultures of Bethel hosted Healing Roots director for a presentation and discussion Saturday Oct. 27.
By Mara Hayes
Director of European Americans in Solidarity Madelynn Hollander listens to a fellow student. After participating in the workshop, she expressed the importance of taking a closer look at her own perspective. “We’ve all been born with assumptions and understanding where we’ve come from can help a lot,” Hollander said.Bethel students Jasmine Printy and Caroline Wittenburg converse at the workshop. Through presentations and conversations, they learned how to better understand their culture and identity. Several group discussions were held throughout the day for people to have a chance to voice their opinions. “It’s not something that can even happen in a workshop,” Barbee said. “It takes a lot of thought and self-reflection.”Director of Healing Roots Janice Barbee presents her discussion material to Bethel students. Barbee organized the content covered and guided the discussion Saturday Oct. 27. “Everyone has a culture and the more you study it the more you see the richness of them,” she said.Lily Pirila responds to one of the topics during the workshop. Pirila had the opportunity to engage with the presenter and other students, taking time to read and reflect on European cultural roots. “One of our major barriers to really working together is if everybody else sees themselves as having a cultural understanding and… you see yourself outside of that, like you’re universal,” Barbee said.