Speaking Out

New Equity Day aims to promote club awareness, social action

Students+received+cards+with+a+QR+code+in+their+English+classes%2C+leading+to+an+Equity+Day+scavenger+hunt

Dhatri Thummala

Students received cards with a QR code in their English classes, leading to an Equity Day scavenger hunt

Lia Choi and Aresema Agdie

Equity Day, celebrated on Monday, was a new addition to this week’s Multicultural Week, and aimed to raise awareness of the various clubs on campus.

The new themed day also helped students concerned about social issues to reach out to state representatives and Congress members to share their opinions.

To celebrate, students in their English classes received a card with a QR code linked to an Equity Day scavenger, which gave them an array of tasks to complete, ranging from reaching out to a local representative to watching a cultural performance in the quad at lunch.

ASB President Justine Dreux helped coordinate the event with Bear Witness editor Angela Choi. She said planning Equity Day took a couple of months, but said she was very pleased to see it finally carried out for the first time.

“When we focus on Multicultural Week, we end up not always focusing on (topics) like equity,” Dreux said. “This year’s Equity Day was pretty small because it’s just one day and we mostly highlighted clubs, but I think it’s a great initiative to have started on campus, and I hope it blossoms into something bigger with the years to come.”

Senior Crystal Chang also helped plan the event, including distributing the Equity Day cards.

As Mandarin Club president, Chang hopes that students become more passionate about learning and spreading cultural awareness through Equity Day and Multicultural Week.

“I hope that more people can get out of their comfort zone and learn more about a different culture, whether that is trying out a new food or activity,” she said.

The student bulletin board was blown away due to the rainy weather, but it will be put up again next week.